University of South Wales
UCAS Code: V100 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
The University normally requires Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C/4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
T Level
Pass (C and above)
Passing the T Level with Pass (C or above in the Core)
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
History at USW challenges you to think about how we comprehend the present and how we envision and shape our future. Why were people accused of witchcraft? What made Jack the Ripper become a global news story? What was life like in post-war Britain? How can we confront the legacies of the imperial past? What can we learn from the histories of Greenland Vikings or the American West?
Our course offers exciting new perspectives on the past and how history is represented today. You will examine history from the close of the European Medieval period through to the present day, and you’ll go on a global journey that covers themes in the history of Europe, the Americas, the British Empire and beyond!
As a History graduate, your skills will be highly sought after by employers. Our degree will develop your skills in questioning narratives, gathering and evaluating evidence, and learning how to build rational and well-presented arguments. In Year Two you will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement or to contribute to an active history project.
Teaching is delivered through lectures, small group seminars, workshops, and individual tutorials. You will be assessed in a variety of ways, including podcasts, mapping, posters, essays, heritage guides and book reviews.
If you are interested in studying History but don’t have the required qualifications or are returning to study after a period away from learning, please look at our History with Foundation programme (V10F) or our History Cert HE course (482N).
**Why Choose History at USW?**
Our small class sizes, emphasis on collaboration, and friendly, supportive lecturers mean that every type of student thrives here. We provide academic support on an individual basis and foster a close relationship between the teaching staff and students.
You can also freely access professional support services for all aspects of life at university – including wellbeing, careers and employment, entrepreneurship, study support and clubs and societies.
Don’t just take our word for it, though:
• Our History programme has been ranked top for Teaching Quality in Wales, and top five for Teaching Quality in the UK in the Times Good University Guide 2024.
• History at USW has been rated in the top five in UK for assessment and top in Wales for teaching and assessment (Guardian University Guide, 2024).
• History at USW is rated top in Wales and top 10 in the UK for teaching - National Student Survey, 2023.
• USW's history research is ranked joint first in the UK for its world leading or internationally excellent real-life impact.
• "To anyone thinking of studying History at USW, I would highly recommend that you do so. The lecturers are wonderful and fully available to support and encourage you and our librarian is a font of knowledge always willing to help." – Gemma, BA History
**Where will I Study?**
Our Treforest campus is in the heart of the South Wales Valleys, with beautiful scenery and rolling landscape. With an onsite student union, halls of residence, sports centre, restaurants, bars, shops, and more, it boasts a great student community and Cardiff is just 20 minutes away.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Pontypridd
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
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
We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.
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.
£22k
£24k
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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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:
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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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