Swansea University
UCAS Code: VV2I | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities Course
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a Grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSEs: English/Welsh Language Grade C
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
International students will also require a score of 4 at Higher Level English Language or Literature, or 5 at Standard Level English Language or Literature.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.
About this course
Studying an Ancient and Medieval History degree with a Year in Industry enables you to explore remote civilisations which remain influential today. Your focus will traverse major periods of time and diverse subjects: from the emergence of Athenian democracy to the glories of renaissance Italy, the expansion of the Roman Empire to the Christian crusades of the Middle Ages, and the epic texts of Homer.
This four-year degree helps to provide graduates with a wealth of exciting career opportunities thanks to numerous transferable skills which are highly valued by employers. Our interdisciplinary approach means you engage with a range of historic cultures spanning over two millennia across the European continent and the Mediterranean world.
You can tailor your degree to your own interests with a variety of topics to choose from. Your initial studies will focus on the political, social and cultural history of the Greek and Roman world, as well as the transition from Classical antiquity to the Medieval world.
Whether your passion lies in Greek history and society, Rome’s transformation from village to Empire, or the roots of Egyptian History, our extensive first year modules have it covered.
Based on our stunning Singleton Park Campus overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, you will have the ability to tailor your degree according to your interests as you progress.
Your third year gives you the opportunity to experience a year-long placement in industry, offering invaluable knowledge and experience in the workplace.
Studies are shaped by a study trip or field project focusing on a specific region, and the ‘Literacy through Latin’ work placement project, teaching Latin to primary and secondary school children.
Further teaching experience can be developed by leading workshops for the South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership. Ancient and Medieval History students typically develop oral and writing skills through presenting ideas in different formats.
Teaching is informed by a vibrant and supportive research environment that unites academics, postgraduates and visiting scholars. Our graduates have progressed to careers in sectors such as education, heritage, business, media, politics and humanitarian services. Employers have included Mercedes Benz, English Heritage and St Fagans National History Museum.
Ancient History at Swansea is ranked:
• 3rd in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2024)
• 3rd in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2024)
• 3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2024)
• Top 10 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2024)
History at Swansea is ranked:
• 11th in UK for Research Impact (REF2021)
• 16th in the UK for Student Voice (NSS 2023*)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 2023 when ranked against 33 universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
Please visit our course page for more information: www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/artsandhumanities/ancient-and-medieval-history/ba-ancientmedievalhistory-v116
Modules
Your first year is made up of both compulsory and optional modules, with the optional choices typically including:
• Of Gods and Heroes – Greek Mythology
• Age of Empire: Ancient Egypt and her Neighbours
• Field Trip Module: The Past in its Place
Your second year mostly consists of optional modules. In recent years, module choices have included:
• Archaic Greece
• Gender in the Roman World
• History, Heritage and Classics Study Trip
Your third year is spent on a year-long industrial placement.
Your fourth and final year of this programme consists entirely of optional modules, allowing you to shape your own degree. This includes an optional independent dissertation project, and choices can include:
• Monarchy: Ancient and Medieval
• Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
• Pagans, Christians and the ‘Falls’ of Rome
Assessment methods
We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:
• Presentations
• Group Work
• Personal Reflection
Throughout your degree you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-ancient-medieval-history or get in touch with us at [email protected]
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
History and Classics
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
History
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
History
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
History is a very popular subject (although numbers have fallen of late) — in 2015, over 10,000 UK students graduated in a history-related course. Obviously, there aren't 11,000 jobs as historians available every year, but history is a good, flexible degree that allows graduates to go into a wide range of different jobs, and consequently history graduates have an unemployment rate comparable to the national graduate average. Many — probably most — jobs for graduates don't ask for a particular degree to go into them and history graduates are well set to take advantage. That's why so many go into jobs in the finance industry, human resources, marketing, PR and events management, as well as the more obvious roles in education, welfare and the arts. Around one in five history graduates went into further study last year. History and teaching were the most popular further study subjects for history graduates, but law, journalism, and politics were also popular postgraduate courses.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
History
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£17k
£22k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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