Masters Degrees in Ancient History, United Kingdom

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.

Key Features of Ancient History MA by Research

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.

Ancient History Research Interests

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

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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.

Key Features

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

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

Student Quote

"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

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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.

Key Features of the MA by Research in History

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

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

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The MRes Ancient History offers students whose interests centre on the study of ancient history 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.

Course Overview

The MRes is a degree best suited to students with a proven penchant for independent research. The MRes includes 60 credits (3 modules) of taught modules, 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 School of Classics.

The MRes in Ancient History begins with a specialist Research Methodology module introducing students to the multiple sources, materials, theories and methodologies for the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilisations. Students then have the opportunity to choose two modules according to their own interests in the ancient world, with the option to specialise in a particular aspect of ancient history, whether in chronological terms, such as Greek or Roman history, or in terms of themes, such as the ancient economy. The choice of taught modules gives students not only the opportunity to explore areas that they might not have had the opportunity to study before, but also to specialise in a specific aspect of the ancient world in preparation for the MRes dissertation.

The dissertation is the greater part of the MRes in Ancient History, as students have the opportunity to conceive and research a topic of their own design of greater length and depth than the MA dissertation.

This will enable 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.

Modules

-Julius Caesar and his Times:
-Pagans, Jews, and Christians in Late Antiquity
-History and Historians in the Ancient World
-Power and Culture in the Hellenistic East
-Ancient Medicine: Myth and Practice
-Women in ancient Myth and Society

Key Features

The MRes in Ancient History is designed to provide students with a penchant for independent research the opportunity to pursue research into a subject of their own choice. The subject of the dissertation is discussed and agreed in advance, and it is expected that the choice of taught modules will relate to the research subject chosen.

The main general areas of research supervision in the School are:
-Greek and Roman epic
-Latin poetry of the late Republican and Imperial periods
-Literary uses of mythology
-Greek and Roman Africa
-Hellenistic Asia Minor and the Near East
-Identity, ethnicity and ethnogenesis in the Roman empire
-Roman religion
-Ancient Economy, particularly of the Greek Classical period and of the Roman empire
-Greek and Roman historiography
-Sex and Gender in the ancient world
-Health and healing in the ancient world
-Graeco-Roman relations with India

The above are general subject areas. Please contact us to discuss your specific ideas and interests.

Providing our students with a range of learning opportunities and excellent teaching is the primary aim of the School of Classics. We employ innovative methods and approaches that enhance our students’ learning throughout their studies.

All our modules are taught by specialists and active researchers. The influence of our research on our teaching offers our students the opportunity to learn from the best in the subject and follow the latest scholarly trends and discoveries, whilst our independent study modules allow you to explore your passion in its entirety.

Our programme is designed to help learners both on campus and at a distance. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a live forum through which students and staff can interact, through which students are able better to revise and explore difficult topics and through which students are better able to access the electronic resources available in the virtual world.

Studying Ancient History with us here at Trinity Saint David means research-led teaching and research-active learning in an environment that allows for both full use of the virtual world and the personal approach of expert tuition.

Assessment

An MRes degree in Ancient History involves a wide range of assessment methods. In addition to traditional essays, you will be assessed through bibliographic exercises, presentations – oral and powerpoint based, creation of abstracts, in-house conference papers, article reviews, creation of project plans and, of course, the dissertation. This variety of assessment helps develop skills in presenting material in clear, professional and a lucid manner, whether orally or in writing.

This breadth of assessment type creates variety in the student experience, allowing you to explore the subject in different ways, and also embeds within the Ancient History programme the specific employability skills desired, indeed required, by employers today.

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.

The course also provides a professional qualification for teachers or others seeking Continuing Professional Development.

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Our programmes cover a range of classical subjects. They include material culture and history, language and literature, philosophy and the history of science and medicine. We have strong links with related disciplines such as history, archaeology and modern languages. We welcome postgraduates in any of our areas of research expertise.

Classics and Ancient History at Newcastle has a long and distinguished international reputation. We deliver quality research and teaching. We have taught Latin and Greek since 1874. We have taught Ancient History since 1910 and Classical Archaeology since 1931.

