American Studies and History, BA (Hons)

Clearing is open!

Apply now
description

This course is available through Clearing

Clearing Help and Support 0808 175 3071

Course Overview

Studying American Studies and History involves exploring the culture, history and politics of the United States, the most influential country in the world, alongside many aspects of British, European and world history. It addresses some of the most pressing issues in our contemporary world, including globalization and struggles for racial justice. 

Our BA degree opens up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop transferable skills, which are highly valued by employers.

You can shape the degree to your own interests, whether in US popular culture and political protest or heritage and medicine, health, and disability. You also have the chance to study for a year or a semester in the United States, discovering the subject first hand.

 

Why American Studies and History at Swansea?

Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, our American Studies and History degree is highly regarded by employers. It includes the option of studying in the United States for a semester or a year, further enhancing your student experience and career prospects. 

American Studies at Swansea is ranked:

  • 3rd in the Uk for Graduate Prospects (Times Good University Guide 2025)
  • Top 5 in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2025) 
  • 2nd in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)
  • 1st in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
  • 5th in the UK for American Studies (Complete University Guide 2025)

History at Swansea is ranked:

  • Ranked 11th in UK for Research Impact (REF2021)
  • UK Top 25 for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)

Your American Studies and History Experience

We offer varied and flexible course content, so you can shape your American Studies and History degree to your own interests.

Topics include American film; popular music; race; gender and women’s history; migration and urbanization; social, economic, cultural and military history; the history of war and conflict; terrorism; civil rights; public history and heritage; modern British social history; the history of religion, health and medicine; and political protest.

Teaching is informed by our world-leading interdisciplinary research in a wide range of subject areas, from civil rights, US foreign policy, and the Cold War to the American Civil War, contemporary US fiction, and the Harlem Renaissance. 

During your time at Swansea University, you will have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of clubs and societies. The American Studies Student Society organises a range of social and cultural events.

American Studies and History Employment Opportunities

The breadth of American Studies and History fosters transferable skills valued by employers, including creative thinking, critical awareness, team working, and advanced oral and written communication skills. American Studies and History graduates are known for their adaptability and creativity because the course requires students to make connections between disciplines and traditions.

Our graduates enter careers in a wide range of sectors including:

  • Education
  • Archives
  • Heritage and museums
  • Business
  • Media and public relations
  • Law and public services

Modules

Your early studies will introduce you to the history, politics and culture of America, as well as various aspects of history from the Middle Ages to modern times. You'll gain a grounding in the approaches used by historians to understand and explain different aspects of the past across a wide range of periods, as well as the interdisciplinary scope of American Studies. 

You will then choose your pathway with modules to suit your own interests, before focusing in depth on your chosen research project to produce a dissertation.

American Studies and History, BA (Hons)

American Studies and History with a Year Abroad, BA (Hons)

American Studies and History with a Year in Industry, BA (Hons)