The MRes in Ancient Civilisations is a unique programme, which is available both on campus and as a distance learning degree.

This offers students interested the ancient world the opportunity to study various aspects of the history, archaeology, and culture of diverse ancient civilisations from ancient Egypt to Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age Aegean and Neolithic in the Near East to ancient China.

Why choose this course?

• An opportunity to develop your own personal research interests in the ancient world.
• You’ll have the opportunity to explore the Neolithic and Bronze Age of the Near East, ancient Egyptian religion, Chinese religion, the art of Mesopotamia and the Near East, as well as the Bronze Age Aegean.
• You will learn how to interrogate various interpretations of the past that have been put forward by specialists and use these as a framework for you own interpretations.
• You’ll gain research skills and in-depth subject knowledge which will provide a sound basis for further postgraduate study at MPhil or PhD
• Flexibility in learning: the MRes is available both on campus and as a distance learning course. You can choose to study from the comfort of your own home using our VLE (virtual learning environment) and the course content and reading material we provide or in a more traditional classroom environment (also supported by VLE).

Course Overview

The Ancient Civilisations (MRes) offers students whose interests centre on the study of ancient world (Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age Aegean and ancient China) the opportunity to take a specialist research-intensive degree tailored to those interests and to pursue their own independent research to a further extent than in an MA.

The MRes is suited for students with a proven penchant for independent research. The MRes includes 2 taught modules worth 60 credits, but the main focus of the degree is on a longer piece of individual research (30,000 words). Applicants are required to discuss their proposed research with the School before application, and the proposed research must be in one of the areas of supervision offered by the staff from ancient Egypt, the Neolithic Near East and Bronze Age Aegean, Cyprus or Levant, Mesopotamia and ancient China.

This enables those students with a greater preference for independent research, and perhaps with a clearer sense at the start of the programme of what they would like to base their research upon, to undertake in-depth research within a structured programme of study. It will also provide students with an excellent introductory pathway into further study at MPhil or PhD level.

Career Opportunities

The programme provides a broad foundation for postgraduate work, by laying particular stress on the methodologies and research tools needed for independent advanced study, thus acting as training for students who intend to undertake an MPhil or PhD.