Department of Classics & Ancient History | MA Classics

MA Classics at Durham University

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Explore Philosophy, History, Culture and Language and develop a strong academic foundation on which to build your research ambitions.

Our MA in Classics combines Language Studies with an exploration of the Philosophy, History & 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 & 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 & the Near East; and the Durham Centre for Ancient & Medieval Philosophy.

The Department's national and international reputation for academic quality provides an ideal grounding for postgraduates to either continue their research at a higher level or secure a stimulating and rewarding professional career.

Our postgraduate qualifications develop a set of transferable skills including logical thinking and the evaluation and communication of information that are not only applicable in an academic environment but also deliver the skills and abilities valued across a range of professions.

Some of these professions relate to the subjects studied such as the heritage sector, the arts, teaching, the civil service, publishing and journalism. Other options include banking, law, PR, third sector, consultancy, insurance and administration. Employers who have taken on postgraduates include the Home Office, Deloitte, Manchester United, CitiBank, the NHS and pollsters YouGov.

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