BA

History / Mathematics

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You are viewing this course for September start 2024

Key Facts

GV11

  • UCAS Tariff

    120 - 104

  • Course duration

    3 years

Further details on entry requirements

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Why not combine your passion for learning about the past with your flair for numbers? If both History and Mathematics are subjects that you want to learn more about, then this degree is the one for you.


Do you want to discover how medieval peasants reacted to the Black Death, the role of the Tudors as a European Dynasty or why the world was thrown into two highly destructive wars in the twentieth century?

You will be able to study the medieval through to the contemporary period, covering a broad range of themes such as power, violence, migration, gender and ideas, amongst others. Come and join us on a journey through history.


Mathematics has fascinated humanity for thousands of years, from the ancient world to the present day, with numbers, patterns and structures leading to the development of mathematical conjectures, reasonings and mathematical proofs. You will cover the essential core disciplines of algebra, calculus, geometry, differential equations, probability, and statistics, supplemented by a wide choice of optional modules, allowing you to specialise in particular areas or pursue a diverse syllabus. 


This course will equip you with the analytical skills of interpretation, analysis and communication that are integral to studying History with the advanced mathematical skills that are highly sought after by employers.

Course Overview

Why study History and Mathematics at Aberystwyth University? 

  • Mathematics and History have been taught at Aberystwyth University since 1872, making the university the first in Wales to teach these subjects. Our established heritage alongside our strong research-based teaching ensures that our degrees are innovative and stimulating.
  • Teaching in the Department of History and Welsh History is innovative, research-based and designed to develop your transferable skills in areas such as analysis, interpretation and communication. This prepares you for a wide range of careers.
  • Our subject areas in History range from medieval to modern history and cover political history, social history, economic and cultural history.
  • In Mathematics, our expertise covers algebra, analysis, statistics, and mechanics, with specialisms in fluids, solids and quantum information.
  • You will have full use of the National Library of Wales - one of the five Copyright Libraries of the UK and Wales's leading archive repository.
  • If you wish to study modules through the medium of Welsh, you can do so within both the Department of Mathematics and the Department of History and Welsh History.
Our Staff

Staff in the Department of History and Welsh History are active researchers and experts in their field of History. Most are qualified to PhD level and hold PGCHE. To find out more about our staff, please visit our departmental staff page.

All lecturers in the Department of Mathematics are qualified to PhD level and are research active. The majority have a postgraduate teaching qualification and new staff are required to complete the PGCTHE. The department also employs a number of part time tutors, with extensive teaching experience, and some student demonstrators, who are selected from our undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Modules September start - 2024

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Algebra * MA10510 10
Calculus * MP10610 10
Further Algebra and Calculus * MP11010 10
Introduction to History * HY12120 20
Mathematical Analysis * MA11110 10

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Coordinate and Vector Geometry MA10110 10
Differential Equations MA11210 10
Europe and the World, 1000-2000 HY12420 20
Medieval and Early Modern Britain and Europe, 1000-1800 HY11420 20
People, Power and Identity: Wales 1200-1999 WH11720 20
Probability MA10310 10
Statistics MA11310 10
The Modern World, 1789 to the present HY11820 20
'Hands on' History: Sources and their Historians HY10420 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Complex Analysis * MA21510 10
Linear Algebra * MA21410 10
Making History * HY20120 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Between Revolution and Reform: China since 1800 HY28520 20
Culture, Society and the Victorians HY29320 20
Environmental History of the Neotropics (Latin America and the Caribbean) in the Capitalocene HY29120 20
Famine in Medieval England HY25520 20
From Poor Law to Welfare State: Poverty and Welfare in Modern Britain, 1815-1948 HY29220 20
Medieval England and Germany, c. 1050-1250 HY25620 20
Roads to Modernity: Germany and Japan in the Age of Empires, 1860s-1930s HY28920 20
The British Isles in the Long Eighteenth Century HY22020 20
The European Reformation HY26520 20
The Nazi Dictatorship: Regime and Society in Germany 1933-1945 HY29420 20
Wales and the Kings of Britain: Conflict, Power and Identities in the British Isles 1039-1417 WH20120 20
Wales under the Tudors WH23520 20
War, Politics and People: England in Context in the Fourteenth Century HY26720 20
Advanced Dynamics MA25710 10
Applied Statistics MA26620 20
Distributions and Estimation MA26010 10
History as myth-Making: the 'Myth of the Blitz' HY23420 20
Hydrodynamics 1 MA25610 10
Interdisciplinary and decolonial history HY24320 20
Introduction to Abstract Algebra MA20310 10
Introduction to Numerical Analysis and its applications MA25220 20
Reading a Building HY23120 20
Real Analysis MA20110 10
Recounting Racism: Oral History and Modern American Race Relations. HY25020 20
Seals in Their Context in Medieval England and Wales HY24420 20
Victorian Visions: Exploring Nineteenth-Century Exhibitions HY24620 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

What career prospects exist with a History & Mathematics degree?

