Aisling Murray

Aisling, 22, describes how she has defied a life-threatening heart condition to become the first person in her family to attend university, graduating with a BA (Hons) in History.

Despite suffering from pulmonary hypertension, which means she must constantly have medication pumped into her heart through a tube, Aisling has become the first person in her family to attend university.

Read more about Aisling Murray

Facilities and archives

Explore unique resources including the Mass Observation Archive and other special collections of rare books and papers.

All of our collections are housed at The Keep – a state-of-the-art learning space and archive conservation centre next to Sussex campus. You'll benefit from the excellent facilities at The Keep throughout your time at Sussex.

Other specialist facilities include the Sussex Humanities Lab, as well as world-class digital resources created by our History Department.

Choice, flexibility and innovation

Choose a course that suits you, from undergraduate joint-honours degrees to our single-honours History BA – or our range of postgraduate programmes, including Masters and PhDs in Contemporary History and Intellectual History.

Our School of History, Art History and Philosophy has a long-standing reputation for innovation and interdisciplinarity. As a student in our History Department, you collaborate with other subject areas and you're encouraged to follow your own passions.

You develop your ability to think critically about the past, present and future. We believe history matters – understanding how we got here is essential for making sense of the world and for planning its future.

Browse our undergraduate courses

Browse our postgraduate courses

Research-led teaching

Benefit from our Department's international reputation for research and learn from leading experts.

90% of our History environment was classified as conducive to producing research of world-leading or internationally-excellent quality in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014).

Our research and teaching interests include areas such as Britain, Europe, America, North Africa, India, China and the Middle East, and Sussex historians have produced ground-breaking research in:

• the history of science
• environmental history
• digital history
• modern political thought
• the history of emotions
• the history of childhood and youth
• the history of war.

Explore our research interests and research centres

Discover our research seminars

Work experience and careers

Gain skills for a variety of jobs, from museum curator to conflict analyst.

By studying a history course, you develop research and critical analysis skills, which are highly valued in research-based roles.

As an undergraduate student at Sussex, you can fast-track your career by doing a placement year or internship.

And whether you're an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you're supported throughout your Sussex journey by our Careers Advisers.

Find out more about careers support