Classical Studies and Philosophy

Classical studies and philosophy are disciplines that have been in conversation with each other since antiquity. The great philosophical traditions of ancient Greece, Plato's dialogues, Aristotle's systematic works, the Stoics and Epicureans, formed a central part of classical education for centuries, and the questions they raised about knowledge, goodness, beauty and justice remain live in contemporary philosophy. Classical studies brings the full range of the ancient Greek and Roman world into view, including history, literature, art, religion and the reception of classical culture in the modern world, while philosophy provides the analytical tools to engage rigorously with the arguments those traditions have generated.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time MA programme offers a degree of remarkable range and depth. You will encounter the power of Greek tragedy, the imposing beauty of Roman sculpture and the twists and turns of Platonic dialogue, and the programme encourages you to bring these encounters into conversation with contemporary philosophical debates about knowledge, ethics and the nature of reality. A year abroad extends your academic and personal formation, giving you the opportunity to experience classical scholarship or philosophy in a different national context.

Graduates of classical studies and philosophy move into careers that draw on rigorous analytical training, cultural breadth and the ability to engage with complex texts and arguments. Teaching, academic research in philosophy or classics, journalism, the civil service, law, the heritage and museum sector, publishing and arts administration are all natural directions. The combination of philosophical precision and classical knowledge also provides an exceptional foundation for postgraduate study in philosophy, ancient philosophy, classical languages and literature, the history of ideas or medieval and Renaissance studies.