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Swansea University

UCAS Code: V190 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B-B,B,C

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

30-33

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)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

UCAS Tariff

128-112

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

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Classical studies

History

If you would like to study History across thousands of years, or choose modules covering the widest possible range of periods, Ancient History and History at Swansea is for you.

Because of the long time span this degree scheme covers, you can also investigate how later periods have understood and built on what had come before them. Put the cultures you explore in deep context and think critically about identity and socio-cultural developments, as well as the actions of history-makers in many different contexts.

You’ll get the chance to consider connections and developments across centuries and millennia, and to analyse a great variety of historical material, from ancient objects in the Egypt Centre, our in-house museum, and historical sites to recent archive material. This course will empower you to grow in yourself and to develop important analytical and interpersonal skills.

We are based in our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.

In Ancient History we have expertise in, and regularly publish on, areas from the Greek city states and their geographers, Cyprus through the ages, and Alexander the Great, to Roman Syria, Pompeii, and the bishops and emperors of the later Roman empire.

Our History staff boast expertise in British, European, and American history, from the middle ages to the modern day, on topics including gender, sexuality, and inequalities; heritage and history in the workplace; medicine, health, and disability; and war, violence, and peace.

You can study the past outside of the lecture hall and the library, through field trips and study trip modules, and apply your knowledge in a work placement. If you have teaching in mind as a career, you can gain valuable experience with our Schools Placement module, in which you can, as part of your degree, instruct pupils in local schools in the culture of the classical world. We also offer opportunities in the heritage sector, working with local institutions, which are in accord with our civic mission and concern for our environment.

As part of this programme, you will have the opportunity to spend a full year abroad after your second year, with one of our partner institutions, allowing you to build valuable international skills and experience.

Modules

Year 1 of your degree will include three compulsory and three optional modules, with a choice of optional topics that include The Early Modern World, Medieval Europe, Gods and Heroes, and Ancient Egyptian Society and Culture.

Year 2 has one compulsory module and five optionals, with topics including Archaic Greece, Gender in the Roman World, a Schools Placement teaching ancient history and languages, and Plato’s Republic.

Your third year will be spent on your Year Abroad, studying at one of our international partner institutions, where you can gain valuable skills and experience.

Year 4 largely consists of optional modules, with choices including advanced levels of Greek or Latin, Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius, Plato’s Republic, The Great Depression, Ancient and Medieval Monarchy, and a compulsory Dissertation.

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 History 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/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-ancient-history-history or get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk

The Uni

Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

Interdepartmental

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

96%
Classical studies
94%
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.

£21,000
low
Average annual salary
85%
med
Employed or in further education
25%
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.

£22,500
low
Average annual salary
90%
high
Employed or in further education
40%
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.

£16k

£16k

£21k

£21k

£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.

£16k

£16k

£21k

£21k

£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...

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place
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Lower entry requirements
place
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UCAS Points: 120-141
Nearby University
place
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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.

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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.

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