Egyptology and Ancient History with a Year Abroad

This four-year Egyptology and Ancient History degree with a Year Abroad covers the study of Ancient Egyptian language, literature, history and culture.

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 three-year degree 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.

Classics and 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 University Rankings by Subject 2025)

You have options to study Egyptology and Ancient History with a semester abroad during your second year, or to spend a full year abroad after your second year. We have contacts with universities in Australia, North America, Asia, and Europe.

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.

You are also able to gain valuable experience and understanding of the museum industry and heritage practices, through a range of placements, or by undertaking a full year in industry, allowing you to gain valuable workplace experience ready for your career. 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.

Your first year of study is made up of compulsory modules covering a range of themes. Compulsory modules are studied by all students on the programme, meaning you are automatically enrolled. Examples include:
• Introduction to Ancient Egyptian History, Society and Culture
• Greek History and Society
• Age of Empire: Ancient Egypt and her Neighbours
• Rome from Village to Empire: An Introduction to Roman History

Your second will comprise entirely of optional modules from a expansive range of subject areas. Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:
• Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology
• Egyptian Art and Architecture
• The Greek Romance: Sea, Sun and Sex
• Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology
• Alexander and the Hellenistic world

Your third year will be spent studying abroad at an international partner institution.

Your final year comprises almost entirely of optional modules, allowing you to shape your own degree, alongside undertaking a compulsory independent dissertation project.

For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage:
www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/classics-ancient-history-egyptology/ba-egyptology-ancient-history

This degree programme is delivered through lectures, tutorials and seminars. You will usually receive nine hours minimum scheduled contact time with your teachers every week. Full attendance at lectures, seminars and personal tutorials (personal tutorials are obligatory). All Arts and Humanities degree programmes include independent learning which requires initiative and hard work. We will challenge you with demanding teaching and assessment. Assessment includes essay, coursework and examination, presentations and a dissertation.