Our staff include scholars of outstanding international reputation. Our research covers all major aspects of the study of the ancient world, with research strengths in:
-Rhetoric and historiography
-Ancient philosophy, science and medicine
-Reception and recreation of ancient texts
-Ancient concepts of divinity

Our research specialities include:
-The ancient Near East
-Greco-Roman culture and religion
-Early Christianity and patristics
-Greek art and archaeology
-Greek ethnography
-History and archaeology of Roman Italy
-Greek and Roman music
-Greek language and literature, including Homer, tragedy, historiography and rhetoric
-Latin language and literature, including historiography, rhetoric and Augustan poetry
-Reception of the classical tradition
-Ancient science and medicine
-Ancient Greek and Roman patristics and philosophy

MPhil supervision is usually available in:

Ancient history and classical archaeology

-The history and archaeology of pre-Roman and Roman Italy
-The late Roman Republic
-Greco–Roman religion
-The social and cultural history of the Roman Empire
-Roman Greece
-Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt
-History of the Jews
-Greek art and archaeology
-The history and archaeology of the ancient Near East

Classical language and literature

-Latin language and literature
-Ancient oratory and rhetoric
-Latin poetry
-Ancient historiography
-Greek tragedy
-Greek influence on later literature
-Greek and Roman music

Philosophy and science

-Ancient and early Christian philosophy
-The history of Greek and Roman medicine
-Greek and Roman music
-The exact sciences in Graeco-Roman antiquity

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The MA in Ancient History has a focus on research training that will place you in a strong position for further study for a PhD or for careers outside academia that require research skills.

The major civilisations of the ancient world, including those of Egypt, Greece and Rome, still shape global culture today. Our MA in Ancient History enables you to gain an advanced understanding of ancient culture, whether you focus on literature, thought, art or religion. The MA gives you an opportunity explore the history, political and social organisation, or material artefacts of ancient cultures, to demonstrate a critical engagement and develop an informed sense of the similarities and differences between them and our own culture.

The programme allows you to develop your research skills and to become by the end of the degree an independent researcher, well equipped for future work for a PhD or to undertake research outside academia. The programme begins by focusing on research skills, which you study alongside either an option module or a language module (in ancient Greek or Latin). For the Spring Term, you choose two option modules that reflect the research interests of staff within the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies (http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/classics/index.html).

In the summer, you write a dissertation of up to 15,000 words with advice from one of our experts to demonstrate the skills that you will have gained during your 12 month MA.

This is an ideal programme for graduates of history, ancient history, classics or the wider humanities, wanting to gain practical experience in applying their expertise.

This programme is taught at our Canterbury campus. There is also a version of this programme which allows you to spend a term in Rome. This gives you direct access to Roman sites, museums and architecture, in order to see how the Roman Empire has shaped the city to this day.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/classics/postgraduate/taught-ancient-history.html

Assessment

The programme is assessed by coursework for each of the modules, an examination in Latin or ancient Greek, if these modules are taken, and by the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide research training in the subject area of ancient history

- expand your depth of knowledge of key subject areas in ancient history

- attract outstanding students, irrespective of race, background, gender or physical disability from both within the UK, and EU, and also from overseas

- develop new areas of postgraduate teaching in response to the advance of scholarship

- provide you with the skills to equip you for a further career either for doctoral research in ancient history, or in employment, with the use of these transferable skills

- develop your competence in applying skills to analysis of a diverse body of ancient evidence

- develop your critical and analytical powers in relation to the ancient material

- provide you with the skills to adapt and respond positively to change

- develop critical, analytical problem-based learning skills and the transferable skills to prepare you for graduate employment

- enhance the development of your interpersonal skills

- provide you with opportunities for shared multidisciplinary learning with archaeology, religious studies and philosophy

- assist you to develop the skills required for both autonomous practice and team-working.

Careers

Our MA programmes include much scope for vocational training, skills acquisition and guided project work, often with use of our extensive facilities. These aspects of our programmes have been praised by external assessors in recent years. Recent graduates have progressed to careers in a wide range of related professional and leadership areas, including national and local museums, teaching and senior roles with archaeological organisations (national government institutions, contracting units and trusts). A large proportion of completing Master’s students have progressed onto PhD study.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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This stimulating course offers opportunities for you to both experience the great range of ancient historical studies and to specialise in key areas. We offer units on periods from Near Eastern History to the Byzantine Empire and a vast range of methodologies are deployed and sources considered.

