Ancient Literature and Thought at Warwick

We are keen to encourage applications from postgraduate students who wish to work on any aspect of Greek/Latin literature and Greco-Roman thought. For details of our academics' expertise, see Ancient Literature and Thought. On current postgraduates' research, see Postgraduate students' research topics - Classics and Ancient History. We offer the following postgraduate programs:

• Taught MA in Ancient Literature and Thought

This MA will foster your ability to read widely across Latin and/or Greek literature, and to develop nuanced understanding of the methodologies and critical approaches to the study of these texts within their historical, cultural and political contexts. It provides an intensive introduction to literary theory tailored specifically to classicists, making it a unique pathway in the UK for classicists, and harnesses Warwick's strong interdisciplinary links between its departments of Classics and Ancient History, English and Comparative Literary Studies, and Philosophy.

Applicants will need to have achieved or be expecting to achieve a firm 2:1 undergraduate degree in Classics or a similar course of academic study with substantial course components in the area of Classics to be considered for entry. Knowledge of Greek/Latin is not a prerequisite for the course, but successful applicants without Greek/Latin who would like to begin or continue language learning are supported to do this at the appropriate level.

• MA by Research

– 40,000-word dissertation or 25,000-word dissertation plus 2 x 5,000-word essays + language dossier/ training in Latin or Greek; 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time. Our MA by research is designed to help students acquire the skills needed for doctoral research, whilst also being an intellectually stimulating year for those not necessarily intending to continue in academia.

• MPhil and PhD

– 60,000-word dissertation, 2 years full-time; 4 years part-time.

• PhD – 80,000-word thesis; 3 years full-time, 5 years part-time.

Postgraduate students spend a lot of their time working independently, researching their own specialist topic, but are part of an active and ever-expanding research community in Classics (based around the weekly departmental seminar, which is student-led), and also across our neighbouring departments of English and Comparative Literature, Philosophy, History, and Modern Languages. We also work closely with Warwick’s Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts (CRPLA) and the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance, both of which hold regular seminars, conferences and events. In addition, we maintain close contact with the Warwick Institute of Advanced Study (IAS), which is dedicated to enriching the University’s research environment by supporting Warwick academics, hosting a number of international visitors and enhancing the experience of postgraduate students and early career scholars. We regularly invite distinguished external speakers to present their research within the department of Classics, but we also encourage students to make the most of the distinctive interdisciplinary dimension that Warwick has to offer to postgraduates working in or across the fields of literary and cultural studies, philosophy, languages and history.