Modern Languages and History with a Year Abroad
Swansea University
UCAS Code: R9VA | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Swansea University
UCAS Code: R9VA | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
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
Minimum grade C (4) in a modern foreign language is preferable but not essential. All language applications will be considered on merit.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
About this course
Put your fascination with the past to good use by studying Modern Languages and History with a Year Abroad at Swansea University. You’ll build skills valued by employers across a range of sectors, while exploring the human condition from the Middle Ages to the present.
Modern Languages and History explores subjects including women’s history and gender, modern British social history and the history of religion, health and medicine, stretching from the Middle Ages to the Modern era. You will also study the rich diversity of your chosen language (French, German, or Spanish), as well as modules in cultural studies, film, history, translation and language teaching.
Studying this degree course opens up a range of exciting career opportunities by helping you to develop skills which are highly valued by employers.
Based at our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, our Modern Language and History course at Swansea University is highly regarded by students and employers.
Modern Languages at Swansea is ranked:
• 1st in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2025)
• 1st for Learning Opportunities (NSS 2024)*
• 2nd for Teaching (NSS 2024)*
• 2nd for Student Voice (NSS 2024)**
• 5th in the UK Overall (Guardian University Guide 2025)
A. Based on the average positivity score across questions 5 to 9 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
B. Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
C. Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
History at Swansea is ranked:
• Top 15 in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)
• Top 25 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
You’ll be taught by staff with 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.
The course also includes a year spent studying abroad. The Year Abroad offers you the opportunity of studying at one of our partner institutions in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Germany or Austria. Alternatively, you may choose to work as an English Foreign Language teacher through the British Council. For students of Spanish, there are additional opportunities available in Latin-America. Spending a year abroad, either on a paid work placement or studying in one of our partner institutions is an exciting and valuable opportunity which will further boost your student experience and employment prospects.
Modules
Your early studies will introduce you to the history of Medieval Europe, the Early Modern Era, as well as modern European and British history.
These modules will be complemented by appropriate language modules – either advanced (post-A level) or at beginner’s level, as well as cultural modules relating to the French, German or Spanish, with further options in teaching and pedagogy, translation, or additional languages such as Catalan, Italian, and Portuguese.
As part of this programme, you will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk
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
• Oral Examinations
Throughout your undergraduate Modern Languages and History degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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)
Others in language and area studies
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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.
Others in language and area studies
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
This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.
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.
Others in language and area studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£23k
£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.
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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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