Data on the UK Historical Profession and Discipline

Each section of this resource provides data and links relating to a different aspect of the UK historical profession and discipline. Use the links below to locate a section within the resource.

1. HISTORY ACADEMIC STAFF IN UK HIGHER EDUCATION

2. HISTORY STUDENTS ENROLLED IN UK HIGHER EDUCATION

3. GRADUATE QUALIFICATIONS IN HISTORY

4. OUTCOMES FOR HISTORY STUDENTS ON GRADUATION

5. HISTORY STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO UK UNDERGRADUATE COURSES: NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY

6. HISTORY STUDENTS AT GSCE, A-LEVEL AND SCOTTISH HIGHERS

7. BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC REPRESENTATION IN HISTORY: STUDENTS AND ACADEMIC STAFF

8. RESOURCES AND FUNDING OPTIONS FOR HISTORIANS

For further resources of interest to historians in support of their discipline, at local and national level, please also see the Society’s Toolkit for Historians.

We welcome further suggestions for data sources relating to the discipline and profession. To let us know, please contact the Society’s Academic Director: academic.director@royalhistsoc.org.

VERSION: NOVEMBER 2024

1. History Academic Staff in UK Higher Education

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects, assures and disseminates data about UK higher education in three main areas: staff, students and outcomes after graduation. HESA open data on academic staff relates to a range of professional attributes, including: profile, nationality, gender, professional activity, contractual status, grade, allocation by Higher Education Institution (HEI), and salary.

HESA Staff data for ‘History’ is available by filtering by ‘Cost Centre’ (History is Cost Centre 139) which is part of the larger Cost Centre Group: ‘Humanities and Language-based Studies and Archaeology’.

How many people are teaching History in UK Higher Education? HESA provides annual data on the number of History academic staff working in UK Higher Education, for which its latest release (covering the academic year 2022-23) was published in February 2024. This latest release records 3,700 History staff within ‘Humanities and Language based Studies and Archaeology’. Data from the AY 2014-15 onwards also allows for mapping of trends in staff numbers.

HESA data for History staff also enables selection by specific criteria, including gender.

Who is teaching History in UK Higher Education? There is no current listing of ‘Teachers of History in UK Higher Education’ following the ending, in 2016, of an annual project to record this information by the Institute of Historical Research. Legacy data from this project is available in print though not online.

The Royal Historical Society offers a listing of its membership (currently to November 2024), which includes many academic historians, working at HEIs, in the UK (and overseas), as well as historians active in other sectors.

In addition, the Society provides, from September 2024, a Members’ Directory for current Fellows and Members of the RHS. This service lists research interests and activities of Society members who choose to opt in to this listing.

2. History Students Enrolled in UK Higher Education

HESA provides open data on the number of History students currently enrolled at institutions in UK Higher Education, as well as degree completions.

In both cases, data is available for Undergraduate degrees and Postgraduate degrees, (Taught) and (Research). HESA reporting currently provides public data for History student enrolments and completions for the years 2019/20 to 2022/23, with the most recent release, covering 2022-23, published in September 2024. Historical data for student enrolments and completions is also available up to the AY 2015/16.

For Student data, ‘History’ is described in HESA’s terminology as a Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) ‘Level 3’ subject and is coded 20-01-01. Not all Student attributes are accessible at this search level, with some (for example, gender of students) only available as part of a larger disciplinary category (CAH Level 1), ‘Humanities, Philosophical and Religious Studies’ (code: 20), which includes History.

The September 2024 release offers a ready comparison of student numbers, by degree type, from 2019/20 to 2022/23.

HESA data for History student numbers (2019/20 to 2022/23) may be further segmented by UK region, UK or non-UK fee paying, and by individual HEIs. For listings, please see here.

3. Graduate Qualifications in History

HESA provides data on annual numbers of degrees awarded in History by degree type. These include first degree, all undergraduate degrees, PGR taught and PGR research degrees. The latest release, covering the academic year 2022-23, was published in September 2024.