As this is an intercollegiate MA, jointly run with King’s College London and University College London, you will benefit from the choice of a wide range of fascinating subjects. You will study from an exciting menu of units which covers not only Greek and Latin literature, the major periods of ancient history, ancient philosophy and the Greek and Latin languages, but also key technical skills such as papyrology, epigraphy, and palaeography.

This course is ideal if you are considering progressing to advanced research or wish to add an additional year of high level study to your undergraduate qualification.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/classics/coursefinder/maancienthistory.aspx

Why choose this course?

- We are an international centre of excellence in research and teaching, promoting understanding and knowledge of the ancient world and its culture.

- You will have the opportunity to take part in our departmental research seminars.

- As we are a College of the University of London, you will have the opporunity to choose intercollegiate course units at King’s College London and UCL.

- We offer units which cover not only Greek and Latin literature, the major periods of ancient history, ancient philosophy and the Greek and Latin languages, but also key technical skills such as papyrology, epigraphy, and palaeography.

- We have an excellent track record of publications that advance the understanding of antiquity.

Department research and industry highlights

- The Classics & Philosophy Department at Royal Holloway is a thriving and internationally recognised research centre.

- The Department is home to two College Research Centres: the Centre for the Reception of Greece and Rome and the new Centre for Oratory and Rhetoric.

- Research in the Department covers the whole range of Classical Studies, from Homeric Greece to the very end of the Roman Empire

- In 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, and ancient urbanism, and both Greek and Latin epigraphy.

Course content and structure

Students study one core unit and two elective course units, and prepare a dissertation. At least one of the elective units should be in Ancient History, as should the dissertation. Courses available cover a range of subjects from ancient Greece and Rome to Egypt, as well as offering skills in language acquisition and epigraphy. For more information about the course units please see the Department of Classics' website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/classics/informationforcurrentstudents/home.aspx .

On completion of the course graduates will have:
- a detailed knowledge and understanding of the methodologies of ancient history

-an understanding of critical methodologies and their limitations

- an understanding of advanced, current research issues relevant to the discipline

a critical awareness of the multiplicity of material available and the strengths and weaknesses of the various forms of historical information.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including coursework, examinations and a dissertation.

Employability & career opportunities

Our graduates are highly employable and in recent years have entered many classics/ancient history related areas including academic positions at Oxford, Bristol, and Roehampton Universities, as well as teaching careers in the UK and overseas, archaeological and museum work, and a wide range of other roles.

This taught Master’s course will also provide you with a solid foundation for continued PhD studies.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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The MA in Ancient History offers students whose interests centre on the study of ancient history the opportunity to take a specialist higher degree tailored to those interests.

Course Overview

If you wish to expand your knowledge of the history of Ancient Greek and Roman societies at a postgraduate level, then the MA in Ancient History is for you. The Ancient History scheme allows you to study a wide range of modules covering not only fascinating figures like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, but also basic aspects of everyday life, such as warfare and the economy.

The MA Ancient History offers students whose interests centre on the study of ancient history the opportunity to take a specialist higher degree tailored to those interests. Students will take a balance of modules in both Greek and Roman history, and may focus on one or other of the two societies in their dissertation module. The Greek modules cover the archaic, classical and Hellenistic periods while there are three primary foci for the study of Roman history: the Republican period; the Imperial Roman West; and, the Roman East, including Egypt and India.

Modules

-Power and Culture in the Hellenistic East
-Between Narrative and Interpretation: Writing History in the Ancient World
-The Greek Economy in the Archaic and Classical Periods
-Early Rome and Italy
-Life in the Eastern Desert of Egypt

Key Features

Providing our students with a range of learning opportunities and excellent teaching is the primary aim of the School of Classics. We employ innovative methods and approaches that enhance our students’ learning throughout their studies.

All our modules are taught by specialists and active researchers. The influence of our research on our teaching offers our students the opportunity to learn from the best in the subject and follow the latest scholarly trends and discoveries.

Our programme is designed to help learners both on campus and at a distance. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a live forum through which students and staff can interact, through which students are better able to revise and explore difficult topics and through which students are better able to access the electronic resources available in the virtual world.

Studying Ancient History with us here at University of Wales Trinity Saint David means research-led teaching and research-active learning in an environment that allows for both full use of the virtual world and the personal approach of expert tuition.

Assessment

An MA degree in Ancient History involves a wide range of assessment methods. In addition to traditional essays, you will be assessed through bibliographic exercises, presentations – oral and PowerPoint based, creation of abstracts, in-house conference papers, article reviews, creation of project plans and, of course, the dissertation. This variety of assessment helps develop skills in presenting material in clear, professional and a lucid manner, whether orally or in writing.

