BA Ancient World
BA Ancient World with Study Abroad
This page gives an overview of how our BA Ancient World works, with some sample modules. For a full description see the UCL Undergraduate Course Catalogue for the BA Ancient World or BA Ancient World with Year Abroad.
The Ancient World (Q805) degree programme is our most flexible programme, and it is one of the most flexible degree programmes covering the Ancient World in the UK. It allows a specialisation in the ancient Graeco-Roman world (see sample Module Choices 1 and 2 below), or in the ancient Middle East (see sample Module Choice 3 below).
- Modules available to students taking the BA Classics and BA Ancient World.
- This course is open to those who have no previous experience of Latin or Greek language.
All students must take 45 credits in an ancient language during their degree.
- They can take more if they want, and are free to specialise in ancient languages.
In the first year students must take
- at least 30 credits of an ancient language.
- the core course; and one History course and one Archaeology module
In the second year students must take
- at least 15 credits of the same ancient language (to complete the 45 credit requirement).
In the third year students must take the Extended Essay option as one of their module choices.
(The structure for the BA Ancient World with Study Abroad Q806 is identical, except that in their first and second years students study also need to take 30 + 15 credits in the language of the country they wish to visit unless they can demonstrate proficiency: note that this reduces optional courses in the first year to 15 credits. They spend their third year abroad, then take their final year at UCL in their fourth year.)
This gives the following structure:
Year One | Year Two | Year Three | |
1 | 30 credits of an ancient language | 15 credits of same ancient language | Essay on an Approved Subject |
2 | Approaches to the Ancient World | (student choice) | |
3 | At least one History course | (student choice) | (student choice) |
4 | At least one Archaeology course | (student choice) | (student choice) |
5 | (student choice) | (student choice) | (student choice) |
6 | (student choice) | (student choice) | (student choice) |
7 | (student choice) | (student choice) | (student choice) |
8 | (student choice) | (student choice) |
❧ Sample Module Choices
Ancient World: sample one
Total 120 credits per year. An asterisk indicates a 15 credit module (usually one term); all others are 30 credits (usually two terms).
This student began the degree with no prior knowledge of Latin or Greek. For the 30 credits of compulsory language in their first year, they chose Latin for Beginners A and B. Another 15 credits were taken up by the compulsory Approaches to the Ancient World module. With their remaining modules, they pursued interests in Classics, Archaeology and Ancient History, fulfilling the requirement for at least one module in Archaeology and History. In their second year, they continued with Latin at Intermediate level, to fulfil the language requirement (45 credits in the same language). They then devoted most of their time to Archaeology. In their final year, they decided to take a module in Classical literature, though still maintaining a focus on Archaeology and History.
Ancient World: sample two
Total 120 credits per year. An asterisk indicates a 15 credit module (usually one term); all others are 30 credits (usually two terms).
This student also began the degree with no prior knowledge of Latin or Greek. For the 30 credits of compulsory language in their first year, they also chose Latin for Beginners A and B, and again, 15 credits were taken up by the compulsory Approaches to the Ancient World module. The remainder of their first-year modules were spread between Classics, Archaeology and History, fulfilling the requirement for at least one module in Archaeology and History. In their second year, they began to specialise in language and literature, and also took one half-unit module (Italian language) from outside the Ancient World syllabus. The majority of their final-year modules involved Classical literature, though they still kept an interest in History and Archaeology.
Both students could have taken optional modules in Hittite, Akkadian, Sumerian or Sanskrit, or could have taken one of these languages as their compulsory language (45 credits).
Ancient World: sample three (specialisation in the Ancient Middle East)
Total 120 credits per year. An asterisk indicates a 15 credit module (usually one term); all others are 30 credits (usually two terms).
This student chose Introductory Akkadian, an ancient cuneiform language, for their 30 credits of compulsory language in the first year. Another 15 credits were taken up by the compulsory Approaches to the Ancient World module. With their remaining modules, they pursued interests in Archaeology and Ancient History (fulfilling the requirement for at least one module in each). In their second year they continued with Akkadian, started Hittite, a cuneiform language from Anatolia, and pursued their interest in ancient Middle Eastern History and Archaeology. In their final year they took Sumerian, the earliest cuneiform language, and continued their study of Hittite. Their remaining modules reflected their interest in Archaeology (including a 15-credit module outside the area of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East).
❧ Notes
- Note that text modules and thematic modules are rotated each year in order to provide maximum choice. Sample courses not running in the current academic year are without a link.
- Your first-year modules may include up to 30 credits, and your second- and third-year courses may include up to 30 credits altogether over the two years, of courses entirely outside the field of Ancient World studies, which is defined as including all courses that relate to any aspect of Graeco-Roman antiquity, the Ancient Middle East, ancient Egypt, the ancient languages of this area, and other ancient Indo-European languages.
- See the list of modules running in the current academic year in the Department of Greek and Latin, and all modules available in the Ancient World at UCL.
- Information on our degree programmes with year abroad.