We offer a distinctive and rewarding postgraduate experience across the range of disciplines for students wanting the extra year of in-depth study or for those transitioning to research.
Our postgraduate taught programmes offer our local research and teaching expertise and offer access to the rich learning resources of the University of London. All our programmes draw on our rich departmental research. You will be taught by experts in the field, engaged with their own research interests. They will broaden your perspectives, deepen your knowledge, and provide you with skills and experience that you can take into later life.
Our masters programmes offer:
- subject specific skills in key disciplinary areas
- skills in research
- skills in dealing with complex problems
- skills in analysis
- skills in presenting complex research
MA programmes
Ancient History - Classical Art & Archaeology - Classics
Our MA offering is part of the Intercollegiate Masters programme offered in partnership with King’s College London, University College London, and the Institute of Classical Studies, creating one of the biggest clusters of classics scholars in the world. Our MA courses offer an unparalleled menu of taught courses which cover every aspect of the classical world, drawing on the internationally acclaimed research of all partner colleges. They provide ideal training for those considering further research, as well as an additional year of high level study for those seeking to build on their undergraduate qualification.
Our MA courses include:
Teaching for the MA degree is agreed in the spring each year, and courses on offer vary depending on staff availability. The modules on intercollegiate programmes on offer in the upcoming academic year are shown here. As you'll see, you can also look at the courses offered by KCL and UCL to our intercollegiate students. These are fully integrated offerings in which students from any of the partners can access courses in the other institutions.
MA students not only have access to the library and archives at Royal Holloway, but also to the University of London central library, the Institute of Classical Studies library, and the libraries of KCL and UCL.
We accept both full-time and part-time students on our MA programmes; part-time students usually study two taught courses in their first year, and work on their dissertation after completing a further taught course in their second year.
How To Apply
You can apply for a Masters programme with us through Royal Holloway Direct. We run a rolling deadline for these programmes and accept applications until August for entry in September; we encourage you to complete your application as soon as you can to ensure there are still places available on the programme you wish to study.
You do not have to have an undergraduate qualification in a classical subject to apply for our Masters programmes - we welcome those with a general interest in the humanities. We usually expect applicants for the MA in Classics to have some prior experience of the ancient languages in a formal educational context. Applicants who have relevant professional qualifications and work experience in an associated area are particularly warmly encouraged for the MRes in Rhetoric, and those interested in the interface between the classical and ancient world will be particularly well-served by both our MRes programmes.
When writing your personal statement, you should make sure you have answered the following questions:
- What makes you a suitable candidate to proceed to postgraduate study?
- Why do you think the programme you are applying to is a particularly good fit with your interests?
- Why is the Classics department at Royal Holloway the right place for you to be?
You may also be interested in finding out more about the Masters degree scholarships on offer.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Professor Richard Alston, our acting Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies.
