Egyptology and Ancient History with a Year in Industry

Ancient Egypt, with its pharaohs, grand monuments, and hieroglyphs, has fascinated people for thousands of years.

Here at Swansea you can study its great sweep of history and compelling cultural practices in their context within Africa, the Levant, and the Graeco-Roman Mediterranean.

Our four-year degree with a Year in Industry is founded on object-based learning, offering you hands-on experience with the artefacts in our in-house museum, the Egypt Centre. You also have the option to learn the ancient Egyptian language and writing system, as a gateway to exploring their surviving texts for yourself.

You will be equipped to understand how Egyptian society developed over millennia, from the neolithic to the time when the Nile valley was conquered by Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

We are based in our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.

Ancient History at Swansea is ranked:
• 2nd in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)
• 2nd in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2025)
• 3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2025)
• Top 20 in the UK for Graduate Outcomes (Complete University Guide 2025)
• Top 51-150 in the World (QS World Rankings by Subject 2025)

As well as modules where you work with objects from the Egypt Centre, we have the Egyptian Collection Practicum, a third-year module which offers two weeks of intensive work experience in the museum. You can also get involved by participating in such initiatives as the Swansea University Pottery Project, which aims to catalogue all ceramic fragments in the collection. There is also the opportunity to volunteer at the Egypt Centre, which boasts an international scholarly network with frequent seminars, short courses, and a school programme.

We are committed to teaching you how to understand historical landscapes. Our optional first-year heritage module allows you to understand the past in its place on sites around Swansea and South Wales. We also have a study trip module which affords you the chance (whenever circumstances allow) to visit ancient sites overseas, for example in Greece or Italy.

If you are considering teaching as a career, or would just like to see what teaching in a school might be like, you can gain valuable experience with our Schools Placement module. This module allows you to instruct pupils in local schools in the culture of the classical world, for credit. We foster such links in part via the Welsh Classics Hwb which aims to produce resources for teaching Latin and the ancient world in schools.

This course offers you the opportunity to spend a Year In Industry, in the UK or overseas (locations are dependent on VISA restrictions per country), giving valuable workplace experience. The University advocates for only paid placements which on average have a salary of over £20,000. Unpaid placements are considered on a case-by-case basis.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Introduction to Ancient Egyptian History, Society and Culture, Greek History and Society, Employability Skills for Culture and Communication, Rome from Village to Empire: An Introduction to Roman History.

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology, Language of the Pharaohs: An Introduction to Hieroglyphic Literacy, Egyptian Art and Architecture.

The third year of this 4-year course with a Year in Industry will be spent on placement. You will have the opportunity to gain real-world industry experience and develop your employability skill set. We have a strong network of industry contacts, and you will receive dedicated support from our employability team, ranging from CV advice through to mock interviews.

Your degree with culminate in year 4, with a wide range of optional modules that can include: Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology Dissertation.