Program start date | Application deadline |
2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Classics MA
Overview
The Classics MA program at the University of Nottingham is designed to build your understanding of classical antiquity and its modern reception, while discovering a range of approaches for studying the Greek and Roman worlds.
Course Structure
- Duration: 12 months (full-time), 24 months (part-time)
- Start Date: September 2025
- UK Fees: £9,250
- International Fees: £24,300
- Entry Requirements: 2:1 undergraduate degree in classics, ancient or modern history, archaeology, art history, classical civilisation, Latin, Greek, or English
Course Content
- Core Modules:
- Dissertation in Classical Antiquity (60 credits)
- Myth, Society and Religion (20 credits)
- Telling Stories (20 credits)
- Optional Modules:
- Special Topic in Classics (20 credits)
- Language Modules (Latin or Greek at beginner, intermediate, or advanced level)
- Faculty-wide modules (Arts in Society, Mastering the Arts)
Learning and Assessment
- Teaching Methods: Lectures, seminars, workshops
- Assessment: Examinations, coursework, presentation, dissertation
- Support: Personal tutor, dissertation supervisor, pastoral support
Entry Requirements
- Undergraduate Degree: 2:1 in classics, ancient or modern history, archaeology, art history, classical civilisation, Latin, Greek, or English
- English Language Requirements: IELTS 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
Fees and Funding
- Tuition Fees: £9,250 (UK), £24,300 (International)
- Additional Costs: Books, equipment, living expenses
- Funding Opportunities: Faculty of Arts scholarships, international masters scholarships
Careers
- Career Prospects: PhD research, heritage, museums and archives, marketing, publishing and PR, teaching, central and local government
- Career Progression: 30% of postgraduates from the School of Classics and Archaeology secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £22,427.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Build your understanding of classical antiquity and its modern reception, while discovering a range of approaches for studying the Greek and Roman worlds. Depending on your research interests, you can choose to specialize in the area you enjoy most, from classical literature, ancient history, and visual culture of classical antiquity. Optional language modules let you further tailor your studies, learning Latin or ancient Greek at beginner, intermediate or advanced level. This route through the course is strongly recommended for those considering a research degree. Our staff offer expertise in: Ancient history Classical literature Greek and Roman art and archaeology Classical reception
Outline:
Core modules
All students take two core modules, as well as doing a dissertation. 'Myth, Society and Religion' and 'Telling Stories' will enhance your knowledge of the subject by focusing on a specific topic (myth, religion or narrative) that has wide implications across the whole discipline. The dissertation enables you to independently develop a research question and program of research. Part-time students complete the dissertation module in their second year. Myth, Society and Religion What was the role of religion in ancient Greece and Rome? What do we know about their gods and myths? Are myths simply entertaining stories, or do they serve other purposes? What could these be? We explore a range of primary sources for studying myth and religion in ancient Greek and Roman societies, with particular emphases on their religious and social significance. As well as investigating sources in detail, you will explore the following: different approaches to analyzing myth and religion how the Greeks and Romans understood their myths and religion the role of religion and the gods in ancient societies a range of modern theories and scholarship on ancient religion You will focus on literary, visual or historical aspects of myth (according to your own interests), while examining how these different narrative forms may overlap and interact. By the end of the module, you will have gained valuable interdisciplinary research skills. This module is worth 20 credits. Telling Stories Discover how the stories we tell shape the things that we think. We will also look at constructions of history, society and culture - both Greek and Roman, ancient and modern. Topics that might be covered, include: plot in ancient novels narratology rhetoric historiography narrative art ekphrasis silence literary self-positioning dealing with fragmentary sources This module is worth 20 credits. Dissertation in Classical Antiquity You will select, research and write a 12,000-15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice. This must be in the field of Classics and Ancient History. The Course Director and module convenor can offer support and guidance when choosing your research topic. Recent dissertation titles include: Narratives of Fear in the Early Roman Republic Arsinoe II and the Hellenistic Ruler Cult in Ptolemaic Egypt A Study on the Theme of Revenge in Ovid's Metamorphoses The Representation of Sparta in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Crossing the Boundaries: Reflections of Gender Anxieties in Roman Domestic Art Horns and Hunting: An Analysis of Iconographic Motifs from the Bronze Age Aegean This module is worth 60 credits.