This records the award in ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’ (2022-23) of:

• 9,085 all undergraduate degrees
• 3,130 PGR taught degrees
• 595 PGR research degrees

Data from 2020-21 is available for comparison.

PhDs awarded in History: the British Library’s EThOS (e-Theses Online Service) provides a rolling listing of recently completed PhD theses from UK universities, including those in historical studies. A useful starting search is by date of completion and ‘History’ as a keyword, but many other search categories are available. Listings provide thesis abstracts and links to institutional repositories and full texts, where made available. NB: this resource is currently unavailable (November 2024) following the cyber-attack on the British Library in October 2023.

Listings of History PhDs were previously gathered by the Institute of Historical Research up to 2014. This work is now available (for 1970-2014) on the IHR’s British History Online (BHO). Where a match is possible, BHO records link to EThOS pages for an individual thesis.

4. Outcomes for History Students on Graduation

4.1. HESA

HESA provides data on outcomes for students in UK HE, including those graduating from undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in ‘Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies’ (CAH Level 1).

Data for those graduating in the academic year 2021-22 are the most recently available, published in July 2024, and based on those responding to the annual Graduate Outcomes Survey (c.55% of the total eligible).

For 2021-22, the employment / study status of those graduating from an undergraduate degree in Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies were as follows (shown in relation to Historical Philosophical Studies, 2020/21 and all non-STEM and all-STEM subjects for 2021/22):

For 2021-22, the employment / study status of those graduating from a postgraduate degree in Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies were as follows (shown in relation to Historical Philosophical Studies, 2020/21 and all non-STEM and all-STEM subjects for 2021/22):

HESA’s annual Graduate Outcomes data also compares median salaries for UK domiciled full-time graduates from UGR degrees, 2021/22, by CAH Level 1 categories, for STEM and non-STEM subject areas: this includes for Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies which is marked out in the chart below.

4.2. LEO (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes) 

The UK Government’s LEO (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes) provider level data provides information on graduate outcomes in terms of those in paid employment and the level of salary for graduates 1, 3 and 5 years on from graduation. The LEO dataset measures graduate outcomes only in terms of whether graduates are in paid employment and, if so, how much they are earning in what industry, while the Graduate Outcomes survey (used by HESA, see above) collects a broader range of information about what graduates are doing and their personal experience of employment.

History is measured in the LEO data set as ‘History and Archaeology’, one of 34 subject areas for which graduate outcomes are measures. The latest release (June 2024) covers graduate outcomes for the tax year 2021-22. The LEO dataset measures a range of possible graduate outcomes. These include:

1. Percentage of UK-domiciled first degree graduates who studied one of 34 subjects (including ‘History and Archaeology’) in ‘sustained employment, further study or both’, five years after graduation by subject studied. Available government data currently covers the tax years 2015/16 to 2021/22. For the 2021-22 tax year, five years after graduation refers to those who graduated in 2016, at the end of the 2015-16 academic year.

The table below shows the percentage of History and Archaeology graduates, who graduated between 2012 (tax year 2017/18) and 2016 (tax year 2021/22), showing the minimum, median and maximum % graduates in sustained employment, further study or both.

The chart below shows the median percentage of UK-domiciled graduates in sustained employment and/or study, for selected subjects five years after graduation (2016 for tax year 2021/22). History and Archaeology is marked in green; arts, humanities and social science subject areas are shown in dark blue, with selected STEM subjects in bright blue, for comparison. (Taken from the Society’s 2024 briefing: ‘The Value of History in UK Higher Education and Society’.)

2. Distribution of HEI provided median earnings for UK-domiciled first degree graduates who studied one of 34 subjects (including History and Archaeology) five years after graduation by subject studied. Again, available government data currently covers the tax years 2015/16 to 2021/22. For the 2021-22 tax year, five years after graduation refers to those who graduated in 2016, at the end of the 2015-16 academic year.

