The MPhil/PhD in Classics and Ancient History allows you to immerse yourself in a chosen research field from our wide range of expertise. Study at the University of Warwick, ranked 3rd in the UK in Classics (REF 2021). Enhance your research skills and develop as a specialist in your chosen area in a stimulating and supportive research community.
Studying at Warwick has given me the perfect balance of freedom to pursue my own interests and support from my supervisors who are genuinely interested in my research. I am in control of the direction my research goes in, and I can rely on the academic staff to have thought-provoking conversations about my work with experts on a wide range of topics. Events both within and outside the department have given me the confidence to approach leading scholars from across the globe to develop connections and discuss my ideas.
Christopher Parr
Current Student
You will work independently under the close guidance of an academic supervisor. Training in research methods as well as in ancient Greek and/or Latin are provided, as required. Additional skills training and career talks and workshops are built in our programme.
Teaching and learning
Training in research methods as well as in ancient Greek or Latin is provided, as required. Additional skills training and career talks and workshops are built in our programme.
Entry requirements
Applicants will need to have achieved a First or high upper Second Class BA degree in Classics/Ancient History/Archaeology, and to have achieved or be expecting to achieve at least a high merit mark on a Master’s degree in a relevant subject to be considered for entry.
Standard offers for successful applicants will typically be conditional on achieving a merit mark in a Master’s degree (where applicable).
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
Please adjust your country as required:
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.
We typically ask for two academic references for research courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
There are several routes to finding a PhD supervisor at University of Warwick. Searching for a supervisor and submitting a research proposal will look different depending on the opportunity you are applying for. Below you’ll find guidance from the department about what is required for this course.
For more general advice, including top tips for finding and contacting a potential supervisor, and what to include in your research proposal visit the university’s guidance webpages.
Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.
If you are applying for a research degree (MA by Research, MPhil, PhD), you need to provide an outline of the chosen research topic. This should be about 500 words and should outline the following:
What area of research you intend to undertake and why (with reference to the most important relevant bibliography)
How you propose to conduct the research
What background in the subject you already have and any skills you will need to develop further (e.g., language training)
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and assessment and some student amenities.
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of research trips in the UK and overseas. In addition, you should consider the more general costs below:
Access to research material that is not available via university resources
Printing and binding a personal copy of your dissertation
Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
We are home to a vibrant postgraduate community that allows you to reach your full potential. Ranked third in the UK for research excellence (REF 2021), Classics and Ancient History at Warwick offers an intellectually stimulating and interdisciplinary environment where the richness of the classical world converges with academic excellence.
Our comprehensive postgraduate programmes offer expertise across a wide range of research interests, including Greek and Latin literature, Greek and Roman history, material culture (including art, epigraphy and numismatics), the cultures of the Second Sophistic and Late Antiquity, the history of medicine, and the reception of Classical cultures in the Renaissance.
You’ll be based in Warwick’s striking £57.5 million Faculty of Arts Building - a space designed to bring creativity, collaboration and discovery together. Found in the University’s cultural quarter beside the refurbished Warwick Arts Centre, the sustainably built eight-storey hub offers high-quality teaching rooms, flexible study areas and social spaces. It’s a place designed to help your ideas flourish beyond the classroom.
We offer a dedicated postgraduate workspace within the department, which is also home to an antiquities collection and exhibition space for use by students. We have excellent library facilities to support your research, and offer financial contributions for travel or conference attendance. Our postgraduate students form an important part of our research community, and attend weekly research seminars with speakers from across the world.
Most of our postgraduate degrees offer an opportunity to include an experience abroad during your studies, whether through courses offered by the British Schools in Rome or Athens, or via other exchange arrangements with universities worldwide.
Life at Warwick
This is where your journey begins. Our campus is the heart of it all. It’s more than just a campus - it's the places you visit, the people you meet, the fun that you have; the experiences you have here will be transformative.
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities.
Our campus is where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and cafés, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes’ walk from central campus.
Follow our students around campus on our social channels to see their experiences first-hand.
Teaching facilities
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs. You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas
Different study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces, computers, printing and scanning facilities, multimedia resources and more
Supporting you
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Whether you live on campus or off campus, in private accommodation in the well-serviced local area, you’ll be part of a community to get the most from your experience at Warwick.
Societies and sports play a huge part in community life at Warwick. With over 300 to choose from, getting involved is one of the easiest ways to make friends and share in experiences. Whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it’s where you discover who you could become.
68th
Warwick is ranked 68th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
Applications for courses starting in academic year 2026/27 are now open.
For research courses that start in September and October 2027, the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2027.
For courses starting at other times of year we recommend that you submit your application a minimum of 3 months prior to your intended start date.
This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK if required. We will still accept late applications, however cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in time to complete the admissions process if received late or there are a number of conditions to meet.
If applying late please include your degree certificates and transcripts, English proficiency evidence (if needed) and ensure referees can submit references promptly to allow time for CAS and visa processing (if applicable).
This information is applicable for 2027 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
Explore your future university further at an upcoming event, online or in-person. Can't join? Receive regular email updates or ask current students and staff questions about life at Warwick.
