Course Overview
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.
Why Ancient History and History at Swansea?
We are based in our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.
Classics and Ancient History at Swansea is ranked:
- Classics - 2nd in the UK for Student Voice (NSS 2023*)
- 3rd in the Uk for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2024)
- Classics - 5th in the UK for Teaching (NSS 2023^)
- Top 51-100 in the World (QS World Rankings 2024)
- Ranked top 15 in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)
- 3rd in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2024)
- 3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2024)
- Top 10 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2024)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 2023 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
^Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2023 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
History at Swansea is ranked:
- Ranked 11th in UK for Research Impact (REF2021)
- 16th in the Uk for Student Voice (NSS 2023*)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 2023 when ranked against 33 universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
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.
Further afield, you can choose to spend a semester abroad in your second year with one of our many partners in Australia, Asia, North America, or Europe, or choose the four-year version of this degree which includes a whole year abroad following your second year at Swansea.
Your Ancient History and History Experience
Making history, not just writing it, is as much an art as a skill. Our modules are assessed in a variety of different ways, several of them aimed at letting you flex your creative muscles and helping you to develop your experience in communicating your knowledge. You will be encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning, to work independently as well as with others, and to act professionally.
Throughout your Ancient History and History degree, you will each have a personal tutor from among the teaching staff to lend academic support. We are an inclusive, close-knit community which enjoys exploring the world beyond the classroom. Our student-run Ancient World Society organises social and cultural events, including museum trips, as does the History Society.
Ancient History and History Employment Opportunities
To enhance your career prospects, we offer the opportunity to sign up for various employability and engagement-related placements, such as the Week of Work.
Students of Ancient History typically develop excellent presentation and writing skills, related to research, analysis, and problem solving. You will learn to develop your ideas in a wide range of formats applicable to your life after university.
Our graduates enter careers in a wide range of sectors including:
- Heritage and Tourism
- Teaching
- Media and Public Relations
- Business and Management
- Politics and Civil Service