Classical Studies

Classical studies is the academic engagement with the ancient Greek and Roman worlds in all their breadth: their literature, history, philosophy, art, archaeology, and the ideas they produced that have shaped Western thought and culture from antiquity to the present day. It is a discipline that requires you to work with diverse and fragmentary evidence, to combine analytical rigour with imaginative reconstruction, and to ask how the study of the ancient world, with all its attractions and its deeply disturbing features, can illuminate the pressing concerns of contemporary life.

At Birkbeck College, this three-year full-time BA is a particularly diverse and stimulating programme in which you explore the culture, history, archaeology, philosophy, and literature of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. You will develop expertise in constructing and communicating arguments based on complex historical and literary evidence, understanding the limits of what we can know about the ancient world while also learning how to push those limits further. The programme takes seriously the way in which the classical world continues to shape debates about contemporary issues of identity, power, democracy, gender, and justice, making it both historically rigorous and genuinely relevant to the present.

Birkbeck's distinctive tradition of flexible, accessible higher education in London means you will study in an intellectually stimulating environment that attracts students with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

You will develop strong research, analytical, and communication skills alongside deep knowledge of the ancient world and its legacies.

Graduates go on to careers in education, publishing, journalism, heritage and museum work, the cultural sector, law, the civil service, and a wide range of professional roles where the analytical and communicative skills the degree builds are valued. Many continue to postgraduate study in classics, ancient history, or archaeology, building specialist expertise for research and curatorial careers.