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Reception of the Classical World MA

London, Bloomsbury

Explore the influence of the ancient world on later cultures while developing a raft of skills sought after by employers. The Reception of the Classical World MA is taught by UCL Greek & Latin, an international centre for the study and research of the ancient world. You’ll learn from world renowned scholars, gain crucial transferable skills, and benefit from access to the unparalleled resources for classical study that UCL and London offer.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£15,100
£7,550
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£31,100
£15,550
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students gain a thorough grounding in the key figures, narratives, art forms, concepts, and social, religious and political practices of the classical world that have been most put to use by later cultures. The programme equips them with the tools necessary for research, including training in the use of digital resources online, library catalogues and archives.

Who this course is for

The programme is suitable for students with a first degree in classics, classical civilisation, history, art, archaeology, modern languages, or comparative literature who wish to develop their understanding of classical culture, as a foundation for further research or as a qualification in its own right. Knowledge of Ancient Greek or Latin is not required.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme makes extensive use of the unique features of UCL: its central location, diverse international expertise and interdisciplinary outlook. Students benefit from research tours of nearby resources, such as the British Museum and the Warburg Institute, as well as UCL's Petrie Museum and Library Special Collections.

UCL Greek & Latin is one of the most renowned international centres for postgraduate study and research in the ancient world. Students benefit from the large range of modules offered by the department, by other departments at UCL, and by the intercollegiate Classics MA programme. The MA opens a pathway to a wide variety of careers.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Students develop a wide range of skills highly valued by employers, such as advanced written and oral communication, the ability to abstract and synthesise information, the ability to construct and manage arguments, independent and critical thinking on difficult issues, competence in planning and executing essays, presentations and projects, self-motivation, information technology skills (including the ability to access and evaluate data), team work, co-operation, and good time management. Our students go on to employment in many sectors, including advertising, publishing, education, law, finance, libraries and museums, and cultural industries including theatre and the media.

Employability

The MA is an ideal springboard for a PhD programme and offers a unique range and depth of study in reception contexts from antiquity to the present. Some students go on to pursue research at UCL or in other institutions. Others have developed their skills in order to enter careers in teaching, publishing, the media, cultural heritage or the legal, business, charitable or financial sectors.

Networking

Additional activities are available both within the department, the Institute of Classical Studies and the wider UCL community to help you to develop your employability through public talks, seminars and other networking opportunities.

Teaching and learning

The programme is taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and research visits to relevant institutions. Seminars will provide practical tuition in bibliographic searches and the use of a variety of electronic databases.

Student performance will be assessed through coursework essays, unseen examination and the dissertation.

Students on the MA Reception of the Classical World can expect around 140 contact hours and 1200 hours of self-directed study across the duration of the course.

Modules

Across Terms 1 and 2, you will undertake a compulsory module on Approaches to the Reception of the Classical World. Taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and research visits to relevant institutions, the module provides training in research techniques and resources for postgraduate study in the reception of classical antiquity, and introduces you to relevant ideas and methods involved in studying the reception of the classical world across a range of periods, societies and media. It provides key illustrations of different responses to classical cultures in action, and demonstrates how later cultures have viewed and made use of the classical world from their own particular standpoint.

Across Terms 1 and 2, you will in addition advance your knowledge in depth of the languages, literatures, history, art, philosophy and/or reception of ancient Greece and Rome. You may also study, subject to the approval of the programme tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that may enrich your understanding of reception, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In Term 3, you will receive training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. During this term and across the rest of the programme you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of reception that requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor.

In year 1, you will undertake a compulsory module on Approaches to the Reception of the Classical World. Taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and research visits to relevant institutions, the module provides training in research techniques and resources for postgraduate study in the reception of classical antiquity, and introduces you to relevant ideas and methods involved in studying the reception of the classical world across a range of periods, societies and media. It provides key illustrations of different responses to classical cultures in action, and demonstrates how later cultures have viewed and made use of the classical world from their own particular standpoint.

In years 1 and 2, you will in addition advance your knowledge in depth of the languages, literatures, history, art, philosophy and/or reception of ancient Greece and Rome. You may also study, subject to the approval of the programme tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that may enrich your understanding of reception, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In year 2, you will receive training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. During this term and across the rest of the programme you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of reception that requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor.

In year 1, you will undertake a compulsory module on Approaches to the Reception of the Classical World. Taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and research visits to relevant institutions, the module provides training in research techniques and resources for postgraduate study in the reception of classical antiquity, and introduces you to relevant ideas and methods involved in studying the reception of the classical world across a range of periods, societies and media. It provides key illustrations of different responses to classical cultures in action, and demonstrates how later cultures have viewed and made use of the classical world from their own particular standpoint.

In years 1 and subsequent years, you will in addition advance your knowledge in depth of the languages, literatures, history, art, philosophy and/or reception of ancient Greece and Rome. You may also study, subject to the approval of the programme tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that may enrich your understanding of reception, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In your final year, you will receive training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. During this term and across the rest of the programme you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of reception that requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation: Reception of the Classical World



Optional modules










Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Reception of the Classical World.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Department of Greek & Latin

The MA Tutors Maria Wyke and Gesine Manuwald discuss the two MA programmes Classics and MA Reception of the Classical World, and postgraduate life in the UCL Classics community, and answer any questions potential applicants had.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £15,100 £7,550
Tuition fees (2024/25) £31,100 £15,550

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

The wealth of departmental seminars, colloquiums, symposiums and student organised work in progress sessions give ample opportunities to present research, receive feedback and participate in discussion.

Furthermore, the department’s membership to the University of London’s Institute of Classical Studies enables participation in intercollegiate conferences and workshops where the above opportunities can be experienced with a wider audience.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Funding options may be possible for applicants to this programme, including UCL Greek & Latin departmental studentships.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you are keen to commit yourself to the advanced study of classical reception
  • why you wish to study classical reception at UCL
  • how your academic training and/or other experience relates to classical reception
  • which area of classical reception you might explore in your MA dissertation
  • why you consider the Reception of the Classical World MA an attractive programme
  • what you hope to achieve by completing the Reception MA

As a complement to the essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to give us a sense of your specific interests within the field of classical reception and to outline how the course will help you to develop them.

It is recommended that applications are submitted by early January if you wish to be considered for any UCL studentships. Applications must be submitted by 30 June for consideration for departmental studentships. Later applications (up to 31 July) will continue to be considered until the programme is full.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Greek and Latin
Greek and Latin

classics.office@ucl.ac.uk

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