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Masters degrees in Ancient History encompass a breadth of critical and theoretical approaches to understanding the period 900 BC to 500 AD. They encompass the beginning of recorded human history through to the Post-Classical Era.
Entry requirements for these degrees normally include an appropriate undergraduate degree, such as History, Anthropology or Archaeology.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Ancient History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA by Research in Ancient History is a research degree pursued over one year full-time or two years part-time. This MA allows students to study in depth a topic related to the history, culture, or archaeology of the classical world, from Mycenaean Greece to the fall of the Roman Empire.
The expertise of the Department of History and Classics spans from the ancient cultures and languages of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the history of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century Europe. The research of our staff and postgraduates is integral to the life of the department, and it means that Swansea is a dynamic, exciting, and stimulating place to study Ancient History.
History and Classics is part of the Research Institute for the Arts and Humanities (RIAH: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/riah/), which organises a large number of seminars, conferences, and other research activities. There are also a number of research groups which act as focal points for staff and postgraduates, including: the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales, Centre for Ancient Narrative Literature (KYKNOS), Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Research (MEMO) and the Centre for research into Gender in Culture and Society (GENCAS).
Students of the MA by Research in Ancient History are encouraged to develop a methodological awareness and are introduced to key concepts and interpretative techniques that shape the study of the ancient civilisations in the modern world. This programme develops research skills needed for high-level work in any field of Ancient History. Students have access to skills and training programmes offered by the College of Arts and Humanities and the University.
Staff research interests cover the core disciplines of culture, religion, language, literature, history, and archaeology. Particular research strengths include:
• Ancient Egyptian Religion
• Ancient Egyptian Kingship Ideology
• Egyptian Temple Texts of the Graeco-Roman Period (‘Ptolemaic’)
• Gender in Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Egyptian Demonology
• Ancient Narrative Literature
• The Ancient Novel
• Ancient Philosophy
• Ancient Technology
• Archaeology of Roman Egypt
• Graeco-Roman Urbanisation
• Greek Social History (Archaic to Hellenistic)
• Historiography
• History and Archaeology of Asia Minor
• History of Late Antiquity
• Imperialism in Egypt and the Near East
• Roman Republican and Imperial History
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Ancient History and Classical Culture at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture offers a wide range of modules on the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, drawing on the expertise of internationally recognised scholars.
Every aspect of the modern world has its roots in the civilisations of the Classical world. This MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture allows students to study a range of topics related to the history and culture of the classical world, from the Mycenaean world to the later Roman Empire. The range of options within the Ancient History and Classical Culture MA allows students to specialise in history or literature, or to combine study of the two.
Students on the Ancient History and Classical Culture MA are encouraged to develop a methodological awareness and are introduced to key concepts and interpretative techniques that shape the study of the ancient civilisations in the modern world. This programme develops research skills needed for high-level work in any field of Ancient History and Classical Civilisation.
Students have the opportunity to study ancient Greek or Latin.
Students of the MA Ancient History and Classical Culture can take advantage of the College of Arts and Humanities' Graduate Centre which fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.
Modules on the Ancient History and Classical Culture course typically include:
• Research Methodologies in Ancient History and Classical Culture
• Ancient Greek or Latin
• Being Greek under Rome: Greek Literature and Culture in the Imperial Period
• The Army in the Roman Empire
• The City in the Greco-Roman World
• Explorers, Travel and Geography
• Saints and Sinners in Christian Late Antiquity
• Greek and Roman Magic: Exploring the Sources
• Private Life in Ancient Egypt
• Romance Refracted and novels renewed
"I studied the BA Ancient History and then the MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture. I chose Swansea University because of the variety of courses on offer in Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology. During my study I immersed myself in both academic and extra-curricular student life. I took up archery and I was a regular member of the University archery team. I enjoy both reading and writing fiction and in my final year of study, I was selected as one of four finalists in the “Swansea Life Young Writing Category” of the “Dylan Thomas Prize”. I held several positions of responsibility in the Society of Ancient Studies which was amazing; and I organised social events such as visits to sites such as Hadrian’s Wall, the British Museum, Caerleon, and Rome. I also had the opportunity to work on the Church Hill archaeological excavation (a suspected Roman villa) and the excavation at Oystermouth Castle organised jointly by the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at Swansea."
