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Ancient History MA

London, Bloomsbury

Delve into the complexities of the ancient world through this intercollegiate Master’s programme, drawing on the strengths of UCL, King's College, and Royal Holloway. Gain specialised skills in archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, and papyrology, and advanced training in textual criticism. Designed to prepare you for PhD research and for careers in the civil service, museums, heritage, or education, this programme provides both the expertise and experience needed to excel in the study of ancient history.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 31 Aug 2025

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

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. Knowledge of an ancient language is not an essential requirement for entry but can improve applicants’ chances.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

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

You will gain a thorough grounding in ancient history's key aspects and approaches. You will develop the ability to assess historical evidence critically and synthesise historical data from printed, manuscript, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, and papyrological sources. They are equipped with the tools necessary for further research in this field.

Most teaching is available at UCL, but some modules are held at other London institutions.

The programme will introduce you to skills essential to or highly desirable for almost all fields of ancient history. You will be offered practical training in those skills and be introduced to specific aspects of the ancient world at an intellectually demanding level.

In summary, the programme equips you with the tools for further research in ancient history by developing your critical and conceptual understanding of the field.

 

Who this course is for

The programme provides the ideal foundation for further research work. It will also appeal to students with a first degree in a relevant background who wish to extend their knowledge through a further year of study.

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

What this course will give you

UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.

This intercollegiate programme is taught in collaboration with King's College London and Royal Holloway, University of London. Students benefit from the international expertise and wealth of resources from the three institutions.

Located in Bloomsbury, UCL History is just minutes away from the exceptional resources of the British Library, the British Museum, the Institute of Classical Studies, the Warburg Institute and the Institute of Historical Research.

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

The foundation of your career

Our graduates regularly find employment in education, health and social care, publishing and journalism, law, academia, policy and government, and museums and heritage (Graduate Outcomes survey 2017-2022).

Additional activities are available within the department and the wider UCL community to help you focus on employability skills, such as departmental career talks and networking opportunities with history alumni.

Employability

This programme provides an outstanding foundation for those hoping to undertake PhD research and pursue an academic career. Recent graduates have also pursued careers in journalism, the civil service, business, museum and heritage and the education sectors.

Debates, small group seminars and tutorials will help you acquire strong presentation and negotiation skills for your future career. Likewise, employers from many industries prize the analytical and research skills you gain on this programme

Find out what our students have done next.

Networking

There are multiple opportunities for students on the MA degree to get involved in the graduate student community in London. Students are encouraged to attend the termly Lyceum Seminars, organised by the graduate students of UCL Greek & Latin, as well as the weekly Graduate Work-in-Progress seminars held at the Institute of Classical Studies in Senate House. Our Bloomsbury location facilitates easy access to the regular (weekly) seminars in Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, Classical Languages and Literature, and Ancient Philosophy organised by the Institute of Classical Studies and periodic public lectures there and in the British Museum.

Teaching and learning

The programme is taught by specialists in the field and is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, museum visits, presentations and reading.

Assessment is through coursework and the dissertation.

You are expected to spend approximately 150 hours studying for a 15-credit module and approximately 300 hours studying for a 30-credit module.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 7-8 hours of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials per teaching week. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors.

Modules

The MA has two compulsory modules:
Sources and Methods in Ancient History (30 credits)
M.A. Ancient History: Dissertation (60 credits)

For the remaining 90 credits, students can choose from a number of UCL and intercollegiate options.

Typically, in the first year, students take compulsory module Sources and Methods in Ancient History (30 credits) and 60 credits of optional modules. In the second year, they usually take the M.A. Ancient History: Dissertation (60 credits) and 30 credits of optional modules.

Compulsory modules

Sources and Methods in Ancient History



Optional modules

The Making of the Christian Empire, AD 284-425


Introduction to Latin Epigraphy

Roman Epigraphy


The Politics of Knowledge in the Roman Republic

Art Historical Approaches to the Ancient Middle East


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 Ancient History.

Accessibility

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

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000 £16,500

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

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students are expected to pay the entrance fee to any admission-charging exhibition or museum or archive visited by a class; the tutor will usually negotiate a group discount where this is significantly cheaper than the individual student discount. Museum entrance generally cost between £15-£20.

Students may need to travel to partner institutions for lectures. Underground tickets between zone 1 costs £8.50 for students or a travel card zone 1-4 for £15.90. Train tickets to Egham for Royal Holloway is around £22 for a day return.

Students who are facing financial hardships can apply for UCL Financial Assistance Funds.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

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

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1yr)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

UCL East London Scholarship

NOW CLOSED FOR 2024/25 ENTRY
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,700 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

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. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Ancient History at graduate level
  • why you want to study Ancient History at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Along with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to show how your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme delivers.

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.

Got questions? Get in touch

History
History

history.programmes@ucl.ac.uk

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