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Ancient History BA

London, Bloomsbury

Our Ancient History BA focuses on the history of ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle East and Egypt from the third millennium BC to late antiquity. Study a flexible Ancient History degree in an innovative, inclusive and supportive environment.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 academic years
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£9,250
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£28,100
Programme starts
September 2024
Application deadline
31 Jan 2024
UCAS course code
V110

Entry requirements

A levels IB Diploma Other qualifications
Grades
AAA
Subjects
History, Ancient History or Classical Civilisation required.
GCSEs
English Language at grade B or 6 and Mathematics at grade C or 5.

Contextual offer information

Grades
ABB more about contextual offers
Subjects
A in History, Ancient History or Classical Civilisation required.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
Points
38
Subjects
A total of 18 points in three higher level subjects including grade 6 in History, with no higher level score below 5.

Contextual offer

Points
34 more about contextual offers
Subjects
A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects including grade 6 in History, with no higher level score below 5.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 33 credits at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units. Level 3 units must include elements of History or clearly demonstrated modules with historical approach.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

D3,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects, including History.

AAA at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and A,A,A at Higher), including History at Advanced Higher.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades AAA, including History, Ancient History or Classical Civilisation.

International applications

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

Access and widening participation

UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.
Check your Access UCL Scheme eligibility

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Course overview

UCL History offers modules that span over 5000 years of history, with specialisms in the history of the ancient Near East; the Americas; the cultural and intellectual history of Europe; and imperial and transnational history. To gain maximum benefit from the chronological range of expertise in the department, we encourage students to take at least one module in each of ancient history; medieval or early modern history; and modern history.

The Ancient History BA includes three first-year compulsory modules, a research project in the second year, a final-year special subject, dissertation, and options chosen from a range of full-year and half-year modules. Our compulsory modules involve project work, essay-writing and active engagement with historical resources, designed to encourage creative lateral thinking about the past. You will study key developments in the discipline of history from the ancient to the modern world, develop an understanding of the practice of history, and study the evolution of the discipline from Herodotus and Thucydides to the twenty-first century.

The flexible programme structure allows you to tailor the degree to match your own intellectual interests. Select from a wide variety of modules in ancient history, archaeology, anthropology, Greek and Latin, and classics as appropriate.

You will learn in a supportive and inclusive environment. Our first-year curriculum has been designed to support your transition into higher education, introducing key historical approaches and giving you the tools to write, analyse and communicate history.

In addition to UCL’s own museums, including the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, studying in London will give you access to some of the world’s premier cultural institutions and collections, such as The British Library and British Museum. You will use these resources as primary source materials as part of the degree, participating in a public history group project in Making History.  

What this course will give you

UCL's exceptional strength and formidable range of expertise in ancient history means that students on this programme are offered great scope for choice.

Our world-leading academics bring their research expertise into their teaching, so you benefit from a dynamic curriculum that is informed by cutting-edge historical research. In the latest Research Excellence Framework assessment, our research was ranked 1st in London and 4th in the UK by GPA.

You will benefit from small class sizes (seminar groups are capped at a maximum of 15) and receive feedback on every essay you write in one-to-one tutorials. 

This degree provides excellent preparation for a wide range of careers. You will build a portfolio of highly desirable transferable skills, and have access to a dedicated careers support programme, industry connections and alumni network.

Teaching and learning

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) in Ancient History.

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 is 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.

Year 1
You will study 3 compulsory modules designed to help you develop key skills and bridge the gap between school and university level study. You will take at least one Ancient History survey module (focused on a large geographical region and/or a time period) or an ancient language of your choice. The remaining module may be a further survey module in Ancient History, or any other period of History, or a module or two half-modules from another department. 

Year 2
A  research seminar module, thematic module, and at least one Ancient History survey module or ancient language are compulsory. You will also select one further optional module in History or from another department, and develop your own research project.

Year 3
You will take a Special Subject (examination and dissertation) module in Ancient History. You will also take at least one further module or equivalent in History (or an ancient language module), and have the option to take one module from another discipline.

 
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Compulsory modules




Optional modules

Ancient and Medieval China


The Mediterranean World c.800-c.500 BC

The Roman Empire from Augustus to Theodosius I

Babylon from Hammurabi to Alexander (c.1800-300 BC)


Compulsory modules



Optional modules




Optional modules

Ancient Middle Eastern Religion

Slavery in the Classical World

Cultures of War in Ancient Greece

Death and Dying in Ancient Mesopotamia



Your learning

Teaching is delivered via lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials. Our approach to learning places emphasis on active student participation in seminar discussion, always in groups of fifteen or fewer. Some modules, particularly in your first year, will also include lectures. Essays you write will always be returned to you in individual face-to-face tutorials in which you will receive constructive, personal feedback. All seminar groups are capped at a maximum of 15, final-year dissertation subjects at a maximum of 10.

Each student will engage in 1200 learning hours every year, made up of teaching time (lectures, seminars and workshops), independent study, assessment and feedback.

Assessment

Your work will be assessed by a mixture of examinations, written coursework and other outputs. Significant weight is given to an extended essay based on original sources produced in your final year.

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.

Visit us

All open days and events

UCL Bloomsbury Campus, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT - Open day

UCL Undergraduate Open Event: Humanities, Social and Historical Sciences

—

We are excited to be coming together across three UCL faculties, Social & Historical Sciences, Arts & Humanities and Maths and Physical Sciences, to host our November in-person Undergraduate Open Event. Join us to learn more about the exciting undergraduate degrees at UCL within the fields of humanities, social and historical sciences. You can attend programme talks, speak to staff and students, and go on a tour of the Bloomsbury campus to see some of the amazing facilities on offer.

Online - Open day

History Information Session

Watch this video to find out more about UCL's History programme, entry requirements, course structure and other helpful information. Recorded Spring 2024.

Watch on demand event

The foundation of your career

UCL's History graduates have excelled in a wide range of occupations, such as lawyers, financial advisers, stockbrokers, television producers, diplomats, journalists, bankers, teachers, and in the health service, the police and overseas development programmes, as well as in progressing to further study.

Employability

The programme is designed to teach many transferable skills: how to gather and organise evidence; how to analyse it and present a structured argument; how to express yourself clearly, both in writing and orally.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £9,250
Tuition fees (2024/25) £28,100

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

This programme has no additional costs.

A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Funding your studies

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Scholarships

The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.

Next steps

Your application

We are looking for applicants who express a genuine interest in studying history and who can evidence independent engagement with the subject. We are interested in hearing your own views and opinions. For instance, if you have undertaken additional reading, tell us what you thought about the topic discussed. Relevant skills include: communication, critical evaluation, creative thinking.

How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.

We are keen to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds as this helps us to maintain an intellectually and socially stimulating community. Applicants will normally have studied History and/or Ancient History; Classical Civilisation or a language taken to a higher level is also an advantage.

Download prospectus

Got questions? Get in touch

History
History

history.admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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