Shaun Mudd
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA by Research in History is a research degree pursued over one year full-time or two years part-time. Students on the History research programme undertake research under the supervision of History staff, and produce a thesis that makes an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of some aspect of the past.
The expertise of the Department of History and Classics spans from the ancient cultures and languages of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the history of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century Europe. The research of our staff and postgraduates is integral to the life of the Department of History and Classics, and it means that Swansea is a dynamic, exciting, and stimulating place to study.
History and Classics is part of the Research Institute for the Arts and Humanities (RIAH: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/riah/), which organises a large number of seminars, conferences, and other research activities. There are also a number of research groups which act as focal points for staff and postgraduates, including: the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales, Centre for Ancient Narrative Literature (KYKNOS), Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Research (MEMO), and the Centre for research into Gender in Culture and Society (GENCAS).
As a student of the History research programme you have access to skills and training programmes offered by the College of Arts and Humanities and the University.
The MA by Research in History is ideal for those who would like to do an initial research degree, either as a stand-alone culmination to their studies or with a view to further, subsequent research, e.g. in form of a PhD. Research proposals are invited on any topic in medieval, early modern, or modern history for which staff can provide supervision.
For informal enquiries regarding the MA by research in History programme please contact: Dr Fritz-Gregor Herrmann ([email protected]).
Research interests in the Department of History and Classics include:
Medieval History
• The Anglo-Norman ‘Realm’ and the Angevin Empire
• Capetian France, especially the monarchy, aristocracy, and religious orders
• The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade
• Charters and the documentary records of medieval France and England
• The Mediterranean world, especially the Crusades, later medieval Italian society and politics, and the Italian Renaissance, including art history
• England and Wales in the central and late Middle Ages, including the aristocracy and gentry, the Welsh Marches, urban history, law and crime, women and the law, religious belief and practice, and education and literacy
• Gender and the life cycle in late medieval Europe
• Medieval frontier societies and borderlands, and concepts of frontiers from the late Roman Empire to the present day
Early Modern History
• Most aspects of British history between 1500 and 1800, especially religious, scientific, cultural and gender history
• The history of health and medicine in early modern Britain
• History of Disabilities
• The Portuguese Empire
• The Reformation and Counter-Reformation
• Science, intellectual life, collecting and museums in early modern Europe
• The social history of early modern sex and marriage
• Crime and witchcraft
• The Enlightenment, republicanism and international relations in the eighteenth century
Modern History
• Most aspects of Welsh history, especially industrial society
• The cultural, intellectual and urban history of nineteenth-century and twentieth-century Britain
• Modern international history
• The United States since 1750, in particular slavery, the South and the Civil War
• The economic and imperial history of Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
• Emigration and urbanisation in the British Isles between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries
• The political history of the UK since 1800
• Military and society in Europe between 1750 and 1815
• Austrian and German history in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
• Austrian, German and Central European history, especially in the fields of urban, labour and post-1945 history
• Modern economic history
• Quantitative aspects of British economic growth from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries
• Anti-capitalist and socialist political economy
• Policing and police forces in twentieth-century Europe
• Italian fascism
• Allied Occupation of Italy
• Contemporary French and Italian social an d cultural history
• Memory studies and oral history of twentieth-century Europe
• History of protest and activism in the 1960s and 1970s
If you are seeking to further your undergraduate qualification, conducting research into or wanting to specialise in the history of the ancient Greek, Roman and Near Eastern worlds, then this programme offers you the perfect opportunity to do just that. Covering the historical period from Classical Athens to Christian Byzantium, we offer courses which allow you to examine many aspects of the Ancient History of Greece, Rome and the Near East. Our Ancient History MA also provides postgraduates with the ideal foundation for conducting further 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 advance 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 - 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, ancient philosophy as well as Greek and Roman archaeology.
In teaching Ancient History, we are particularly well equipped to supervise dissertations on: the history of Greek law, Athenian political and social history, the Roman army, ancient shipping and shipsheds, ancient urbanism, the economic, political and social history of Rome and both Greek and Latin.
