Ancient History (BA)

Why study this course

Dedicated to the understanding of past societies through the interpretation of ancient evidence, our BA in Ancient History is an exciting degree that explores key literary, visual, epigraphic and archaeological material. Unusual in the UK, our programme allows you to discover the Near East, Persia and the Byzantine Empire, as well as the Greek and Roman worlds.

Designed for students with no prior study of the ancient world, but also catering for those who do have some prior knowledge, our multi-faceted programme will develop your knowledge and critical understanding of these fascinating ancient societies, examining their political, social, economic and cultural structures, as well as building the skills that you need to succeed at university level and beyond.

For us, social and cultural topics are just as important as political history. You will encounter fascinating themes with contemporary relevance, such as warfare, gender and sexuality, religion, medicine, art and literature, and you will discover how antiquity continues to inspire the modern world.

You will assess the range of evidence available for the study of the ancient world and learn to evaluate varying and sometimes conflicting interpretations of the past, in order to construct your own robust and coherent arguments. You will practise communicating your ideas to different audiences in a variety of different media and formats. At the end of your degree, you will design and carry out an individual research project on a subject of your choice.

This programme is also available with a year of study abroad, extending your degree to a four-year programme, with your third year spent at a partner institution outside the UK.

Careers and placements

Career prospects

Graduate careers

• Historian
• Lecturer
• Curator

Placements

We ensure that placements can be incorporated into your learning. We offer opportunities for placements in Year Two on a module which focuses on translating the skills you gain through your degree into the workplace. In Year Three we offer you the opportunity to take a module through which you can develop your enterprise skills, and which equips you with the skills to communicate and collaborate with external organisations. Staff also have close links with a range of local heritage and other organisations, which offer placement opportunities both in and outside semesters.

Through our links with Student Futures you can source placements and on-campus internships, from 35 hours part-time placements to fit in around your studies to paid summer placements. In addition, Go Wales provides additional support to help you gain work experience.