The table below shows the provider earnings summaries for History and Archaeology graduates, who graduated between 2012 (tax year 2017/18) and 2016 (tax year 2021/22), showing the minimum, median and maximum earnings for students

The chart below shows the median earnings of UK-domiciled graduates in sustained employment and/or study, for selected areas five years after graduation (2016 for tax year 2021/22). History and Archaeology is marked in green; arts, humanities and social science subject areas are shown in dark blue, and selected STEM subjects in light blue for comparison. (Taken from the Society’s 2024 briefing‘The Value of History in UK Higher Education and Society’.)

3. changes in median graduate earnings between two cohorts of UK-domiciled first degree graduates who studied one of 34 subjects (including History and Archaeology) five years after graduation by subject studied. The cohorts are those who graduated in 2010, at the end of the 2009/10 (tax year 2015/16) and who graduated in 2016, at the end of the 2015-16 academic year (tax year 2021/22).

The table below shows Comparisons of median earnings by selected subjects (including History and Archaeology) between tax years, 2015/16 and 2021/22.

For the US, the American Historical Association provides a survey of professional outcomes for History PhD graduates. The latest release (October 2022) charts outcomes for History PhDs awarded up to 2017.

5. History Students’ Attitudes to UK Undergraduate Courses: National Student Survey

The National Student Survey (NSS) is published annually by the Office for Students. The latest data is for 2024 and was published in July 2024.

The Survey comprises 27 questions on students’ experience of a particular degree course. The NSS enables searching by a number of attributes, including: degree type; mode of study; subject area (offering a range of options from the HESA classifications, CAH 1 (broadest) to CAH 3 (most granular); country within the UK; and individual Higher Education Institution. Responses are ranked according to a ‘positivity rate’ given as a percentage score.

NSS data may be searched via the Office for Students interactive dashboard, or as data sheet downloads.

The following charts, for 2024, compare responses for i. UK-wide, full- and part-time undergraduate ‘History’ (HESA Level CAH 3) with ii. UK-wide, full- and part-time undergraduate study across ‘All Subjects’ coded at HESA Level CAH 3.

Chart 1, below, compares positivity rates for the following 3 questions in the National Student Survey relating to the intellectual quality of a History course against the average score for all other subjects:

• ‘How often is the course intellectually stimulating?’ HISTORY: 92% / ALL SUBJECTS: 84.6%
• ‘How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?’ HISTORY: 86.4% / ALL SUBJECTS: 85.2%
• ‘To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?’ HISTORY: 88.7% / ALL SUBJECTS: 83.6%

Chart 2, below, compares positivity rates for the following 3 questions in the National Student Survey relating to the teaching of History against the average score for all other subjects:

• ‘How good are teaching staff at explaining things?’ HISTORY: 95.3% / ALL SUBJECTS: 91.1%
• ‘How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?’ HISTORY: 89.4% / ALL SUBJECTS: 80.9%
• ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’ HISTORY: 90.1% / ALL SUBJECTS: 85.7%

6. History Students at GSCE, A-Level and Scottish Highers

Introduced in January 2023, the British Academy’s SHAPE Indicators survey offers annual statistics on the number of students taking History at GCSE and A-Level (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Level 5, Highers and Advanced Highers (Scotland). The latest update provides data between 2012 and 2024 for History. The BA’s Indicators survey is one representation of data published annually by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The JCQ provides separate listings for student numbers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

6.1. A-Levels

After a demographic dip between 2019 and 2020 for all subjects, the number of students taking History at A-Level has risen in 2024 to 47,297 (a 5.3% increase on 2020). The number of students taking History A-Level in 2024 declined 2.2% on 2023 (compared with a 1.58% decrease for A-Levels in all Arts, Humanities and Social Science subjects, and a 2.17% increase for all A-Level subjects).

In 2024, History is the fifth most popular A-Level subject from the 37 available (5.34% of all A-Level entries for England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The subjects above History are: Mathematics, Psychology, Biology and Chemistry.