A global leader in Masters provision, Royal Holloway gives you the opportunity to take part in one of the most extensive programmes of research seminars and training programmes offered by any institution. During your time with us you will be under the careful supervision of our academic staff with access to not only the Royal Holloway library but also the word-class resources of: the Institute of Classical Studies, the Warburg Institute, the British Library, Senate House Library, and other specialised libraries in the School of Advanced Study.
Core modules
Optional modules
A total of 40 credits of any type (including Ancient History) from a list of available MA courses.
A total of 40 credits chosen from a list of available MA Ancient History courses.
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including coursework, examinations and a dissertation.
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. With up to 90% of our most recent graduates now working or in further study, according to the Complete University Guide 2015, it’s true to say our graduates are highly employable.
In recent years, PhD graduates, many of whom have progressed from our MA courses, 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.
The Ancient History MA is an intercollegiate degree programme of the University of London. It offers students the opportunity to focus on a specific period or topic, explore adjacent disciplines, and acquire technical skills in such areas as archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, papyrology, and textual criticism.
Students gain a thorough grounding in the key aspects of and approaches to ancient history. They develop the ability to assess historical evidence critically and synthesise historical data from printed, manuscript, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, and papyrological sources, and are equipped with the tools necessary for further research in this field.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of one core module (40 credits), two to four optional modules (80 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Optional modules will be finalised in Spring 2018. Please contact the department for more information. The following optional modules were available in 2017/18 and this is an indicative list only:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project in the field of ancient history, which culminates in a dissertation of up to 12,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures and museum visits. Most teaching is available inside UCL, but some is held at other London colleges. Assessment is through unseen examinations, coursework essays, and the dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Ancient History MA
This degree provides an outstanding foundation for those wishing to undertake PhD research and pursue an academic career. It is also popular with students wishing to go into journalism, the civil service, business, museums and heritage and the education sector.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Students develop an enviable range of skills by taking this degree. Debates, small-group seminars and tutorials help students to acquire strong presentation and negotiation skills for their future career. The analytical and research skills gained are also highly valued by employers from a range of industries. There are many additional activities available, both within the department and the wider UCL community, to help students focus on employability skills whilst they are here, for example, departmental careers talks and networking opportunities with UCL History alumni.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.
This intercollegiate programme is taught jointly with King's College London and Royal Holloway, University of London, and students benefit from the international expertise and wealth of resources that the three colleges have to offer.
Located in Bloomsbury, UCL History is just a few minutes' walk away from the exceptional resources of the British Library, the British Museum and the research institutes of the University of London, including the Institute of Classical Studies, the Warburg Institute and the Institute of Historical Research.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: History
82% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
This programme gives you the opportunity to study ancient history at an advanced level, developing your interest in the ancient world and providing an excellent preparation for further graduate research.
Edinburgh is one of the leading centres in the UK for the study of ancient history, in the chronological, geographical and methodological scope of the research interests of our staff. The range and content of our courses reflect staff research strengths in Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antique topics. Greek and Latin language courses are always offered. Our particular strengths lie in the legal, institutional, social and economic history of the Greek and Roman worlds, as well as in political theory and practice, Hellenistic history, and late antique history.
As a student on this programme, you will develop your skills in critical thinking, clear writing and research, verbal presentation and critical analysis.
Most teaching takes place in small-group seminars and the programme is designed to allow both breadth of coverage and specialisation. The specialised compulsory course will provide you with the key methodological and practical skills required of researchers in all classical subjects, while the options offer a large degree of flexibility, allowing you to develop or consolidate your language skills and explore a diverse range of historical topics in depth. Independent research, in the form of a dissertation, forms a substantial component of the programme, challenging you to build on the material and approaches covered in the taught courses and develop your research skills.
You will complete one compulsory course and select a further three skills courses and an additional two options from a wide range on offer.
The compulsory course is:
Option courses previously offered include those listed below. Option courses change from year to year and those available when you start your studies may be different from those shown in the list:
This programme can form the stepping stone to many career options,such as further academic research, museum and art curation, literary translation or analysis, education or public heritage. Recent graduates in Classics are now putting their skills to use as tutors, archivists, writers and conference coordinators for a range of employers including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The MRes Ancient History programme will enhance your skills as an ancient historian.
You will undertake training in key fields such as classical languages or historiography, which will equip you with the essential skills for your Greek or Roman History research project in any period from Archaic Greece to Imperial Rome and its provinces. You will also have the opportunity to choose modules from across the MA Antiquity syllabus which are complementary to your research.
