Classics and the Ancient World with Study Abroad

Classics and the Ancient World is a discipline of remarkable intellectual breadth, engaging with the civilisations of ancient Greece, Rome, and the wider ancient Mediterranean and Near East through their languages, literature, history, philosophy, archaeology, and art. It is a field that rewards the combination of close reading and broad historical thinking, asking not just what ancient people wrote and made but how those texts and objects illuminate the ways in which human beings have grappled with fundamental questions of politics, ethics, beauty, and mortality.

At University College London, this four-year full-time programme with study abroad offers a flexible structure that allows you to develop expertise in one or more ancient languages from a wide range, including Ancient Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Hittite, Akkadian, and Sumerian. Alongside language study, you will engage in depth with aspects of ancient literature, philosophy, history, and archaeology across the civilisations of the ancient world, developing a sophisticated approach to interpreting evidence from the distant past. The programme culminates in a final-year dissertation that allows you to bring your analytical and argumentative skills to bear on a question of your own choosing, supervised by specialists in the field.

The study abroad component gives you the opportunity to pursue your interests in a different academic context.

Graduates of classics and ancient world programmes go on to careers in education, law, journalism, the civil service, publishing, archival and heritage work, and cultural organisations. The skills of close reading, rigorous argument, and the ability to work with fragmentary and ambiguous evidence are valued across any field that prizes careful thinking and precise communication. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in classical studies, ancient history, archaeology, linguistics, or philosophy, developing their expertise for academic research or more specialised professional roles.