BA Ancient History and History
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and History, a history degree exploring ancient, medieval and modern societies. Core topics include Research Methods, Historical Research, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. Students can choose to undertake a study abroad period or a placement year during their studies. The first year introduces foundational themes through compulsory modules such as Ancient Sources in Context, History Matters (Object, Image, Text), Introduction to the Ancient World, and World Histories Introduced, while optional choices cover specific political and archaeological topics. The second year builds research capabilities through compulsory study including Making History Part 2: Debates and Research and Making History: Historians and Audiences, alongside optional modules exploring global cultural and political history. The final year focuses on independent research through the compulsory module Reading Histories, complemented by wide-ranging optional modules spanning specialized historical periods and themes. Students complete either an Ancient History Dissertation or a History Dissertation to conclude their degree.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level
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What students say
Based on about 12 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 88%
- Learning opportunities: 80%
- Assessment and feedback: 69%
- Academic support: 96%
- Organisation and management: 79%
- Learning resources: 87%
- Student voice: 71%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 170 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 97%
- Left higher education: 1%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 1%
What graduates do next
Based on about 36 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 57%
- Working and studying: 17%
- Further study: 11%
- Unemployed: 8%
Most common jobs
- Sales occupations: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 15%
- Finance Professionals: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 55%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 40%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 335 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 1%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 10%
- London: 32%
- South East: 41%
- South West: 10%
- Wales: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 145 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 98%
- Baccalaureate: 1%
- Foundation course: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Ancient Sources in Context
- History Matters (Object, Image, Text)
- Introduction to the Ancient World
- World Histories Introduced
- Antiquity and Authority: Ancient Persia in Modern Iranian Politics
- Debates and Issues in Archaeological Science
- Introduction to Ethnography: Food and Culture
- Landscapes and Seascapes of Britain’s Past
- Latin 2
- Literary Transformations
- Masada: History and Myth
- Putin and the Politics of Post-Soviet Russia
- Rebellions and Uprising in the age of the Tudors
- The Crimean War
- The First World War
- The French Revolution
- Humanities Study Abroad Preparation Module
- Making History Part 2: Debates and Research
- Making History: Historians and Audiences
- Year Abroad Report Module for Humanities Students
- Year in Employment
- AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis
- Ancient Greek Philosophy
- Ancient Greeks at War
- Ancient Rome: the First Metropolis
- Building London: the history of a city, 1666 – 2012
- Cities of the Dead: Death, Mourning and Remembrance in Modern Britain
- Creating Elizabeth I: Ancient Inspiration for a Renaissance Queen (1558-1603)
- Darwin and the Making of Evolutionary Thought: Myth, Memory, and Modern Society
- Data, Culture, and Justice
- Digital Futures of the Past: Power, Ethics, and Representation
- Humanities and Professional Practice
- Imperial China: From China’s mythical emperors to the 19th century
- Introduction to Film Studies
- Islam's Identity Crisis: Between Violent Jihadism and Peaceful Reformation
- Jews in Germany before the Holocaust
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- Maritime Archaeology
- McCarthyism
- Myth and the Ancient World
- Napoleon and his legend
- Nelson Mandela: A South African life
- Plague, Fire and Popish Plots: The Worlds of Charles II
- Queering the Digital
- Ragtime! The Making of Modern America
- Retail Therapy: A Journey Through the Cultural History of Shopping
- Rome: Politics and Power
- The Age of Discovery? c.1350-c.1650
- The EU and European Identity
- The Fall of the Russian Empire
- The First British Empire: the beginnings of English dominance, 1050-1300
- The Making of Modern India
- Vienna and Berlin: Society, Politics and Culture from 1890 to the Present
- Reading Histories
- A Short History of Exploration
- A Short History of the Far Right
- A Short History of the Populist Leader
- American Cinema Since 1965
- Ancient History Dissertation
- Ancient Rome: the First Metropolis
- China in the Cold War – Part 1 (The Chronology)
- China in the Cold War – Part 2 (Themes)
- Classical Chinese Philosophy
- Classical Indian Philosophy: Self, Knowledge, and Liberation
- Creating Elizabeth I: Ancient Inspiration for a Renaissance Queen (1558-1603)
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 1
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 2
- Cultures in Contact: A Diverse Ancient World
- Cultures in Contact: Resisting Rome
- Framing the Past:Stardom, History and Heritage in the Cinema
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England 1625-49: Part 1
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England, 1625-49 Part 2
- Historical Memory in Modern Latin America
- History Dissertation
- Holocaust Literature
- Language and the City
- Later Anglo-Saxon England
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- Living with the Romans: Urbanism in the Roman Empire
- More than Pyramids & Pharaohs? Ancient Egypt in Context
- Presenting the Past: Museums and Heritage
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 1)
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 2)
- The Third Reich 1
- The Third Reich 2
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in modern Britain and France
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in the Russian and Soviet empires
- War, State and Society: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453), Part 1
- War, State and Society: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453), Part 2
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Ancient History and History at University of Southampton earn?
The median salary is £26,000 after 15 months, £26,500 after 3 years, £34,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,500 and £44,000. The £34,000 median after five years is £3,500 more than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA Ancient History and History at University of Southampton do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Ancient History and History at University of Southampton?
88% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Ancient History and History at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 135 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Ancient History and History at University of Southampton?
97% of students continued into their second year, and 1% left higher education.