The assessment is on the student’s own subject of choice in relation to each module, always in consultation with the relevant tutor. Most modules are assessed by long essays, but some modules are assessed by alternative means, such as conference-style presentations.

Career Opportunities

The programme provides a broad foundation for postgraduate work, by laying particular emphasis 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.

The course also provides a professional qualification for teachers or others seeking Continuing Professional Development.

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Our Classics and Ancient History MA will build and expand on your previous studies, enabling you to specialise in either classics or ancient history.

The course is primarily designed for students who have studied ancient history, classics or classical studies as their first degree.

You can choose to study from one of two pathways: classics or ancient history.

If you are interested in classics, you will engage in advanced study of the literatures, languages and cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome.

If you want to specialise in ancient history, you will focus on the histories, societies and cultures of Archaic and Classical Greece, Rome and the wider Mediterranean world.

The highly flexible course offers you the opportunity to study a wide range of topics reflecting the research specialisms of our staff across ancient history, classics and archaeology, including Byzantine studies, whilst developing your own research interests and professional skills.

Through this course you will gain an advanced knowledge and understanding of:
-Either classics or ancient history
-Methodologies for interpreting evidence
-Theoretical and analytical approaches
-How to evaluate, analyse and interpret different types of evidence
-Latin, Greek or both languages
-Marshalling evidence, critically analysing texts, images and material objects and writing a balanced argument
-Your chosen research subject through undertaking a dissertation

Based in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, classics and ancient history at Newcastle has a long and distinguished reputation for its research and teaching. Latin and Greek have been taught here since 1874 and ancient history and classical archaeology since 1910 and 1931 respectively.

You will benefit from teaching and training in research techniques from specialists in the field. The course will equip you with advanced skills in literacy, research and project management, enabling you to pursue the subject at PhD level or enter a range of professions.

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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. You will be part of a Classics department ranked 5th in the UK, for the combined size and quality of research, in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.

Programme structure

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 15,000-word 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.

The compulsory course is:

• Skills and Methods in Classics

Option courses previously available include:

• Agricultural Slavery in the Graeco-Roman World
• Archaeology of the Roman Economy
• A Period of Ancient History 1
• A Period of Ancient History 2
• Byzantium and its Neighbours in the Age of Constantine VII
• Porphyrogennetos
• Elementary Greek PG1
• Elementary Greek PG2
• Elementary Latin PG1
• Elementary Latin PG2
• Epicurus and Epicureanism
• Intermediate Greek PG1
• Intermediate Greek PG2
• Intermediate Latin PG1
• Intermediate Latin PG2
• Late Antique Visual Culture
• Martyrdom and Voluntary Death in the Ancient World
• The Fall of Rome
• The Hellenistic City;
• Women in the Classical World

Learning outcomes

• considerable familiarity with many aspects of ancient history and the principal challenges, approaches and issues involved in their study
• specialist understanding of the intellectual background of ancient history as a distinct discipline
• development of existing reading/writing skills, through critical assessment of written work
• advanced appreciation of a wide range of methodologies involved in evaluating and employing sources of ancient historical evidence, through participation in core course and assessed work
• the option to further develop language skills (normally Greek and Latin), which can be acquired by instruction and assessed exercises
• specialist understanding of at least one significant field of research in associated cultural history, developed and assessed through a 15,000-word dissertation.

Career opportunities

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 RSPB.

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About the Ancient History MA:

Advanced study of Greek, Roman and near Eastern history that develops skills in handling documentary evidence. Intercollegiate programme with a wide range of options taught at King's, UCL and Royal Holloway, with close links to the Institute of Classical Studies. Compulsory module: Sources & Methods in Ancient History. Leads to further research or careers in education, journalism, finance, politics and cultural sectors.

Key benefits

- One of the world's largest and most distinguished departments of Classics.

- Unrivalled location for the study of the ancient world thanks to London's unique range of specialist libraries, museums and galleries.

- Extraordinarily wide choice of modules, drawing on the resources of the whole of the University of London.

