Greece. Rome and the Near East

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 in Greece, Rome and the Near East, you must have studied this field at the highest level of your undergraduate course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MA in Greece, Rome and the Near East offers the ideal preparation for advanced research into the relationship between the classical world and neighbouring civilisations by turning the spotlight on this important and rapidly expanding area of classical study.

You will join the course over one year full-time or two years part-time, studying in a field in which we have wide-ranging expertise. We rank consistently among the top Classics and Ancient History departments in the UK for research and teaching with our provision also placing highly in international subject rankings.

While there are no compulsory modules on the course you will select one language module, which may be studied from beginner's level, and one on the Near East. The remaining modules are chosen from a broader range, enabling you to tailor your studies to your individual interests.

Learning will be through direct research training and through core and optional modules taught in small group seminars by experts in their own field such as language (including Akkadian), philosophy, history, archaeology, literature and intellectual culture.

To further support your studies you will be able to draw on the resources of the Oriental Museum in Durham and the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East. You will also have unique access to our extensive collection of ancient texts featuring some 8,000 volumes in the original and in translation, that will be ideal for research purposes.

The learning environment is relaxed and supportive and we are proud of the department’s exciting intellectual community which is reflected in our global reputation for high academic standards. We strive to ensure our department is highly international, forward-looking, and in many ways genuinely diverse in its makeup and outlook and we have a commitment to keeping it that way.

Course Structure

The Dissertation (Greece, Rome and the Near East) aims to build research skills in the field of Classics in general and the ancient Mediterranean in particular. The dissertation, which brings together skills acquired through taught modules, includes weekly MA research seminars, regular attendance at departmental research seminars and meetings between you and your supervisor.

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 at Levels 1-4 in an ancient or modern language

Plus one of the following Near East modules:

• Edessa: The Athens of the East
• Research Topics in Archaeology

The remainder of the course is made up of option modules from the wider department which have previously included:

• Cicero Philosophus (Philosophy)
• Aristotle’s Systems (Philosophy)
• 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 Near East 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.