Program Overview

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Postgraduate Taught

Study

Key information

Delivery mode: In person Study mode: Full time, Part time Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time, September to September Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent): UK 180/ECTS 90 Application status: Open Start date: September 2025

Key benefits

• Learn from a Classics department ranked first in the UK for research excellence (REF 2021) and in the top five UK Classics Departments in the QS World Rankings 2024.
• Study in one of the UK’s largest and oldest departments of Classics. Classics has been taught on the Strand for over 200 years.
• Learn about the ancient world beyond Greece and Rome.
• Choose from an extraordinarily wide choice of modules that draw on the resources of the whole of the University of London.
• Enjoy an unrivalled location for the study of the ancient world thanks to London’s unique range of specialist libraries, museums and galleries.
• Learn an ancient language, such as ancient Greek, or Latin or enhance existing linguistic skills with optional language modules.

Course essentials

The KCL Classics and the Ancient World MA benefits from participation in an intercollegiate agreement with other London universities, through which we can offer modules from the finest Classics academics at King’s as well as UCL, Royal Holloway and the Institute of Classical Studies. When you study classics and the ancient world at King’s, you’ll join the best Classics department in the UK for research excellence. Being part of one of the oldest Classics departments in the UK means you’ll be surrounded by numerous ancient world experts, which is particularly valuable for your dissertation project. You’ll also have access to the Institute of Classical Studies and one of the best Classics libraries in the country. The intercollegiate nature of this MA also means you’ll get to choose from a much broader list of optional modules and enjoy teaching from all three institutions. Your MA in Classics and the Ancient World will start with a required module that will train you in the essential research skills you’ll need for the rest of your studies. This includes learning how to approach the study of ancient literature from various methodological perspectives and how to explore the reception of the ancient world in later cultures through various media. The rest of your Classics and the Ancient World MA is comprised of optional modules and a dissertation at the end of the year. You’ll get to choose from a broad list of options that covers the ancient world geographically from Britain to Persia and ranges chronologically from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity and beyond. You can pick literature and reception modules from a curated list on a range of topics. At King’s, for example, topics range from Hellenistic poetry to ancient pantomime, from Roman comedy to the literature of the age of Nero, from explorations of Black Classicisms to Modern Greece's engagement with its past. You’ll also be able to select module options from related MAs at UCL, Royal Holloway, and the Institute of Classical Studies. You can also draw on all the options in ancient history as well as art and archaeology. Example topics include Greek religion, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Roman frontiers, Christianity and Rome, late antique magic, the archaeology of the Roman Empire, ancient Greek sculpture, mosaics and painting, Constantinople, and the afterlife of Persepolis. This master’s will also give you the chance to learn an ancient language from a beginner's level or enhance your existing linguistic skills. Opportunities to study epigraphy and papyrology will help you use your language skills to conduct research, as will the option to study a modern language with a module from the Modern Language Centre. At the end of your Classics and the Ancient World degree, you’ll get to produce a substantial piece of research in the form of a dissertation. In this project, you’ll be supervised by a member of the Classics department and be free to tackle a research question of your choosing. There are a number of ways to enhance your education outside the classroom, including enjoying taught sessions at nearby museums, like the British Museum and V&A. You can also get involved with the Greek Play. Performed every year since 1953, it’s a fun way to get experience in production and performance. There are other exciting extracurricular opportunities available, such as those offered by the Classics Society.

Base campus

Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Entry requirements

UK applicants

Standard requirements

A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree

If you have a lower degree classification , or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).

Programme-Specific Requirements

2:1 BA degree with honours in Classics, Classical Studies, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History, Archaeology, or a related subject such as English, History, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Religious Studies.

In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree with a final mark of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. If you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.

International applicants

Equivalent International qualifications

Select a country to view the equivalent international qualifications.

English language requirements

English language band: C

To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.

Teaching & structure

Teaching methods - what to expect

We have organised our MA course in Classics and the Ancient World on an intercollegiate basis, so that we can combine the expertise of staff in all three of the participating colleges - King’s, UCL and Royal Holloway. The course centres on the University’s Institute of Classical Studies. It not only maintains a world­ class research library, but also hosts the richest programme of seminars, conferences, and occasional lectures for this subject area in the UK, as well as also offering module options.

Your Classics and the Ancient World MA course consists of a required module, three to six optional modules and a dissertation. The required module will train you in the essential research skills you’ll need for the rest of your studies. This includes learning how to approach the study of ancient literature from various methodological perspectives and how to explore the reception of the ancient world in later cultures through various media.

