Classics

Entry requirements

A 2.1 honours degree in a relevant subject or international equivalent.

Since all postgraduate degrees are meant to build on your undergraduate work, we ask for a previous degree in a 'relevant' subject. For the MA programme in Ancient Philosophy, you must have studied this field at the highest level of your undergraduate course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our MA in Classics combines language studies with an exploration of the philosophy, history and culture of the Greek and Latin-speaking world to provide you with the academic foundations on which to build a career in research.

You will take the course over one year full-time or two years part-time, starting with a language module of your choice. This is studied alongside a range of option modules covering the philosophy of Cicero and Aristotle in combination with a wider look at history, literature and intellectual culture.

The course is taught through lectures, seminars and small group discussions and there is an emphasis on small-group teaching through the course, to encourage in-depth debate and enable you to fully engage with a range of perspectives. You will also complete a major dissertation on a subject of your choosing, supported by teaching experts with a wide range of specialisms in a department which has an established international reputation for the excellence of its academic standards.

This expertise has led us to develop academic centres that have become the focus for vital research activity including the Centre for Classical Reception; the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East; and the Durham Centre for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.

As well as being taught by subject-area experts in a diverse and exciting intellectual community, you will have unique access to our extensive collection featuring some 8,000 volumes of ancient texts in the original and in translation that will be ideal for research purposes.

The Dissertation, on a subject decided in consultation with your supervisor according to your research interests, will feature an agreed framework of supervision that will build key skills for graduate research in classics. The dissertation brings together the research skills acquired through taught modules.

You will also choose one original language module from options which have previously included:

• Latin for Research
• Ancient Greek for Research
• Latin Text Seminar
• Greek Text Seminar
• Modules in an ancient or modern language

Plus three to four option modules from the wider department which have previously included:

• Cicero Philosophus (Philosophy)
• Aristotle’s Systems (Philosophy)
• Edessa: The Athens of the East (History)
• Greek Epigraphy (History)
• New Greek or Roman History Module (History)
• Classical Modernisms: Receptions of Greece and Rome in Literary and Visual Cultures (Literature, Intellectual Culture and Reception)
• Latin Love Elegy (Literature, Intellectual Culture and Reception)
• Independent Research Topic
• An additional original language module
• An additional philosophy module
• Modules at Level 4 from those offered by another Board of Studies
• Modules at Levels 1, 2 or 3 from those offered by Classics and Ancient History or another Board of Studies

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.