- King's graduates enjoy one of the best employment rates and starting salaries in the UK. King's was ranked 6th in the UK for graduate employment (Times and Sunday Times Good Universities Guide 2016)

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/ancient-history-ma.aspx

Course detail

The MA programme in Ancient History is organised on an intercollegiate basis, so that the programme offerings combine the expertise of staff in all three of the participating colleges - King's, UCL and Royal Holloway. It centres on the University's Institute of Classical Studies, which not only contains a world-class research library, but also hosts the richest programme of seminars, conferences, and occasional lectures for this subject area in the UK.

The programme consists of a compulsory core module, Sources & Methods in Ancient History, two optional modules, and a dissertation. The first and last elements provide particularly concentrated training in research techniques and methodology. Modules are taught both with texts in the original languages, and with translated texts. Besides purely ancient historical topics, modules may also be taken from the syllabuses for the MAs in Classics, Classical Archaeology & Art, and Late Antique & Byzantine Studies. You may also be able to take appropriate modules from other MA programmes at King's. You may also take modules in Greek and Latin Languages for Research at beginners or intermediate level.


Course format and assessment

Full-time study: six to eight hours of lectures and seminars each week, and we will expect you to undertake 35 hours of independent study.
Part-time study: two to six hours of lectures and seminars a week, and we will expect you to undertake 17.5 hours of independent study.
Modules are assessed by coursework and/or examinations. The 12,000 word dissertation enables students to research a topic of their choice, working one-to-one with an academic supervisor.

Greek Play

Every year (since 1953), students in the Department of Classics have produced and performed a Greek play - the only production in the UK to be performed annually in the original Greek. Read more about the Greek Play (and its history) at King's: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/classics/about/greek/index.aspx

Course purpose

This programme offers advanced study of the history of the Greek, Roman and Near Eastern worlds; it is intended either as a further year's study after a first degree or as training in the technical disciplines needed to undertake doctoral research in the field of ancient history.

Career prospects

Research in the department; teaching, journalism, cultural management or the financial sector.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 21 universities worldwide (2016/17 QS World University Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/mlc

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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.

Degree information

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:
-Sources and Methods in Ancient History

Optional modules - options include the following (for a list of what is available in any given year please see our departmental website page):
-Ancient Rome on Film
-Change and Continuity in the Ancient Near East
-The City of Rome (BA/MA), (Royal Holloway)
-Economic and Social History of Archaic and Classical Greece
-Economic and Social History of Rome (Royal Holloway)
-Greek and Latin language at various levels
-Greek Epigraphy
-Greek Historiography
-Greek Law and Lawcourts (Royal Holloway)
-Greek Papyrology
-Latin Epigraphy
-Lived Religion in Ancient Greece
-The Making of the Christian Empire AD 284-425
-Persepolis (King's College London)
-Propaganda and Ideology in Rome
-Roman Britain (King's College London)
-Roman Egypt

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 in other London colleges. Assessment is through unseen examinations, coursework essays, and the dissertation.

Careers

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.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Head of Admissions, Unspecified International School in London
-Consulting Intern, Oracle Corporation
-Editorial Assistant, Bloomsbury Publishing
-Senior Intelligence Analyst, British Transport Police
-Senior Executive Officer, Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC)

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.

Why study this degree at UCL?

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.

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-Study at one of the largest and liveliest classical world education centres in the UK
-Work with a strong research community, supported by excellent resources
-Opportunities to begin or continue your study of Ancient Greek or Latin

The MA in Classics and Ancient History is extremely flexible and wide-ranging. In this it reflects the broad, multidisciplinary nature of the subject, which includes Latin and Greek language, the history of Greek and Roman antiquity from archaic times to the beginning of the Middle Ages, and Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and culture. The MA is designed to introduce students to advanced study in their chosen field and to equip them with the skills required for doctoral research. The programme and most modules within it allow students to tailor their advanced study and research-preparation to their interests, needs and existing knowledge. Apart from the thesis, the only compulsory unit is that devoted to research training. We also expect all students to study Latin and/or Greek as part of their MA. (No existing knowledge of Latin or Greek is required, and we are very well-equipped to support students beginning their study of either language; it is also possible to study one or both languages at more Advanced levels). Apart from these requirements, students are able to choose freely in constructing an MA course which best suits their interests and skills.

In addition, we offer one specialist route through the MA programme: namely the 'City of Rome' route. This route involves taking a course unit at the British School at Rome, for which students prepare by studying a course on Roman social and urban history.