For more on enrolments in History A-Level, following the 2024 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels, GCSEs, and Scottish Highers, 2024 (August 2024).

6.2 Scottish Highers

In 2024, the number of students taking History Highers the number of students taking History Highers in 2024 (10,260) rose 1.43% on 2023 (compared with a 1.64% increase for Highers in all Arts, Humanities and Social Science subjects, and a 2.3% increase for all Highers subjects).

In 2024, History is the fourth most popular subject for Highers entries from the 50 subjects available (10,260 entries / 5.23% of total entries). The subjects above History are: English, Mathematics and Physical Education.

For more on enrolments in History Highers, following the 2024 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels, GCSEs, and Scottish Highers, 2024 (August 2024).

6.3 GCSEs

History entries at GCSE for 2024 rose by 6.5% against the 2023 figure. Uptake in 2023 showed continued significant growth over the past decade, at 325,437 students (contrast with 260,521 in 2016), an increase of 24.9%. This is compared, for the same timeframe, with an 18% increase for all GCSE subjects.

For more on enrolments in History GCSE, following the 2024 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels, GCSEs, and Scottish Highers, 2024 (August 2024).

7. Black and Minority Ethnic Representation in History: Students and Academic Staff

Data relating to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) representation for History in UK Higher Education draws on an existing report published by the Society in 2024. This document offered an ‘Update’ to the Society’s 2018 report, Race, Ethnicity and Equality in UK History. The 2018 Report presented a troubling picture of the underrepresentation and experience of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) History students and academic staff in UK Higher Education. This included statistics relating to BME representation and attainment for the academic year 2026/17.

The 2024 Update adds representation and attainment data for an additional five years, covering the academic years 2017/18 to 2021/22, the latest for which figures are currently available. The sources for student and staff data are the annual Equality in ‘Higher Education Statistical Reports’, published by AdvanceHE. The latest available report from AdvanceHE (published in November 2023) covers the academic year 2021/22.

7.1. BME student representation

AdvanceHE’s Statistical Report: Students draws on annual returns for student enrolments compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). For student ethnicity, HESA measures enrolments by the category labelled as ‘Historical & Philosophical Studies’ (to 2018/19) and Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (since 2019/20). Both categories combine data for History alongside other subjects including Archaeology, Heritage Studies, Philosophy and Theology & Religious Studies.

The 2024 Update provides data on BME representation for enrolments for: first year undergraduates; all undergraduates; postgraduates (taught) and postgraduates (research). The following table from the Update shows enrolments for ‘First-Year Historical & Philosophical Studies (HPS) undergraduates’, % by ethnic group, 2016-22.

Tables for the other student categories are available via the Update, along with data on the BME student attainment.

7.2. BME academic staff representation

AdvanceHE’s Statistical Report: Staff draws on annual returns for staffing compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). For staff ethnicity, HESA measures academic staff by the category of ‘History’ rather than the broader category of Historical & Philosophical Studies.

The following two tables provides updates of total numbers and percentage share by ethnic group, for i. ‘All History academic staff’ (i.e. both UK nationals and non-UK nationals) and ii. Non-UK national academic staff (History) employed in UK Higher Education between 2016/17 and 2021/22

8. Resources and Funding Options for Historians

In 2020, the Royal Historical Society published the following listings for historians at all career stages:

• Archives and Research Libraries in the UK and Republic of Ireland (updated and revised October 2023)
• Funding and Fellowship Opportunities for in Historical Studies (updated and revised October 2023)
• Online Resources for Historians (updated and revised October 2023)

Additional weekly listings of grants and funding opportunities in historical studies are available via ResearchProfessional (subscription needed), with selected opportunities also listed on jobs.ac.uk. An extensive listing of online and free access resources for historians is also available from the Institute of Historical Research (compiled 2020).

The American Historical Association provides an annual jobs report, reporting on annual trends in the profession for the US. The latest update is from September 2023.