BA

History

Key Facts

V100

  • UCAS Tariff

    120 - 96

  • Course duration

    3 years

Available for September start 2025

Further details on entry requirements

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The History degree course at Aberystwyth University combines your passion for learning about the past with skills that will equip you for a successful future. 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? Then our History degree is for you.

This degree course, offered by our Department of History and Welsh History gives you the flexibility to study the medieval through to the contemporary period and a broad range of themes such as power, violence, migration, gender and ideas, amongst others. Come and join us on a journey through history.

Course Overview

Alongside learning new and exciting information about the past, our History degrees also provide you with a range of skills, from analysis, fact-checking and communication, through to critical thinking and debate. In a world where the ability to quickly evaluate and analyse information is paramount, a degree in History will equip you with the tools for success whichever career you choose.

Why study History at Aberystwyth University?

  • History has been taught in Aberystwyth since 1872, making our department the most established in Wales and one of the foremost in Britain.
  • Our teaching is innovative, research-based and designed to train you in the skills of interpretation, analysis, and communication - skills that are valued in the workplace. 
  • Our subject specialisms enable you to follow your historical interests from the medieval period to the present day, ranging across four continents, and embracing political, social, economic and cultural history.
  • In choosing Aberystwyth, you will become part of a close-knit and supportive community of students and staff, and you will have access to excellent teaching and research facilities.
  • Our commitment to getting to know all our students sets us apart and is integral to our degree schemes. We provide teaching in small groups, including one-to-one tutorials and seminar-only courses, such as our skills and special subject modules.
  • As well as learning about the past, you will actively engage in the process of building new understandings of history. By studying primary sources and working closely with our lecturers, you will be contributing to our research community.
  • As an Aberystwyth History student, you will have plenty of opportunity to get 'hands-on' experience and access to the world-class resources that are available in Aberystwyth. These include the National Library of Wales - one of the five Copyright Libraries of the UK and Wales’s leading archive repository. 
  • As part of your degree course, you will have the opportunity to study abroad at a partner university, to undertake Heritage sector work placements and to plan for your future career.
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.

Modules September start - 2025

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
Introduction to History * HY12120 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
'Hands on' History: Sources and their Historians HY10420 20
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
The Modern World, 1789 to the present HY11820 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

What career prospects exist with a History degree?

Our graduates have been successful in securing professions in many different fields, including:

  • education
  • academic scholarship and research
  • archive curation and management
  • law
  • publishing
  • national, regional and local politics
  • the Civil Service
  • the Police
  • the armed forces
  • media and the creative industries
  • business and entrepreneurship.

Our former students include:

  • Glanmor Williams, Historian
  • Alun Lewis, Second World War poet
  • Tim Brain, former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire
  • Guto Bebb, Member of Parliament
  • Joanne Cayford, BBC
  • Berwyn Davies, Head of the Welsh Higher Education Office, Brussels
  • Iwan Griffiths, Sports reporter for S4C.

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 eMentoring Scheme will enable you to make contact with past

graduates in a range of careers within a safe and supportive environment, offering you the chance to find out how they progressed into their current roles and what insights they can offer you as you think about your next steps. The Department of History & Welsh History collaborates with the Careers Service with the aim of arranging talks from alumni at different stages of their careers, such as the successful ‘From university to a career in cultural heritage: first steps’, presented by a recent graduate who secured a place on a prestigious Tate Gallery traineeship.

What work experience opportunities exist while studying?

Find out about the various opportunities that our Careers Service provides, including GO Wales and YES (Year in Employment Scheme) which are managed by the service and which offer an opportunity for you to enhance your career prospects.

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 course.

During your three years of study you will develop your historical interests by choosing option modules from the full range of subject areas taught by our department and your overseas host institution. You will also be learning and applying research approaches and methods that will ready you for your final year dissertation.

In your first year you will be introduced to: 

  • new historical skills and concepts, and a comprehensive introduction to university-level study skills, through our Year 1 core module Introduction to History
  • new historical periods, themes and subject areas, through our wide choice of Year 1 option modules.

In your second year you will explore:

  • the ways in which the meaning, methods and writing of history have changed over time, through our Year 2 core module Making History
  • insights into the historian’s craft, through practice-based seminar classes
  • different topics and periods from our extensive list of Year 2 option modules.

You may also spend one or two semesters studying abroad at a partner university of your choice.

In your final year in Aberystwyth you will study:

  • two option modules of your choice
  • a Special Subject, in which you undertake in-depth research, using original sources and engaging with cutting edge scholarship
  • your History Dissertation, independently researched by you on a subject of your choice, supervised by an expert historian in the department.

How will I be taught and assessed?

Our wide variety of different learning, teaching and assessment modes will enable you to develop skills in formal writing, small group presentation, constructing informed arguments under time pressure, independent research, and working as part of a team, using the most up-to-date resources and digital platforms. The Department of History & Welsh History also maintains individual essay tutorials for all students - rare outside Oxbridge - and has a supportive system of personal tutors, providing unrivalled one-to-one contact throughout your degree.

Student Testimonials

I love History (V100) because it's the perfect course for people who enjoy history, but don’t know what area of History that they prefer most. I came to university in this position, but this course offers you a chance to study many different periods. During my time on V100 I have studied many different eras and events, from the Black Death and Medieval Wales, right up British Politics in the twentieth century. I love V100 because it does not constrain you like other courses and allows you discover your true inner Historian.

Christopher Pines

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

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 - 96

A Levels BBB-CCC

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

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-MMM

International Baccalaureate:
30-26

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall

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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