Classical Studies with a Foundation Year, BA (Hons)

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Course Overview

Classical Studies with a foundation year focuses on the literature of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, along with the cultures that created it. Studying this three-year BA degree will allow you to read all kinds of texts in translation from around the ancient Mediterranean and develop an understanding of Greek and Roman culture from the archaic period to the fall of the Roman Empire and beyond. You will explore the stories and mythology of Greece and Rome and learn how to perform close analysis with an eye for detail. You may investigate familiar texts, such as epics and tragedies, as well as often overlooked genres from the ancient world, including novels and satire.

The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to Higher Education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after Further Education or are returning to education after a gap.

While the ancient materials you will study might appear distant from the present day, they have influenced and interacted with western and global cultures right up to now. You will be able to access cultural artefacts which illuminate Greek and Roman history and society, architecture and archaeology, warfare and empire, gender and religion, philosophy, politics and economics–or learn about ancient Egypt (as ancient to the Greeks as those peoples are to us). You can also learn how to develop new, cutting-edge research on marvellous old things.

As part of single honours Classical Studies, you could also opt to pursue one of six more specific dedicated pathways: Greek, Latin, Classics (which is both Greek and Latin), Egyptology, English Literature, and Philosophy.

Why Classical Studies with a Foundation Year at Swansea?

Based at our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula,

Classics at Swansea is ranked:

  • Top 51-150 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)
  • 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)
  • UK Top 20 for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2025)

Your Classical Studies with a Foundation Year Experience

During your Foundation Year, you will learn the key skills you’ll need to make your degree a success while developing knowledge of your subject area and how it relates to the humanities and social sciences.

During your first year, you will be introduced to the ways in which Greeks and Romans came up with their myths, by investigating approaches to storytelling, including the study of Greek tragedy and Ovid’s brilliant and compendious poem, the Metamorphoses. You may also study some Greek and Roman history, or ancient philosophy and rhetoric, to give you a grounding in the worlds which shaped the texts you read. And you could start learning some Latin or ancient Greek as a way to get a greater appreciation for the original authors’ use of language.

In your second year, you will do a module on how to perform what we call ‘close reading’ or ‘practical criticism’, and we have a range of text-based modules, arranged according to genre, which mirror the texts which the academic staff research and work on—these include tragedy, the various ancient novels, Latin elegy, Roman verse satire, and Plato. We teach several of these classes to second-and third-year students together, with different assessments for each year group, to enable student progression over the course of the degree.

Swansea is an established centre for the study of narrative, especially the ancient novel, under the auspices of our research group KYKNOS. Another research group in the department, OLCAP (Object and Landscape-Centred Approaches to the Past), focuses on material culture in research and teaching. Both research groups welcome undergraduate input. We also have an active guest speaker programme and international links of various kinds.

Through the course of your Classical Studies degree, in our close-knit community, you will each have a personal tutor from among the teaching staff to lend academic support. The Society for Ancient Studies and our Egyptology Society organise social and cultural events, including museum trips.

Classical Studies with a Foundation Year Employment Opportunities

To enhance your career prospects, we offer the opportunity to sign up for various employability and engagement-related placements, such as the Week of Work.

Students of Classical Studies receive a comprehensive grounding in how to research, develop, and present complex ideas in a clear and systematic fashion. You will gain a useful attention to detail along with ways and means to approach the unfamiliar with confidence.

Our Classical Studies graduates enter careers in a wide variety of sectors including:

  • Education (secondary and tertiary)
  • Business (consultancy, management)
  • Media and Public relations
  • Marketing

Modules

In your Foundation Year, you will take a selection of modules that will provide you with key study skills, subject knowledge, and awareness of the importance of the humanities and social sciences. You’ll then progress to your degree. 

Classical Studies with a Foundation Year, BA (Hons)