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History and Ancient History

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:21,M:24

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

32

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

120

Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Classical studies

History

Studying Ancient and Medieval History at Swansea University will allow you to explore the history of Europe and the Mediterranean regions from ancient Roman and Persian Empire, to the crusades to the medieval kingdoms of England, Wales and France. On this three-year programme, you will choose interdisciplinary modules across history, culture and literature. You will also have the chance to learn the languages as part of your flexible module choices. Ancient History at Swansea University ranked 2nd in the UK for Course Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2023) and 3rd in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2023). Supported by world-recognised experts in the field, you will also be part of a close-knit student community. You will have the chance to join in with many clubs and societies including The History Society and The Society for Ancient Studies which organise social and cultural events including museum trips. Benefit from outstanding resources including our own on campus museum, The Egypt Centre, where you can get hands-on experience with our unique collection of artefacts. To enhance your employability prospects, we offer placements with Small to Medium enterprises (SMEs) and charities through the Literacy to Latin Project to Universities.Graduates from the course enter a wide range of careers in sectors including heritage and tourism, teaching, media and public relations, business and management and politics and the Civil Service. Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, an area of outstanding natural beauty, by studying in Swansea you will have access to beautiful beaches, parklands, a vibrant city and more. This degree is also available as a four-year course with a Year Abroad or Year in Industry. Please visit our course page for more information:
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-ancient-medieval-history/#bbq=on

Modules

Your first year will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with examples of compulsory modules from recent years including:
• Medieval Europe: An Introduction
• 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 wide range of subject areas. Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:
• Beginning Greek Language
• Gender in the Roman World
• The Imperials Image: Roman Emperors and Empresses in History, Literature and Art
• Medieval Britain: 1250 - 1461
• Histories of Empire
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/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-ancient-medieval-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
• Personal Reflection
Throughout your undergraduate Ancient and Medieval 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/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-ancient-medieval-history/ or get in touch with us at [email protected]

The Uni


Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

Interdepartmental

Read full university profile

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.

91%
Classical studies
85%
History

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.

Classics

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

87%
Library resources
98%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
55%
Male students
45%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

History

Teaching and learning

92%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
65%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

84%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
75%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
60%
Male students
40%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

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.

Classics

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.

£16,800
low
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
29%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Teaching and educational professionals

This is a category for graduates taking a wide range of courses that don’t fall neatly into a subject group, so be aware that the stats you see here may not be a very accurate guide to the outcomes for the specific course you’re interested in. Management, finance, marketing, education and jobs in the arts are some of the typical jobs for these graduates, but it's sensible to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course, and what previous graduates did.

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.

£17,500
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
23%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Public services and other associate professionals
10%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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.

Classics

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

£17k

£22k

£22k

£26k

£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.

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

£17k

£22k

£22k

£26k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Reading | Reading
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UCAS Points: 120-141
Nearby University
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Cymraeg a Hanes
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-128

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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.

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Course location and department:

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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.

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.

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here