History and Politics with a Year Abroad
Swansea University
UCAS Code: VL1F | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Swansea University
UCAS Code: VL1F | 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)
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
"This four-year degree enables you to build the skills valued by employers across a range of sectors, while exploring the human condition from the middle ages to the present.
History and Politics explores how historical events directly influence global politics.
Your studies will span medieval, early modern and modern periods, covering British, Welsh, European, American and World history and politics.
Across this course you can choose from wide ranging themes and modules. These include studies in gender, heritage, political thought and political institutions, medicine, health and disability, war, violence and peace. You will also have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation in your final year.
Based on our stunning Singleton Park Campus overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea is a perfect gateway to the medieval past. Within a short journey are magnificent castles such as Pembroke and Manorbier, as well as medieval churches and fortresses in the Gower.
The third year will give you the opportunity to travel abroad for a year, immersing yourself in a new culture. Later studies are shaped by modules around your specific historical interest and a substantial dissertation project. A range of work placement programmes throughout the course are available to help prepare you for graduate life.
Teaching is informed by a vibrant and supportive research environment of academics, students and visiting scholars. Students are also involved in wider university clubs and societies including the History Society and Politics and International Relations Society, both of which organise social events and cultural activities.
You will develop effective oral and writing skills through presenting ideas in different formats, supported by strong research and analysis skills. Our Graduates go on to work in a wide range of sectors including education, media and public relations, heritage and museums, business and management, law, and public services.
Politics at Swansea is ranked:
**Top 10 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2025)**
**Top 10 in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)**
History at Swansea is ranked:
**Top 15 in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)**
Modules
"Your first year will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with examples of compulsory modules from recent years including:
• American History and Politics
• Politics and the People
• Introduction to American Literature and Culture
Your second year will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with examples of compulsory modules from recent years including:
• The State and Political Institutions
• Globalisation
• The History of Political Thought
Year third year is spent studying abroad at a partner institution.
Your fourth and final year is mostly made up of optional modules, allowing you to shape your own learning. Module choices can include:
• Monarchy: Ancient and Medieval
• History on Screen: Television, Cinema and Gaming
• Capitalism and Justice
Your final year will also include a compulsory independent dissertation project.
For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/history/ba-history-politics
Assessment methods
We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:
- Source Analysis
- Debate
- Presentations (solo & group)
Throughout your undergraduate BA 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/history/ba-history-politics/
or get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
Interdepartmental
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.
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)
Politics
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.
Politics
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
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
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.
£16k
£21k
£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.
Politics
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
£25k
£30k
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:
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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