History, BA (Hons)

Discover Swansea at our next Open Day

Book your place today
Students laughing

Course Overview

The BA in History at Swansea University enables you to build skills that are valued by employers, across a range of sectors and professions, while exploring more than 1500 years of history, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day.

You will have the opportunity to specialise in particular periods of history, such as modern Britain, Europe and the USA or the Middle Ages. You will also be able to focus your studies on themes that transcend historical eras, such as Sex and Gender, Empire and Nationhood, Revolutions, Medicine and Disability, and the Environment.

With innovative assessments which go beyond traditional essays, the curriculum helps you to gain real-world skills, and to complete work in ways which suit your strengths. You will also have the opportunity to apply your skills and gain work experience in an optional work placement module, and in your final year dissertation, you will undertake your own original research on a topic of your choice.

Why History at Swansea?

Our lecturers are world-leading writers and researchers in history who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with our students and the wider world, as part of a community where everyone learns from each other. You will be able to engage with the latest historical research, as it is being conducted.

Our History Department is committed to helping you reach your full potential. We are dedicated to engaging your curiosity and to developing your skills, and with this in mind, you will receive one-to-one support from experienced academics to aid your studies and assessment.

Your History Experience

The degree is underpinned by three central threads, which progress together across each level of study:

  1. The degree emphasises how relevant the past is today. Modules lead you to ask questions about the relationship between the past on one hand, and the present and the future on the other.
  2. The programme leads you to acquire, develop and refine the transferable skills of historical research. These include the ability to plan, conduct and evaluate information, communicate ideas and arguments in a variety of ways, to think creatively using evidence-based arguments, and to work both independently and collaboratively.
  3. The curriculum is taught in a way that enhances and broadens your employability, helping you to acquire graduate attributes, which can be applied in careers across a wide range of professions.

Modules

We've enhanced our modules to deliver an engaging learning experience, designed to help you develop the skills employers are looking for. Discover what's on offer and feel inspired by the modules you can study.

Entry Requirements

We consider all applicants on their own merits and welcome applications from students with a wide range of qualifications.

Careers and Employability

Graduates with a BA in History will possess a range of transferable skills including independent critical thinking, analytical skills, the ability to process and synthesise vast amounts of information, and to engage in a historiographical debate.

They also possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, alongside the ability to think laterally; to analyse events in the past and use this analysis to inform their understanding of current affairs and society. These skills are transferable across several industries that focus on current societies, especially in business, politics and academia. 

By better understanding how businesses and the creative sectors engage with history for wealth-creation, and commodify it in commercial environments, our students enter the workplace with a sound understanding of the ethics and implications of instrumentalising the past.

The BA in History can equip you to move into a range of graduate-level positions, including:

  • The Civil Service, education, and history and heritage organisations, including museums
  • Policy roles in the broad area of culture and leisure
  • Education (via a PGCE)
  • Media and public relations
  • A wide variety of roles drawing on advanced critical thinking skills plus practical workplace experience, e.g. events management.
  • Further academic study in history and related disciplines and careers in academia

History, BA (Hons)

History with a Foundation Year, BA (Hons)

History with a Year Abroad, BA (Hons)

History with a Year in Industry, BA (Hons)