English Literature and History
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.
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.
About this course
"English Literature and History is a diverse and challenging course which stretches from medieval to modern times. Explore over a thousand years of literature from the early medieval period to the present day, while also delving into some provocative questions that writing can unveil around gender, culture and more. This three-year course covers both national and global literature including Renaissance and Gothic genres, 19th century literature and contemporary fiction. You can also select modules around creative and professional writing. A wide range of history modules will enable you to select areas that match your interests and may include medieval Europe, modern British social history, the history of religion, health and medicine, gender and women’s history, cultural history, the history and memory of war and conflict, public history and heritage, and the Cold War.
Swansea is the birthplace of Dylan Thomas, widely regarded by many literary scholars as one of the twentieth century's most influential lyrical poets, and amongst the finest of all time. The university’s links to the legacy of Dylan Thomas remain with our annual Dylan Thomas Prize for Literature and through research carried out in our Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales (CREW). Throughout this course you will also have the opportunity to get involved in projects with the Dylan Thomas Centre and the National Theatre Wales.
Set in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the breathtaking Gower Peninsula, the university's location provides an excellent place to study. Students can enjoy both a thriving city and beautiful beaches and coastlines. Outside of their studies, our students benefit from our lively English Student Society, which organises a range of literary, social and cultural events.
Our degree programmes aim to support students prepare for their future world of work. You will access support and guidance through the university’s Careers Service and Work Placement Team and all students have access to events, workshops and employer talks, including an annual conference for students in June to support final year students with the transition into employment or further study. On this degree programme, you can further enhance your student experience with the option to study abroad for a semester in countries such as Hong Kong, China, Singapore, North America or Canada.
English Literature at Swansea is ranked:
- Top 101-150 in the World (QS World Rankings 2023)
- 97% of graduates in employment &/or study, or doing other activities, such as travelling, 15 months after leaving Swansea University (HESA 2023)
History at Swansea is ranked:
- 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.
Graduates go on to enter careers in a wide range of sectors including education, marketing, social media and project administration. Please visit our course page for more information. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-history/"
Modules
Your first year will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with examples of compulsory modules from recent years including:
•Making History
In your second year you will study a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with your third year comprising entirely optional modules from a large range of subject areas.
Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:
- The Global First World War
- The Rise and Fall of the Russian Empire
- Introduction to Writing Fiction
- Graphic Novel
Your final year will include an optional independent dissertation project.
For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-history/
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
• Original Writing
Throughout your undergraduate English Literature and History 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 https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-history/or get in touch with us at [email protected]
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
Interdepartmental
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)
Literature in english
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.
Literature in english
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
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.
Literature in english
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£20k
£27k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here