Ancient History and History with Year Abroad

Ancient history and history together span an extraordinary range of human experience, from the civilisations of Greece, Rome, and the ancient Near East through medieval kingdoms and early modern states to the revolutionary upheavals of the modern era. What unites them is a commitment to understanding the human past through the careful, critical analysis of evidence, and a recognition that how societies organise power, knowledge, and belief has always mattered and continues to matter today.

At the University of Southampton, this four-year full-time degree places you in a thriving research environment and offers global perspectives that range from the ancient Mediterranean to modern international history. You will develop skills in reading and evaluating diverse sources, constructing historical arguments, and writing with clarity and precision, all within a department whose staff are actively engaged in cutting-edge research across a wide range of periods and themes. The defining feature of this programme is that your third year is spent abroad at one of Southampton's partner universities, giving you first-hand experience of studying history in an international academic environment.

This broadens your perspective, deepens your linguistic and cultural awareness, and adds a dimension of genuine independence to your academic development. The typical entry tariff is 136 UCAS points.

Graduates of ancient history and history programmes go on to careers in teaching, museums and galleries, archival and heritage work, journalism, the civil service, law, public policy, and the cultural sector more broadly. The research skills, analytical habits, and capacity for sustained argument the degree develops are valued across a wide range of graduate employers. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in history, classical studies, archaeology, museum studies, or education, finding that the breadth of their combined undergraduate programme gives them a versatile and well-grounded foundation.