For your options you can pick literature and reception modules from a curated list on a range of topics. This master’s will also give you the option to learn an ancient language from a beginner's level or enhance your existing linguistic skills and apply them to the study of ancient literature. Opportunities to study epigraphy and papyrology will help you use your language skills to conduct research, as will the option to study a modern language with a module from the Modern Language Centre. Besides literary, linguistic and reception topics, you can also take modules in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology & Art. You’ll also be able to select options in all of these areas from related MAs at King’s, UCL and Royal Holloway. To further add to the breadth of our course, you can also take appropriate modules from other MA courses at King’s.

Research seminars

In the Department of Classics we run a research seminar series (which we encourage MA students to attend), where you will learn about the current research of our academic staff and PhD students. Our Department also regularly hosts major research conferences with speakers from around the world.

Personal tutor

At King’s all students on a taught programme are allocated a personal tutor who will play a key role in helping you to get the most out of your studies, providing support and encouragement for your time at university.

Personal tutors provide you with the opportunity periodically to take stock of your learning, academic progress and general wellbeing as you progress through your studies, offering guidance on how to seek further support if you need it, and how to access the range of opportunities available to you as a King's student.

Dissertation supervision

As a full time student, during your first term at King’s you will need to decide on your MA dissertation subject, if you have not done so before you arrive. The dissertation can be related to work you are doing in a taught module, or it can be in a completely different area. On the basis of your chosen subject area we will assign you a supervisor from the Department of Classics who will discuss the topic with you and oversee your work on it.

As a part-time student, at the beginning of your second year at King’s you will need to decide on your MA dissertation subject, if you have not done so before you arrive. The dissertation can be related to work you are doing in a taught module, or it can be in a completely different area. On the basis of your chosen subject area we will assign you a supervisor from the Department of Classics who will discuss the topic with you and oversee your work on it.

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.

Teaching

If you are a full-time student, we will typically provide you with eight to nine hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars, and we will expect you to undertake 35 hours of independent study.

If you are a part-time student, we will typically provide you with three to four hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars and, depending on the number of modules you take each term, we will expect you to undertake 15-20 hours of independent study.

For your dissertation, we will provide five hours of supervision, and we will expect you to undertake around 575 hours of independent study.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work

Assessment

• Coursework essays
• Presentations
• Written examinations

Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework essays, individual or group presentations and written examinations.

Structure

Required modules

Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits. You are required to take:

• Research Training in Classics (30 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are required to take 90 credits from a range of optional modules, which may typically include the following topics:

• Beginners’ Ancient Greek for Research (30 credits)
• Intermediate Ancient Greek for Research (30 credits)
• Hellenistic Poetry (15 credits)
• Latin Literary Letters (15 credits)
• The Ancient Pantomime Dancer (15 credits)
• Roman Comedy (15 credits)
• Medieval Latin Literature (30 credits)
• Alexander’s Afterlife (15 credits)
• Persepolis: a cultural biography of the 'wonder of the East' (15 credits)
• Greek Religion (15 credits)
• Classical Frontiers: Northern Black Sea in Antiquity (15 credits)
• Pompeii and Herculaneum: History, Society & Afterlife (15 credits)
• Greek Epigraphy (15 credits)
• Roman Britain (30 credits)
• Christian Persecution: Violence and Memory Under Rome (15 credits)
• Engaging Greece: Experiencing the Past and Responding to the Present (30 credits)
• Black Classicisms (15 credits)
• Greek Sculpture and its Legacy (30 credits)
• The Art of Making: Craft Production from Classical Antiquity to Today (30 credits)
• Ancient Painting (15 credits)
• Ancient Mosaics: Making and Meaning (15 credits)
• Living in Byzantium: (15 credits)
• Exhibiting Classical Antiquities (15 credits)
• The City of Rome (British School at Rome Postgraduate Course) (30 credits)

You can also choose from the many MA modules offered by:

• University College London Department of Greek & Latin
• University College London Department of History
• University College London Institute of Archaeology
• Royal Holloway University London Department of Classics
• Royal Holloway University London Department of History
• Institute of Classical Studies

You may also choose to take 15 credits from our King's Language Centre. All subject to approval.

As a part-time student, you will take Research training in Classics in your first year along with 45 to 60 credits of optional modules. In your second year, you will take your dissertation module and a further 30 to 45 credits of optional modules.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Careers

Employability

Many Classics and the Ancient World MA graduates have gone on to excel in a range of careers, including:

• Teaching
• Journalism
• Cultural management
• The Financial sector

This Classics and the Ancient World MA will also equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue further research.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK:

• Full time: £13,500 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £6,750 per year (2025/26)

International:

• Full time: £30,000 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £15,000 per year (2025/26)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

• The Home deposit is £500.
• The International deposit is £2000.
• If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
• If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

• books if you choose to buy your own copies
• clothing for optional course related events and competitions
• library fees and fines
• personal photocopies
• printing course handouts
• society membership fees
• stationery
• travel costs around London and between campuses
• graduation costs

Funding

To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.