Times Higher Education ranked us among the top five departments of Classics in the country for our performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise.
Your 20,000 word thesis will be on an aspect of Greek or Roman history, culture or society.
It will be supervised by a specialist in the area of your work. A research skills training module equips you for your thesis with a range of specialised and generic skills, including textual criticism, document handling, literary theory, information resources, thesis presentation and bibliographical management.
Many students also opt to take training in classical languages but you may choose to take modules from the MA Antiquity syllabus, which allows for interdisciplinary study of the ancient world and includes modules on historiography and ancient societies. We also offer the opportunity to take modules from other related postgraduate programmes, such as Byzantine Studies.
Typically, applicants will have a degree in some area of ancient historical, archaeological, historical or classical studies, and we recommend that you discuss your proposed research with a potential supervisor before applying - see the full range of academic research interests of individual staff.
This programme offers a unique opportunity to deepen and develop your knowledge of ancient history by combining a substantial thesis with research training and taught elements through your taught modules. It can lead to doctoral research, but also provides the chance to undertake scholarly research as enrichment of undergraduate study or for career development purposes.
Although your focus will be on an aspect of the cultures, history and societies of the Greek and Roman world the Ancient History grouping at Birmingham is part of one of the few university departments in the UK that draws together the study of Greece and Rome with Egypt and the Near East, antiquity with Byzantium, and allows you to use historical approaches alongside those from classics and archaeology.
You will therefore be able to draw on a wide range of academic expertise in the history, culture, and languages of the ancient world
You will also become part of, and contribute to, the lively international community of the College of Arts and Law Graduate School, which offers dedicated research resources and a supportive working environment. Our team of academic and operational staff are on hand to offer support and advice to all postgraduate students within the College.
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology
Birmingham's Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology graduates develop a broad range of transferable skills including: familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large quantities of information from diverse sources; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; the expertise to write clearly and concisely and to tight deadlines; critical and analytical ability; the capacity for argument, debate and speculation; and the ability to base conclusions on statistical research.
Many of our postgraduates enter roles for which their programme has especially prepared them, such as museum and heritage activities and archaeological posts. Elsewhere, a range of professions are undertaken by our graduates, from librarianship and teaching to accountancy. Employers that our graduates have gone on to work for include: AC archaeology; University of Birmingham; National Trust; and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Our innovative MA in Classics and Ancient History gives you the chance to study for a world-class degree with the flexibility to tailor the programme to match your own interests. We will give you a supportive and stimulating environment in which to enhance the knowledge and skills you picked up at Undergraduate level.
You can choose to follow an open pathway to mix your modules and interests or one of the specially designed research streams that match our own specialisms. The research streams we currently offer are:
• Ancient Philosophy, Science and Medicine
• Ancient Politics and Society
• Cultural Histories and Material Exchanges
At the heart of the Department is the A.G. Leventis Room, our dedicated Postgraduate study space, which you will have full access to. You might also take the opportunity to participate in Isca Latina, our local schools Latin outreach programme. We have a vibrant Postgraduate community which we hope you will become an active part of.
If you decide to join us at Exeter you will become part of one of the largest and most successful Classics and Ancient History Departments in the UK. We have an excellent reputation for both our teaching and our research with league table rankings to match.
The programme is divided into units of study(modules).
The optional modules determine the main focus of your MA study. Some examples of the optional modules are as follows;
The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Our academic staff have a broad range of expertise and ground-breaking research interests, some of the research streams available on our MA reflect these. We regularly review and update our MA programme to reflect both the needs of our students and the latest emerging research within the field.
Some of the areas we have a special research interest include:
• Ancient and modern philosophy, especially ethics
• Classical art and archaeology
• Classics in the history of sexuality
• Comparative philology and linguistics
• Food in the ancient world
• Greek and Roman epic, tragedy and comedy
• Greek and Roman mythology, religion and magic
• Greek and Roman social history, especially sexuality
• Hellenistic history, especially the barbarian interface and the Greek culture of Asia Minor and dynastic studies
• History of medicine in antiquity, especially Galen
• Later Greek literature, including Lucian, Athenaeus, ecphrasis
• Latin literature
• Palaeography
