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Undergraduate prospectus 2021

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Ancient History BA

Studying history at UCL gives you opportunities to explore the subject which are unrivalled anywhere else in the UK or Europe. This degree focuses on the history of ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle East and Egypt from the third millennium BC to late antiquity.

Covid-19 programme updates

For the most up-to-date advice and information concerning UCL's response to the coronavirus outbreak please go to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) information pages. There is a Frequently Asked Questions section for prospective students and schools.

Key Information

Programme starts

September 2021
UCAS code
V110
Duration
Full-time: 3 years
Application deadline
29 January 2021
Location
London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

A Levels

Grades
AAA
Subjects
History, Ancient History or Classical Civilisation required.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5. UCL requires all UK-based students to have, by the time of their UCL graduation, a basic competence (GCSE grade C or 5 or equivalent) in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Hebrew or Latin). UCL offers plenty of opportunities to study a language to the required level once you join us. Further information is available at ucl.ac.uk/ug-regs.

Contextual offer

Grades
ABB (more about contextual offers)
Subjects
History, Ancient History or Classical Civilisation required.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5. UCL requires all UK-based students to have, by the time of their UCL graduation, a basic competence (GCSE grade C or 5 or equivalent) in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Hebrew or Latin). UCL offers plenty of opportunities to study a language to the required level once you join us. Further information is available at ucl.ac.uk/ug-regs.

IB Diploma

Points
38
Subjects
A score of 18 points in three higher level subjects including grade 6 in History, with no score lower than 5. A minimum of 5 is required at standard level in a modern or ancient European language.

Contextual offer

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

UK applicants qualifications

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

Equivalent qualification

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Pass in Access to HE Diploma, with a minimum of 23 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the Level 3 units awarded with Merit. Level 3 units must include elements of History or clearly demonstrated modules with historical approach.

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.

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

In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic potential who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.

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: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency. Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

The English language level for this programme is: Advanced

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

Degree benefits

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

  • Whilst this degree programme has an emphasis on ancient history, students are also encouraged to take advantage of the range of expertise in the department and explore later historical periods.

  • Drawing upon UCL History, related UCL departments and relevant University of London colleges, the programme offers a wide variety of modules spanning extraordinary chronological breadth and geographical range.

  • Exceptional resources, including the British Museum and British Library, are within walking distance, and other London-based museums and organisations provide unrivalled opportunities for accessing primary source material.

Degree structure

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).

The programme 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.

Credits can be chosen from the wide range of modules in ancient history, archaeology and classics as appropriate. Students are encouraged to gain maximum benefit from the chronological range of expertise in the department by choosing at least one module in modern, early modern and medieval history.

Teaching is delivered via lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials. All seminar groups are capped at a maximum of 15, final-year dissertation subjects at a maximum of 10.

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.

Compulsory module(s)

Writing Ancient History
Making History
Approaching History or an Ancient Language (Ancient Greek, Latin, Akkadian or other ancient language)

Optional modules

You will select 60 credits of optional modules, including at least 30 credits in ancient history. Options may include:

Ancient Greek, Latin, Akkadian or other ancient language (level dependent upon ability)
Ancient and Medieval China
The Greek World c. 800-386 BC
The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the end of the Attalid Kingdom 
The History of Political Thought
Bronze Age States in the Ancient Middle East
The Near East 1200 BC-336 BC: Empires and Pastoralists
The Roman Empire from Augustus to Theodosius

Remaining credits can be selected from a wide range of options in history, ancient languages or from another approved interdepartmental module.

Compulsory module(s)

Research Seminar

Optional modules

You will select 90 credits of optional modules, including at least 30 credits of ancient history options. Options may include:

Ancient Greek, Latin, Akkadian or other ancient language (level dependent upon ability)
Understanding the Early Mesopotamian World
Cities and Kings in the Hellenistic World
Roman Democracy: Myth or Reality
Ancient Anatolia Through Material Culture
Asia, the Aegean, Europe: Dividing the World in Ancient Greece

Remaining credits can be selected from a wide range of options in history, ancient languages or from another approved interdepartmental or intercollegiate module.

Compulsory module(s)

Dissertation

Optional modules

You will select 90 credits of optional modules, including at least 30 credits in an Ancient History Special Subject. Options may include:

Ancient Greek, Latin, Akkadian or other ancient language (level dependent upon ability)
Slavery in the Classical World
Ancient Greek Religion of the Archaic and Classical Period
Rome, AD 300-1000: Portrait of a City, Reflections of a Changing World
Cultures of War in Ancient Greece
Death and Dying in Ancient Mesopotamia

Remaining credits can be selected from a wide range of options in history, ancient languages or from another approved interdepartmental or intercollegiate module.


Your learning

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.

Assessment

Your work will be assessed by a mixture of examinations and written coursework. 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 & Wellbeing team.

Careers

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.

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.

UCL is committed to helping you get the best start after graduation. Read more about how UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise can help you find employment or learn about entrepreneurship.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2021/22 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 2021/22 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

UK students
£9,250 (2021/22)
Overseas students
£23,300 (2021/22)

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

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

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.

Departmental scholarships

Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme.

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.

Application and next steps

Your application

Each candidate's profile is considered as a complete picture, taking into account your interest in and suitability for the degree, as shown in your personal statement and referee's report, as well as achieved and predicted grades. Your ability to present an argument, evidence of intellectual curiosity and your enthusiasm for and commitment to studying history will also be assessed.

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.

Application deadline: 29 January 2021



Selection

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.

For further information on UCL's selection process see: Selection of students.


UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.


Page last modified on 17 February 2021


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