Aims

On successful completion of the MA in Classics and Ancient History, students will:

i. Demonstrate the enhancement of previously acquired skills at a more critical, reflective, and sophisticated level, especially skills involving synthesising information from a variety of sources, historical and/or literary interpretation, exercising independent and critical judgement.
ii. Understand and respect the `otherness' of the past by developing specialist knowledge about one or more aspect of Graeco-Roman civilisation.
iii. Be able to describe, analyse, and assess ancient sources, including (as appropriate) literary, non-literary, visual, and material evidence.
iv. Be able to design and complete a substantial piece of independent research.
v. Work effectively as autonomous scholars.
vi. Be able to understand complex problems and communicate them clearly in oral and written form, with the help, where appropriate, of visual or graphic aids.

Coursework and assessment

The MA in Classics & Ancient History is made up of a taught element (120 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). Taught units are usually assessed by extended essay, but assessment might also include oral presentations, conference posters, commentary exercises and (particularly for language units) formal examinations.

In more detail, the structure of the course is as follows:

Research training . Our core course, 'Studying the Ancient World: Techniques and Approaches', introduces you to the key research questions and methods involved in advanced study of the discipline and, in the second semester, gives you experience in developing and presenting your own research project.

Language units. If you are a beginner, you will take one of our specially-designed `intensive' courses in Latin or Greek, which will put you in a position to start reading ancient texts in the original language before the end of your MA. If you have already studied Greek or Latin, you will continue your study of one or both languages at an appropriate level. If you are already at a very advanced stage in both languages you will take a specially-designed course unit which allows you further to develop your language skills in an area related to your research interests (for example: palaeography; papyrology; textual criticism; epigraphy).

Taught course-units . The remainder of your taught credits are selected from a range of taught units, chosen from a menu covering a range of topics in Greek and Roman history, literature, and culture. Most taught units are worth 15 credits, and usually involve 11 `classroom' hours, consisting of both student-led and tutor-led discussion, supported by additional guidance and planning sessions.

It is possible for one of these units to be an approved unit from another subject area (for example, History or Archaeology), or a Directed Reading course, in which you are free to pursue whatever avenue is of interest to you, by negotiation with a tutor and with the Postgraduate Programme Director. The usual pattern for a Directed Reading course is 6 to 8 hours of contact time, which may be individual or in a small group, or a mixture of the two.

A dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words: 60 credits.

Career opportunities

This non-vocational Masters degree teaches and develops a wealth of transferable skills, and thus enables students to keep open a very wide range of career options. Recent graduates have gone on to vocational MAs (e.g. in Gallery & Museum Studies), to PhDs in Classics or Ancient History, to teaching, to contract researching, or to work in local or central government, commerce or industry.

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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
• Classical Receptions
• Cultural Histories and Material Exchanges
• Literary Interactions
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.

Programme Structure

The programme is divided into units of study(modules).

Compulsory modules

Research Methodology and the Dissertation are compulsory.

Optional modules

The optional modules determine the main focus of your MA study. Some examples of the optional modules are as follows; Food and Culture; Ancient Drama in its Social and Intellectual Context; Hellenistic Culture and Society – History; Hellenistic Culture and Society – Literature ; Cultural Transformations in Late Antiquity; Migration and the Migrant Through Ancient and Modern Eyes; Ancient Philosophy: Truth and Ancient Thought; Roman Myth; Rome: Globalisation, Materiality; The City of Rome (subject to availability); Greek; Latin; Fast-Track Greek; Classical Language and Text: Greek and Latin Epic

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.

Research areas

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.

Research expertise

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

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This programme offers a unique opportunity to deepen and develop your knowledge of ancient history by combining a substantial (20,000 words) dissertation with research training and taught elements. 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.

This 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.

Your 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.

About the School of History and Culture

The programmes in the School of History and Cultures offer students enquiry based learning within a rich and diverse environment to stimulate debate and challenge conventional thinking.
The programmes derive from departments which are all excellently rated by the QAA both in teaching and research terms (Medieval History 5, Modern History 5 and African Studies 5*). Our staff publish widely, and we are developing and consolidating a strong, supportive research culture in the School.
We are extremely proud to announce in June 2016, that History at Birmingham was ranked the top research department in the country by the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The national REF exercise assessed research publications and the public impact of research carried out in all universities in the UK between 2008-2014. Our department had an impressive 45% of its research judged to be ‘world-leading’.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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