Our graduates have been successful in securing a profession in many different fields:

  • education
  • law
  • archivists
  • publishers
  • politics
  • civil servants
  • financial management
  • media
  • armed forces.

As a department we are very proud of our notable and esteem alumni:

  • Dr Tim Brain, former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire
  • Guto Bebb, Member of Parliament
  • Dr Joanne Cayford, BBC 
  • Berwyn Davies, Head of the Welsh Higher Education Office Brussels
  • Iwan Griffiths, Sports reporter for the S4C (Welsh language broadcast channel).

Heritage sector student placements

Our department has strong links with the heritage sector, and an established portfolio of student placements. In the past, students have spent up to three weeks at the National Library of Wales (including Welsh-medium opportunities), the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historic Monuments of Wales, and the Society of Antiquaries of London. These placements provide the opportunity for ‘hands-on’ experience and insights into the heritage sector, and can be valuable additions to your CV!

Click here to find out about the various opportunities that our Aberystwyth University Careers team offer.

Enhance your employability prospects with GO Wales and YES (Year in Employment Scheme) managed by our Careers department. 

International opportunities

Aberystwyth University offers you the opportunity of a lifetime to study, volunteer or work in another country, for an academic year, a single semester or a few weeks during your holidays. Explore other cultures, challenge yourself and gather experiences which will help with your career. Time spent exploring a new culture can sharpen your interpersonal skills, improve your language ability, and broaden your international mindset. Find out where you can go.

Alumni mentoring and graduate talks

The Alumni Mentoring Scheme will enable you to make contact with past graduates in a range of careers in a safe and supportive environment.

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the three year degree scheme.

  • In the first year, you will follow a clearly defined pathway through the study of core disciplines of mathematics and you will be introduced to new concepts and historical skills, Welsh History, the First World War and our choice of other modules which reflect a broad chronological and thematic range.
  • In the second year you will study real analysis, complex analysis, and linear algebra. You will examine the historical method, which examines the way in which the meaning, methods, and writing of history have changed over time, European History, Germany and Nazism and The British Empire.
  • In the third year you will be able to direct your own study and specialise further by choosing from a wide range of elective modules in both disciplines.

How will I be taught?

  • You will be taught through a complementary set of teaching and learning methods and approaches, ranging from formal lectures, seminars and tutorials to practicals and individual and group-based project work.
  • You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, presentations, reports and examinations.
  • You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree course, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice.
  • You will also have the opportunity to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at Aberystwyth. This is a structured process of self-appraisal, reflection, and planning, which will enable you to chart your personal, academic and professional development throughout your time at university. By recording your academic performance, and highlighting the skills you already have and those you will need for future employability, the PDP portfolio will equip you with the necessary tools to plan effectively, develop successful approaches to study, and consider your future career options and aspirations.

Student Testimonials

Studying History at Aberystwyth has been brilliant. The ability to pick modules and cater to your tastes has allowed me to pursue what I want. If I want to study Russia I can. Alongside this the great teaching staff have a wealth of experience and knowledge who provide excellent teaching. I can approach them very easily and they are willing to give me the time and support I need. I can ask for help with essays and advice on what to read and research. Reading is key as a historian and the Library is a great resource for getting books. It has nearly all the books you need and should the book be out you can go to the National Library of Wales. In my two years of studying history I have not once regretted my choice, and going into my third year I cannot wait. Connor Lambert

There is never a boring topic and the course goes much deeper into mathematics than I was expecting. There are so many different modules to choose from that you will always find something to interest you. The lecturers are always willing to help. Elin Wyn Hughes

Maths is a great course with really friendly and approachable lecturers. The content is always really interesting, but challenging to the right extent. The whole department works effectively to offer all the facilities needed to gain a good degree. Jennifer O'Neil

What I love about studying History at Aberystwyth is everything! It is such a great degree scheme, with a wide range of modules to choose from in each year of study. The tutors are fantastic and always helpful and knowledgeable. Everyone within the department is friendly - staff and students alike - which creates a lovely working atmosphere. We have a fantastic resource just down the road, the National Library of Wales, which not only contains every book published in the UK after 1911 but is also a beautiful building to study in and commands the best view over the whole of Aberystwyth town. Studying History at Aberystwyth was the best decision I have ever made! Rachel Twomey

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 104

A Levels BBB-BCC to include B in Mathematics

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh and Mathematics

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-DMM with B in A level Mathematics

International Baccalaureate:
30-28 with 5 points in Mathematics at Higher Level

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall with 7 in Mathematics

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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