Classics

The principal aim of this course is to serve as research training that will build on your existing skills in independent learning.

The crucial learning mechanism is the dissertation in which core research training and support is provided through seminars comprising weekly classes of lectures, student-led discussions and student presentations.

For taught modules, your contact time with tutors is typically five hours per week and you will have around two hours per week of other learning contact time such as research seminars and dissertation supervision.

All the optional modules offered are research-led, forming part of the current research activity of the tutor taking the module.

In addition to the formal part of the course, the department has a vibrant culture of research seminars and talks, which you will be encouraged to attend.

Assessment

Assessment is rigorous and includes a 15,000-word dissertation. Other forms of assessment include essays, and in some modules, examinations or oral presentations. You will also produce commentaries, which are based on independent research into a particular text and are around 5,000 words in length.

A 2.1 honours degree in a relevant subject or international equivalent.

You are required to submit the following information with your online application:

• Academic Transcripts and Certificates, if available and if degree already attained
• Personal statement of about 500 words describing background in English studies / areas of interest and study.

English language requirements

Full Time Fees

Part Time Fees

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

The Department's national and international reputation for academic quality provides an ideal grounding for postgraduates to either continue their research at a higher level or secure a stimulating and rewarding professional career.

Our postgraduate qualifications develop a set of transferable skills including logical thinking and the evaluation and communication of information that are not only applicable in an academic environment but also deliver the skills and abilities valued across a range of professions.

Some of these professions relate to the subjects studied such as the heritage sector, the arts, teaching, the civil service, publishing and journalism. Other options include banking, law, PR, third sector, consultancy, insurance and administration. Employers who have taken on postgraduates include the Home Office, Deloitte, Manchester United, CitiBank, the NHS and pollsters YouGov.

For information on career options and employability, student and employer testimonials and details of work experience and study abroad opportunities, please visit our employability pages.

The Department of Classics and Ancient History contains a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the artistic, historical, literary, linguistic, cultural and philosophical features of the ancient world that is recognised internationally.

With one of the largest gatherings of permanent Classics staff in the UK, we consistently rank among the top departments for research and teaching.

We offer two learning routes for postgraduates. You can undertake taught study and extend your knowledge to specialise in an area of particular interest. You can also benefit from the expertise within the Department and join a research master’s course allowing greater academic autonomy.

The Department is proud to be host to a number of highly successful research centres including the Centre for Classical Reception, the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East, and the Durham Centre for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.

Much of the research activity naturally falls within these areas, offering excellent opportunities to develop cross-disciplinary work.

Given our wealth of knowledge, we have a global reputation for our innovative work in the study of ancient philosophy and science, Augustan poetry, the social and intellectual history of the Greco-Roman world and the Near East, architecture and urbanisation, and reception.

Our Department is highly international, diverse in its makeup and progressive in its world view. We aim to ensure a stimulating learning experience of the ancient world in a vibrant and supportive postgraduate community.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• World Top 13 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2023
• 4th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
• 2nd in The Complete University Guide 2024
• 5th in The Guardian University Guide 2024

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Classics and Ancient History Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 4th in the UKfor overall research quality (REF 2021)

Facilities

In keeping with its position as a major centre for learning in Classics and Ancient History, the Department has world class facilities and offers an extensive collection of about 8,000 volumes of ancient texts in the original and in translation, as well as modern scholarship and reference works.

The emphasis of the library’s precious contents is on ancient philosophy, but the collection of texts and works provides an unmatched reference resource for researchers as well as a valuable knowledge source for all our course subjects.

Postgraduates can use assigned computer rooms, a dedicated Departmental library and two fully equipped seminar rooms which are situated in the beautiful and historic centre of Durham next to the Cathedral and Castle and close to the historic city centre.

More information about our facilities.

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