The Student Room Group

Can my Southampton uni course be changed slightly once I'm there?

I've currently got History BA at the Uni of Southampton as my top/firm choice on UCAS. All being well & good, I'll hopefully get the grades to get in. However, my mind has kinda been leaning towards some of the joint honours courses on offer in the SAME department. So rather than straight history (which I have applied for & firmed), I'm somewhat taken by the History & Film BA course which shares roughly 50% of the modules but with added film ones (which sound really good).

My question is, if I get in & everything but still want to change from History BA to History & Film BA would this be doable? Would this affect my accommodation (which I've already applied for) at the uni?
Ring them up and talk to them about the flexibility to add a minor.
Original post by S.Em22
I've currently got History BA at the Uni of Southampton as my top/firm choice on UCAS. All being well & good, I'll hopefully get the grades to get in. However, my mind has kinda been leaning towards some of the joint honours courses on offer in the SAME department. So rather than straight history (which I have applied for & firmed), I'm somewhat taken by the History & Film BA course which shares roughly 50% of the modules but with added film ones (which sound really good).

My question is, if I get in & everything but still want to change from History BA to History & Film BA would this be doable? Would this affect my accommodation (which I've already applied for) at the uni?

Hello S.Em22,

That's exactly what I did! Because BA History and BA History & Film are within the same Faculty you would need to fill in an course (intra-faculty) transfer form, get it signed off and that's essentially it. Try to do it as early as possible. You'll also need to update Student Finance England. This option is available when you start the BA History course.

From your post it seems you already know you want to do BA History and Film. What I recommend you doing, in that case, is to contact the Humanities student office either by email ([email protected]) or phone (+44 (0) 23 8059 2206) to see if they can transfer you over. If not you may need to wait until you start your course before you can switch. Student Finance England, in either scenario, would need to be updated about your new course change.

Or like PQ mentioned you can go down the minor route. I've included info on what minors are available and how to register for one here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/customise-your-degree.page (Essentially you'd need to start your BA History course in September/October. Faculties send out emails with instructions on how to select and register your minor subject and how many modules in that subject you need to study per year.).

But yes you can change degrees once you're here. Try to do it as early as possible so it's as smooth of a transition for you.

Let me know if you have more questions.

~ Sarah, 2nd year Sociology with Anthropology student
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by Uni of Southampton Students
Hello S.Em22,

That's exactly what I did! Because BA History and BA History & Film are within the same Faculty you would need to fill in an course (intra-faculty) transfer form, get it signed off and that's essentially it. Try to do it as early as possible. You'll also need to update Student Finance England. This option is available when you start the BA History course.

From your post it seems you already know you want to do BA History and Film. What I recommend you doing, in that case, is to contact the Humanities student office either by email ([email protected]) or phone (+44 (0) 23 8059 2206) to see if they can transfer you over. If not you may need to wait until you start your course before you can switch. Student Finance England, in either scenario, would need to be updated about your new course change.

Or like PQ mentioned you can go down the minor route. I've included info on what minors are available and how to register for one here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/customise-your-degree.page (Essentially you'd need to start your BA History course in September/October. Faculties send out emails with instructions on how to select and register your minor subject and how many modules in that subject you need to study per year.).

But yes you can change degrees once you're here. Try to do it as early as possible so it's as smooth of a transition for you.

Let me know if you have more questions.

~ Sarah, 2nd year Sociology with Anthropology student

Thank you very much. Glad to hear back from the uni rep so quicky! This next question is going to sound a little bit daft but it's better to check now; is BA History & Film still a history degree? I'd like to keep my options open in the long term (whether that be researcher, working in/with historical sites, the civil service (doesn't necessarily need a specific degree but does tend to go hand in glove with humanities), etc) but would always like to have the option of teaching history (for GCSE/A Level). I've checked the Soton Secondary History PGCE and they listed that I'd just need 'an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject' (2:2 or higher) whereas other places require you do have a history degree. Is History & Film joint honours definitely a history degree?

Again, thanks for the help!
Original post by S.Em22
Thank you very much. Glad to hear back from the uni rep so quicky! This next question is going to sound a little bit daft but it's better to check now; is BA History & Film still a history degree? I'd like to keep my options open in the long term (whether that be researcher, working in/with historical sites, the civil service (doesn't necessarily need a specific degree but does tend to go hand in glove with humanities), etc) but would always like to have the option of teaching history (for GCSE/A Level). I've checked the Soton Secondary History PGCE and they listed that I'd just need 'an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject' (2:2 or higher) whereas other places require you do have a history degree. Is History & Film joint honours definitely a history degree?

Again, thanks for the help!

That's not a problem at all. Really glad I could help!

So the BA History & Film degree is known as a joint honours degree (You'll be graduating with two subjects instead of one: History and Film). So it is essentially a History and Film degree (50/50). BA History is a single honours degree so you graduate with History (unless you choose a minor subject to go with it). It won't hinder you when applying for a PGCE. Many of my friends have applied with both single and joint honour degrees and have successfully enrolled.

For a PGCE the requirement is that you study at least 50% of the modules in your subject of interest (History). And you will easily achieve this with a single or joint honours degree.

I study Sociology with Anthropology, which is a bit different as this is a Major/Minor degree (75% Sociology and 25% Anthropology). This is also an option for you if you'd like the majority of your modules to be in History.

However, to be completely honest with you, I have studied an equal amount of Sociology and Anthropology modules this year (50/50) and this will be reflected on my degree transcript when I graduate. As for my final year, I intend on doing 25% Sociology, 25% Anthropology, 25% Language and 25% Criminology modules. University learning is flexible.

Hopefully, this has cleared up any confusion. Don't feel silly for asking!

~ Sarah, 2nd-year Sociology with Anthropology student
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by Uni of Southampton Students
That's not a problem at all. Really glad I could help!

So the BA History & Film degree is known as a joint honours degree (You'll be graduating with two subjects instead of one: History and Film). So it is essentially a History and Film degree (50/50). BA History is a single honours degree so you graduate with History (unless you choose a minor subject to go with it). It won't hinder you when applying for a PGCE. Many of my friends have applied with both single and joint honour degrees and have successfully enrolled.

For a PGCE the requirement is that you study at least 50% of the modules in your subject of interest (History). And you will easily achieve this with a single or joint honours degree.

I study Sociology with Anthropology, which is a bit different as this is a Major/Minor degree (75% Sociology and 25% Anthropology). This is also an option for you if you'd like the majority of your modules to be in History.

However, to be completely honest with you, I have studied an equal amount of Sociology and Anthropology modules this year (50/50) and this will be reflected on my degree transcript when I graduate. As for my final year, I intend on doing 25% Sociology, 25% Anthropology, 25% Language and 25% Criminology modules. University learning is flexible.

Hopefully, this has cleared up any confusion. Don't feel silly for asking!

~ Sarah, 2nd-year Sociology with Anthropology student

Thanks! I think I may look into the major/minor route! Xx
Reply 6
Original post by S.Em22
I've currently got History BA at the Uni of Southampton as my top/firm choice on UCAS. All being well & good, I'll hopefully get the grades to get in. However, my mind has kinda been leaning towards some of the joint honours courses on offer in the SAME department. So rather than straight history (which I have applied for & firmed), I'm somewhat taken by the History & Film BA course which shares roughly 50% of the modules but with added film ones (which sound really good).
My question is, if I get in & everything but still want to change from History BA to History & Film BA would this be doable? Would this affect my accommodation (which I've already applied for) at the uni?

Hi, I would like to know can I transfer MRes to MSc degree? and between two different departments

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