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Classics MA

London, Bloomsbury

Learn from international experts while enjoying unrivalled access to the rich resources London offers for studying the ancient world. The Classics MA is taught by UCL Greek & Latin in collaboration with King's College London and Royal Holloway, University of London. You’ll study the languages, literatures and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome while developing critical thinking skills, paving the way towards a raft of career options.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
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. Students undertaking the MA in Classics are expected to be able to use authors and sources in one or more ancient languages.

The English language level for this course 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


As part of the Classics MA, you'll explore the traditions and practices of classical studies, investigate different scholarly methodologies, and develop skills in the analysis of textual, visual, and other material. You will gain familiarity and exposure to postgraduate-level research and writing in ancient studies within a global framework and the tools necessary for further research, including training in the use of digital resources online, library catalogues and archives. 

Who this course is for

The course is suitable for students with either Greek or Latin or ancient Middle Eastern language at advanced - typically BA - level, who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of the languages and literatures of ancient Greece, Rome and the ancient Middle East, with a view to progress on to further research or as a qualification in its own right.

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

What this course will give you

UCL Greek & Latin is one of the most renowned centres for postgraduate study and research in the ancient world, with a large staff of international experts in Greek and Latin literature, languages of the ancient Middle East, papyrology, historical linguistics, philosophy, ancient history and classical reception.

The department is very well resourced for the study of the ancient world and UCL's central location provides unrivalled access to the British Museum, British Library, Senate House Library, Warburg Institute and the Institute of Classical Studies. Our MA courses open a pathway to a wide variety of careers, such as in teaching, publishing, the media, heritage, the law or PR.

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

The foundation of your career

The MA is an ideal springboard for a PhD course, and you will find unique opportunities to acquire skills in the handling of documentary evidence particularly valuable for further research. Some students go on to pursue research and further study at UCL or other institutions. Others have developed their skills in order to enter careers in teaching, publishing, the media, heritage legal, or PR sectors.*

*Graduate Outcomes Survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017 - 2022 cohorts.

Employability

The Classics MA offers a wide range of skills highly valued by employers, such as advanced oral communication; the ability to abstract and synthesise information, and to construct and manage arguments; independent and critical thinking on difficult issues; IT skills, including the ability to access and evaluate data; and good time management, organisational, and planning skills. 

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.

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.

Teaching and learning

The classes are taught as seminars which include presentations. These are supported by independent learning.

The course is taught in small seminars or classes, rarely exceeding twelve participants. You  are expected to prepare for class each week, typically by reading preparatory material and texts in the original Greek or Latin or ancient Middle Eastern language. Your  performance is assessed through coursework essays, unseen examination (for language modules), and the dissertation.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 8 to 10 hours per 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 the First and Second Terms, full-time students can typically expect between 8 and 10 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials. In the Third Term you will attend workshops and presentations concerning study for your dissertation, and in that term and the summer period you will complete your own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with your dissertation supervisor.

Modules

During the course, you will undertake a compulsory module on the research methods, skills and resources needed to study Classics at postgraduate level. These include bibliographic, digital and library resources, appropriate methodologies, writing and presentation skills, and advice on choosing your dissertation topic.

Across the First and Second Term, you will also advance your knowledge of Greek and/or Latin and/or ancient Middle Eastern language and literature through the study of genres, individual works, themes, concepts or approaches, where texts are read in the original. You may also study the ancient world more broadly, such as its history, art or thought and its reception in later cultures. You may also study, subject to the approval of the course tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that can enrich your understanding of Classics, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In the Third Term, you will receive further training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. During this term and across the rest of the course, you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of Classics that utilises advanced knowledge of at least one of the classical languages and requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor.

During the course, you will undertake a compulsory module on the research methods, skills and resources needed to study Classics at postgraduate level. These include bibliographic, digital and library resources, appropriate methodologies, writing and presentation skills, and advice on choosing your dissertation topic.

Across First and Second Years, you will also advance your knowledge of Greek and/or Latin and/or ancient Middle Eastern language and literature through the study of genres, individual works, themes, concepts or approaches, where texts are read in the original. You may also study the ancient world more broadly, such as its history, art or thought and its reception in later cultures. You may also study, subject to the approval of the course tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that can enrich your understanding of Classics, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In the Second Year you will receive further training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. Across the rest of the course, you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of Classics that utilises advanced knowledge of at least one of the classical languages and requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor.

During the course, you will undertake a compulsory module on the research methods, skills and resources needed to study Classics at postgraduate level. These include bibliographic, digital and library resources, appropriate methodologies, writing and presentation skills, and advice on choosing your dissertation topic.

In the first and subsequent years, you will also advance your knowledge of Greek and/or Latin and/or ancient Middle Eastern language and literature through the study of genres, individual works, themes, concepts or approaches, where texts are read in the original. You may also study the ancient world more broadly, such as its history, art or thought and its reception in later cultures. You may also study, subject to the approval of the course tutor, some topics in non-classical fields that can enrich your understanding of Classics, such as Translation, Film, Comparative Literature or Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

In your Final Year, you will receive further training in presentation skills and the writing of a dissertation. Across the rest of the course, you will plan and produce a dissertation on an aspect of Classics that utilises advanced knowledge of at least one of the classical languages and requires independent research on which you will be guided by an academic supervisor. The maximum length of study for Modular/flexible students is five years.

Compulsory modules


MA Classics: Research Methods and Dissertation


Optional modules

Fragmentary Languages of Forgotten Empires A


The Greek Dialects





Intercollegiate placeholder module (credit 15.0)

Intercollegiate placeholder module (credit 30.0)





Ancient Greece on Stage

Body and Senses



Hellenistic Encounters with Egypt

Images and Image Making in the Ancient Middle East

Science in Antiquity


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 Classics.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Classics MA and Reception of the Classical World MA

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UCL Greek and Latin offers two postgraduate MA courses: Classics MA and Reception of the Classical World MA. We are within walking distance of the British Museum and the British Library. UCL is located near the major libraries of the Institute of Classical Studies, the Warburg Institute, the Institute of Historical Research, and University of London Senate House Library. Join us online to learn more about the courses and ask any questions you may have.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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 with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a £350 deposit will be charged.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a £500 deposit will be charged.

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

The department strives to keep additional costs low. There may be site visits within central London, incurring travel and entry costs and these will vary based on the modules taken. Some modules may require specific books, but purchase is not mandatory as copies are also available in the library. Module descriptions and recommended texts are outlined each year on the Greek and Latin website, normally from February of the preceding academic year.

For in-person teaching, 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 £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. 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

Funding options may be possible for applicants to this course, including UCL Scholarships for UK/EU & Overseas Students and UCL Greek & Latin departmental studentships. For more information on the latter, please see the 'Funding for MA students' page on the department web pages.

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 course 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 Classics at graduate level
  • why you want to study Classics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this course
  • how your personal, academic background and training meets the demands of a challenging course
  • where you would like to go subsequently with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this course match what the course will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (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: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Greek and Latin
Greek and Latin

classics.office@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.