The course

If you want to expand your understanding of, or research into, classical literature and language then this programme offers you the perfect opportunity to do just that. Our Classics MA also provides postgraduates with the ideal foundation for conducting research at doctoral level.

Organised on an intercollegiate basis, this MA programme is jointly run with King’s College London and University College London to enable you to take full advantage of the teaching expertise of all three participating colleges. This tri-collegiate approach offers up an unparalleled range of modules to study: postgraduate units cover Greek and Latin literature and ancient philosophy, as well as key technical skills such as papyrology, epigraphy, and palaeography.

Our Classics department has an excellent track record in producing publications that advances the understanding of the ancient world. A thriving and internationally recognised centre of excellence in research and teaching, the department is home to two College Research Centres - the Centre for the Reception of Greece and Rome (CRGR) and the Centre for Oratory and Rhetoric (COR). Research in the department covers the whole range of Classical Studies, from Homeric Greece to the very end of the Roman Empire with particular interests in language, literature, history and ancient philosophy, as well as Greek and Roman archaeology. We are particularly well equipped to supervise dissertations on Homer, the epic tradition, Greek drama, the ancient novel, Greek literature under the Roman Empire, ancient rhetoric and oratory, Latin epic and elegy, ancient myth and classical reception.

Teaching & assessment

Assessment is primarily carried out by coursework and the dissertation, although some examinations may be used particularly in language acquisition classes.

Full-year units will normally be completed by the end of the second term with coursework usually due in June. Some half-year units taught in the autumn term may have coursework deadlines in January.

The Research Training in Classics module is not assessed, but attendance is compulsory.

Part-time students will take two taught modules in their first year, and a third taught module plus dissertation in their second year. Each of these elements will normally be examined in the year in which it is taken.

Your future career

Graduates of classical degrees have much to offer potential employers having developed a range of transferable skills, both practical and theoretical, whilst studying with us.

In recent years, PhD graduates, many of whom have progressed from our MA programmes, have taken up academic positions at Oxford, Bristol and Roehampton Universities. Outside of academia, our graduates have embarked on teaching careers in the UK and overseas, undertaken archaeological and museum work and pursued careers in journalism, finance, politics and the arts.