Classics

Course Overview

The M.Phil. in Classics is aimed both at students who intend to proceed to doctoral research and those who wish to round off their undergraduate studies by taking their encounter with the Classical world to the next level or to explore a nascent interest in ancient Greece and Rome.



This course offers a range of taught modules at high level and the opportunity to write a dissertation on a subject of your choice.



It provides students with an excellent grounding in postgraduate research skills in Classics. It also hones analytical, written, and verbal communication skills which are highly valued in careers outside the university and education sectors. The M.Phil. in Classics attracts students from all over the world who have gone on to a broad range of careers.



Is This Course For Me?

The M.Phil. in Classics is designed both for those who are already fully trained in the Classical languages, and for those who have completed non-language-based degrees. While the Research Skills modules offers instruction in the methodologies and approaches to the study of the ancient world, the taught modules and the dissertation offer students the opportunity to begin to specialise in a particular strand of Classical scholarship, literary, philosophical, historical or archaeological. This course thereby provides an essential basis for further research in the discipline.



Course Structure

Taken as a full time course, the M.Phil. lasts for 12 months, starting in September. Teaching is spread over 24 weeks from September to the following April. The course consists of a combination of compulsory and optional components that together make up the 90 ECTS expected for full-time study over one academic year at Masters level.



Students taking the course on a part-time basis do so over two years. Part-time students must pass taught modules carrying 40 ECTS, including the compulsory module Classics Research Skills (20 ECTS), in their first year in order to progress to the second year. In their second year, they must pass taught modules carrying 20 ECTS and submit a dissertation by the end of August.

Course Content

The course has two compulsory elements. The weekly core module Classics: Research and Methods, runs throughout the year and communicates core research skills and knowledge across the main strands of classical scholarship.



In addition, students also choose four electives (or two with beginners’ Greek or Latin), which likewise allow them to build specific skills and follow their individual interests. Recently taught electives include: Greek Language; Latin Language; Saving the Past; Unlocking Sacred Landscapes; Desire and the Body from Catullus to Seneca; Early Christianity; Homer and the Canons of Antiquity; After Alexander: Hellenistic Athens; Roman Hellenism; Curiosity and Crisis in the Late Fifth Century; The Eternal City: The Archaeology of the City of Rome; Goddesses of the Mediterranean.



For students with intermediate and advanced Greek and Latin, a range of author- and topic-based modules are available.



All students also write a dissertation of 15,000 words on an agreed topic, individually supervised by a member of staff. The dissertation offers an opportunity to begin to specialise in a particular strand of scholarship, whether literary, philosophical, historical or archaeological.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should normally have at least an upper second class (2.1) Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent (for example, GPA of 3.3) in a relevant area. Knowledge of Greek or Latin is not required, but students hoping later to pursue a research degree in fields where the written record provides our main sources will be strongly encouraged to acquire language skills in the course.



Since places on the course are limited, applicants may be interviewed or asked to submit a writing sample for assessment.



English Language Requirements

All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet B and B, see the English Language Requirements page.

Closing Date: 30th June 2025

1 year full-time (EU and non-EU students) / 2 years part-time (EU/UK/EEA students only.

Next Intake: September 2025

Career Opportunities

The M.Phil. helps prepare graduates for a wide variety of careers including in the museum and heritage sectors, libraries and archives, public policy and administration, archaeology, law, teaching, and media. It also provides invaluable training in research for those planning to pursue a doctorate and / or career in research.