Faculty-wide modules
These two modules build your interdisciplinary skills. Arts in Society This module helps postgraduate students recognize the range of careers and opportunities that an Arts and Humanities MA/MRes can provide. It highlights the skills and abilities present within these programs and provides examples of the successful application of these skills. Students will explore how subjects within the arts can be ‘applied disciplines’ that serve to be impactful in wider society through research and engagement. Through ‘live brief’ assessments, students work in groups, utilizing their Arts and Humanities skill sets, to present and produce a consultancy report for a range of organizations, including SMEs/Third-sector. Mastering the Arts This module introduces you to the wide range of interdisciplinary research happening in the Faculty of Arts. We invite you to ‘think outside the box’ in relation to your own research, while learning key research techniques and methods. The module aims to: introduce the ideas, practices, complexities, and opportunities of interdisciplinary research in the arts enable you to practice critical self-reflexivity about the conventions and expectations of your own disciplines in relation to those of others train you in core research skills necessary for graduate-level study develop your confidence in communicating research findings to non-specialist audiences You will build on your existing research skills gained from your university career to date. Furthermore, you will develop a more nuanced understanding of your own research practice, inspiring you to explore different approaches questions. In addition, you will develop an understanding of professional practice in areas such as: academic publishing knowledge exchange dissertation planning and writing professional communication This module is worth 20 credits.
Special topic
The 'Special Topic in Classics' allow you to study in detail an annually changing list of specific subjects on classical literature and ancient history (ranging from the Athenian Empire to Roman Imperial Biography). You will take up to two 20-credit 'Special Topic' modules, depending on your interest in learning Latin or Greek. Special Topic in Classics The Special Topic is an advanced module where you will: acquire detailed knowledge and understanding of the subject gain close familiarity with relevant ancient sources and material evidence, and engage critically with them gain close familiarity with modern scholarship and approaches to the subject, and engage critically with them The topic will be based on a module from our undergraduate third year program. You will attend the same lectures as an introduction to the subject but will have an MA specific seminar group. The focus and assessment will be at an appropriately advanced MA level. You may take up to two 'Special Topic' modules. They are worth 20 credits each.
Language modules
You can choose to study Latin or Greek at beginners', intermediate or advanced level. These 20-credit modules provide key skills necessary for the advanced study of ancient texts. You will usually take two modules in the same language in both the autumn and spring semesters. Alternatively, you can study a language just in the autumn and take a Special Topic in the spring. Beginners' Latin or Greek: 1 This module is for complete beginners. However, it is also suitable if you have already done some study of Latin or Classical Greek (up to GCSE level). You may find it reassuring that, unlike modern language study, there is no speaking and listening element. The main focus will be on reading text. This module offers an introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of your chosen language. You will be supported to analyze and understand basic sentences and to translate short passages. This module is worth 20 credits. I have better initiative now, because I know how something fits in Latin and Greek and that can transfer to the everyday."
- Chloë Choong Beginners' Latin or Greek: 2 This module continues from ‘Beginners’ Latin or Greek 1’. You will: Continue to study the structure of your chosen language, including all the major grammatical features Develop your reading skills until you can read almost unadapted passages from Latin or Classical Greek texts This module is worth 20 credits. Intermediate Latin or Greek: 1 and 2 At intermediate level, you will thoroughly consolidate the vocabulary and grammar of your chosen language and begin the detailed linguistic and literary study of an unadapted Latin or Greek text. In Latin, you will typically read a text such as Cicero’s Pro Archia, or a book of Virgil or Ovid. In Greek, the text might be a complete speech by Lysias or selections from a longer text such as the Odyssey or a Greek tragedy. The assessment for these modules emphasizes comprehension and analysis of grammatical structures over memorization and translation. Each module is worth 20 credits. Advanced Latin or Greek: 1 and 2 You will study prose and verse texts in your chosen language. The modules may involve in-depth study of a single text, or may cover a group of texts representative of an author, genre, period, or theme. They will combine literary and linguistic discussion with consideration of the historical and social background. The texts covered change each year. In Latin, recent modules have focused on the following topics: Flavian personal poetry (Martial and Statius) The emperor Claudius (Suetonius and Tacitus) The Cupid and Psyche story from Apuleius’ novel Metamorphoses Ethnicity and Empire in Latin Epic (Virgil and Silius Italicus) The Power of Love (Ovid and Propertius) In Greek, recent topics have covered: Tragedy (Sophocles’ Antigone) Selections from Homer’s Iliad Longus’ novel Daphnis and Chloe Plutarch’s Life of Antony Paradoxography (a portfolio of texts exploring the weird and marvellous) Each module is worth 20 credits.
Assessment:
We use a wide range of assessment types focusing on students' academic and personal development. Most modules are assessed by written work of varying lengths, corresponding with the content and weighting of the module. Language modules are usually assessed by written examination. During the summer, you will complete a dissertation. This
UK fees: £9,250 International fees: £22,600
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Entry Requirements:
Home / UK students
Undergraduate degree2:1 (or international equivalent) in classics, ancient or modern history, archaeology, art history, classical civilisation, Latin, Greek, or English
EU / International students
Undergraduate degree2:1 (or international equivalent) in classics, ancient or modern history, archaeology, art history, classical civilisation, Latin, Greek, or English
Language Proficiency Requirements:
IELTS6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)