Course summary

In choosing to study History and German Degree at Aberystwyth University you will combine two valuable subjects. You will immerse yourself in a broad range of historical periods, and gain an understanding of how and why the world has evolved the way it has. This course is student-focused and you will be able to build on your existing knowledge of history whilst pursuing what fundamentally interests you. Our History graduates are sought by employers for their highly-developed research, analysis, teamwork and communications abilities. It will also provide you with a thorough understanding of the German language, and a deep understanding of the literature and culture. You will benefit from the experience and enthusiasm of the expert staff in both departments. You will emerge with real world capabilities, enabling you to shape your future and develop the career you deserve. Why study German with History at Aberystwyth University? From the off-set, you will receive 4 hours of language work per week. This includes reading/writing, aural, listening and translation. These four areas of linguistic development provides you with the solid foundation to increase your fluency competencies in German. History at Aberystwyth has been taught since 1872, making our department the most established and foremost in Britain. This degree is also available to students who wish to study German at the beginners level. At beginners level and in your first year, you will be taught differently to the students who are entering the course at an advanced level (A level or equivalent) will receive intensive language classes bringing you to the same linguistic level as our advanced students. In your second and final year, you will be continuing the course with all advanced students. In addition to linguistic classes, we offer all students core and optional modules that expose you to literature, culture, language, politics, and business. In the Department of History and Welsh History, our teaching is innovative and research-based. This means that you will have the opportunity to explore specialisms in History which include early medieval period to the present day, ranging from four continents, and embracing political, social, economic and cultural history. The combination of the two subjects German and History are a perfect match with the departmental research projects. As a student in the History department, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the Second World War from a historical perspective but also immerse yourself in the German culture and literature that is taught in various modules from the Department of Modern Languages. The University also benefits from the National Library Wales which is located next to our Penglais campus, is a copyright library (one of five copyright Libraries across the UK). This facility provides you the opportunity to discover a wealth of historical archives to explore for your future projects. All students in our department thrive in our multilingual environment. As a vibrant University, we attract students from all corners of the world. Many of our staff who will teach you are native speakers of the target language that they speak. We also teach most of our modules and classes through the target language, therefore the combination of departmental life and academic development will ensure that you have maximum exposure to the target languages that you're learning. The highlight of this degree for all of our students is the year abroad. You will be required to spend your year abroad (your third year) in Germany or Austria. Some students opt to spend their time equally studying with our partnered Universities in Germany or Austria. Others have spent their time undertaking a paid or unpaid work experience placement in the two countries. Find out what your options are by visiting our Studying Abroad page.