Hi..
I'm currently studying Geography as an undergraduate and I'm thinking about further study, up to doctorate level, if that's possible, though I would like to transfer to history instead.
Has anyone else been in a similar position/ state of mind? I know I'd have to do an MA in History before starting a doctorate, but would history departments look on me less favourably for doing a different first degree instead of history (most MA profiles have entry requirements saying "history or a related subject")? Is there such a thing as a conversion course to history?
Any answers much appreciated.

How far into your Bachelor's are you? Most unis let you jump horse mid-stream, depending on time...

I think if you've got an MA in history it wouldn't matter so much if you have a BA in geography. You could look for history conversions courses to find it easier to get on the MA. Bear in mind, funded history PhDs are hard to find, and academic jobs afterwards even more so.

Tell me about it ToL. Worth pointing out too that funded courses by AHRC etc will have a project they want looked into, so little or no flexibility as to what the student want.

Interested in Bomber Command or Turnip Townsend??? Then look forward to three years investigating the social significance of Olaf the Hairy's Northumbrian chamber pot!!!

I've just finished my first year, so have two more to go. I asked about changing to history after the first term (last January), but they said I would have to re-apply next year if I wanted to change rather than switching at the university.

Mmm I seem to remember the first term being the cut-off date for exchanges. What history are you interested in?

I like modern British (esp. the 19th and 20th centuries), colonial (esp. India) and environmental history, all of them I read about regularly in some way.
I tried changing at the end of the first term but they told me there was a compulsory module which I hadn't taken the first half of, so I couldn't change then. I'm thinking whether I should join in at the second year of a history degree, but I'm a bit worried about the introductory content I'll have missed. On the other hand, I don't want to start again because of the debt and time spent.

I don't know anything about the specific disciplines, but it's surprising what a tenacious student can get despite 'rules'!

I didn't get the grades to do English at BA level, but was able to get on a Women's Studies programme where there was a large proportion of English modules available as options. I took as many electives and options in English as I could. There was no joint honours Women's Studies and English programme, but near the end of my degree I asked if they might be able to award me a joint honours, based on the amount of credit I have in English. They awarded me an ad hoc degree i.e. there was no official 'programme' but on my certificate I had 'English and Women's Studies'. I then could complete my MA in English.

Because I'm a practising musician, and really I'm an interdisciplinary scholar working in cultural studies, I wanted to register for a PhD in a Music department. I decided to take some Music UG modules, but not the full degree, and this was enough to get me on the PhD programme in combination with my MA from the other discipline.

I would say, you can probably re-do the compulsory module they want you to do (if it's first year, it's likely that you won't need the credit towards your degree, so you could always ask to do it without credit/without assignments if they were worried about you taking too many credits on) if you're pushy enough and can convince the uni you really want to do it. Do you have elective options outside your programme? Do all of them in History if you can. Is there a joint honours route? That would definitely be worth pursuing as you'll have missed less compulsory modules but you'd be able to do a Masters in either discipline. Arrange to see the History Head of Department and explain your thinking. I'm sure if you're passionate enough they'll help.

Hi, thanks for sharing your ideas- really. I think I'll contact the admissions tutor again.
Last time he was rather unwilling to discuss anything about accepting me onto the course without having done even half of this one module- I can't think why when it's just one module unless he thought it was a case of me trying to get into a popular course (which it's not a case of as I definitely had the grades).

There isn't a joint honours history/ geography so I won't have that option. This year I took one of the base modules for history (not technically compulsory but basically core for everyone doing history in year one), but I won't have that option next year as the geography dept. says it has to be human or physical geography and that alone.

I thought about doing some history modules by the open university to give at least some background for an MA.

Human geography is so broad, that you might be able to pursue your interest in environmental history in your undergraduate dissertation, so your current degree may be a little more flexible than you think. If you did something like that then maybe moving on to a relevant history MA might be an easier argument to make the case for? And have you looked at final year options yet - if you can do modules around post-colonial geography or things like that you might find you get a surprising amount of historical content. Obviously if you loathe geography then you might be better dropping out an reapplying, but I didn't get that impression from your posts.

Hi, thanks for your comment bewildered.
I certainly don't really dislike geography. I am doing quite well in it, according to marks anyway so I'm wary about rushing into anything. I've checked the final year modules and think there's some scope for studying historical content and I think I could do something environmental history related for my dissertation, though a lot of the history content modules have been scrapped recently. I'd thought along the lines of making this into a good argument for an MA, so it's reassuring for someone else to make that point too, but I'm wary of it being like an Alex Salmond wanting to keep the pound situation- me making a case for it and (probably?) not getting it.