Cymraeg / Welsh (For First- and Second-language) BA (Hons) Undergraduate - September 2025/26* Entry

Did you know that a BA in Welsh at Bangor is much more than a degree course? It is a complete cultural experience that will enable you to play a professional role in the excitement of creating a truly bilingual Wales. In areas such as education, the creative industries and the heritage, broadcasting and media sectors, public relations and marketing, translation, language planning and public administration, Bangor graduates fulfill important roles. They are among the leaders of our contemporary Wales and shaping our future.

Welsh at Bangor is a living language of the present day rather than a relic of the past. Here you will have the opportunity to not only study and enjoy one of the most remarkable Celtic literatures in the world, but there will also be opportunities to pursue more practical modules that will prepare you for a career. This course will enable you to research independently, to practise original thinking, to get to know Welsh literature and culture in depth and to master the various registers of the language. If you so wish, you will have the opportunity to pursue your creative interests under the guidance of experienced writers and poets. You will also gain an awareness of the Welsh language in wider international contexts. What is the relationship of Welsh with the other languages of the world? How does the fate of the language compare with languages like Basque and Irish? How have Welsh writers and poets responded to global themes such as slavery, the Holocaust and the ecological challenge of the modern industrial world? From the earliest times to the present, the choice of modules is wide and the opportunities to broaden your horizons are endless.  

Students from both first and second language backgrounds are accepted to follow this course. It is also a natural progression for students who followed the Welsh for Beginners foundation year. It is also suitable for those who have achieved proficiency in Welsh, e.g. through the Learn Welsh courses at the National Centre for Learning Welsh. 

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• A world-renowned centre for the study of Welsh and Celtic Studies.
• Study in the unique Celtic linguistic environment of Gwynedd (north-west Wales) where Welsh remains the language of the majority.

Additional Course Options

The teaching is through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You will write essays, undertake various weekly exercises and tasks, reading and preparing for seminars. Assessment is a combination of coursework and examinations, with some modules assessed solely on the basis of coursework. Your modules each year will be equivalent to 120 credits. (If you are from a second language background, 60 credits in the first year will be specifically for you and a continuation of your language experiences to date.  You will join first language students to study the other 60 credits and tutorials will be arranged to support you.  Additional language support is also provided in the second and third years.) 

The first year will be an opportunity to build on your experiences and open new doors: e.g. discussing the language in contexts relating to its history and present-day state, learning new critical skills and responding originally to literature. You will choose from a wide range of modules in your second and third years, e.g. the novel from Daniel Owen to Dewi Prysor, Welsh language theatre from Saunders Lewis to Aled Jones Williams, modern poetry and eisteddfod authors, Meic Povey’s television dramas, Dafydd ap Gwilym, the Mabinogion - or why not study Welsh American Welsh language culture and even ask "What is Literature?" Language modules range from historical to sociological, from the opportunity to learn Irish and Breton to modules that develop professional Welsh language skills in the workplace and also Welsh language skills for creative purposes. In the third year you will write a dissertation and research an interesting topic of your choice. Recent topics include individuals such as Dafydd ap Gwilym, Kate Roberts, Mihangel Morgan, Angharad Tomos, Caryl Lewis, Meic Stevens and Geraint Jarman and areas such as eco-criticism, gender and transgender, the language of Pembrokeshire, Welsh literature and slavery, literature and horses and football in literature. 

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Cymraeg / Welsh (For First- and Second-language) BA (Hons) Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

General University Costs

Home (UK) students

• The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,250 per year (2025/26).
• The fee for all integrated study abroad years is  £1,385 (2025/26).
• The fee for an integrated year in industry as part of a sandwich programme is £1,850 (2025/26).

More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.

International (including EU) students

• International Student Tuition Fees
• International Student Living Costs and Scholarships

Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:

• If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
• If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).

Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:

1. Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
2. Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
3. Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.

General University Requirements

To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.

We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.

All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.

As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.

We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.

EU and International Students' Entry Requirements

For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.

Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.

There has never been a more exciting time to study Welsh at Bangor. There has never been more demand for a workforce that can use Welsh at senior professional levels. The goal is clear, it has been set by the Welsh Government - a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and a truly bilingual Wales. 

In pursuit of that aim, there will be a great need for confident Welsh-speaking graduates, who can use their language skills in flexible ways, who can think analytically through the medium of the language and use it - both orally and in writing - in various work situations. 

The remarkable professional success of our students in employment - and their varied careers - already proves how entirely relevant this course is to the requirements of contemporary Wales. A proportion of them go into education, to be primary and secondary teachers, headteachers, education officers and directors of education. Others go into further education and others become university lecturers. Teaching Welsh for adults is also a key area. Television and digital and print media - including the BBC centre in Bangor - offer a cross-section of interesting jobs and have attracted other alumni into book publishing, creative writing and television scripting, public relations and marketing. There is also continuing demand for bilingual administrators and local government officers. And without the presence of Bangor's Welsh graduates, the translation industry would be quite different. And present day graduates also have every right to aim high. The National Library of Wales, The National Theatre of Wales, Cwmni Da (one of Wales' largest production companies), the Welsh Parliament’s Translation and Reporting Service and Anglesey Council - what do they have in common? Bangor's Welsh graduates have reached the top of their professional careers in them and are at the forefront of them all!    

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions. 

Internships

Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.

Student Volunteering

Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.

A Foundation Year option is available for this course. Apply for Welsh for Beginners.