Classics and English BA (UCAS QQ36)
Explore our Classics and English degree at Warwick
Our Classics and English (BA) degree will enable you to study classical antiquity (its literature, art, material culture and thought) together with its reception in English literature through the Western tradition.
General entry requirements
A level typical offer
AAB including Grade A in Latin or Ancient Greek and Grade A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).
A level additional information
You also need a grade C or grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics (or equivalent).
A level contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is ABB including an A in Latin or Greek and B in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). See if you're eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
IB typical offer
34 to include 6 in Higher Level Latin or Ancient Greek, and a 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language-Literature (combined).
IB additional information
You also need a grade C or grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics (or equivalent).
IB contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 32 including 6,6 in Higher Level Latin or Greek and English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). See if you're eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
We welcome applications from students taking BTECs alongside A level Latin or Ancient Greek and A level English Literature or English Language-Literature (combined).
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
International qualifications
English Language requirements
All applicants have to meet our English Language requirements. If you cannot demonstrate that you meet these, you may be invited to take part in our Pre-sessional English course at WarwickLink opens in a new window.
This course requires: Band B
Learn more about our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window
Frequently asked questions
Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in a Widening Participation programme or who meet the contextual data criteria.
Differential offers will usually be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer.
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
We welcome applications for deferred entry.
We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.
Course overview
If you have an interest in both Classics and English, and have studied either Latin or Ancient Greek to A level (or equivalent), this course will enable you to study classical antiquity (its literature, art, material culture and thought) together with its reception in English literature through the Western tradition.
We are one of only a few universities in the UK to offer a combined degree that treats the two subjects as a continuum.
The course examines the multiple and ever-evolving interactions between the artistic production of classical antiquity and English literature, from Shakespeare to contemporary poets, novelists and dramatists.
You will study a range of modules each year. In the first and second years your modules are equally split between English and Classics, and include study of Latin or Greek texts in the original, while in your final year you can choose to weight your modules more towards Classics or English, to pursue areas of particular academic interest.
Study abroad
You will have the opportunity to spend your third year at one of our partner institutions in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia or China. You will then return to Warwick to complete your fourth and final year of your degree.
You will be able to apply to transfer to the four-year course at the end of your second year at Warwick, as long as you maintain a 2:i average, and subject to availability of places from the University's International Office.
The Study Abroad team offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.
Find out more about:
Core modules
All our degrees involve core modules in your first year. In subsequent years, you build on what you have learnt through a choice of modules, which allow you to engage in your own way with the two inter-related fields of study.
In your first year you study Classics modules in Latin or Greek and two modules exploring ancient culture and society, thought and literature, alongside two English core modules (currently Modes of Reading, and either Epic into Novel, or Medieval and Early Modern Literature).
In your second and third years you may choose from a range of optional modules from either department, with flexibility increasing in your third year, when you will also write a dissertation on a topic of your choice, supervised by a member of either Department.
Year One
Greek Literary Texts
The purpose of this module is to build upon A Level Ancient Greek and allow you to both broaden and deepen your understanding of Greek by further reading of significant works in genres that, for the most part, you will have not previously studied. As well as developing your ability to translate from Greek, the module also includes discussion of literary and grammatical points.
Read more about the Greek Literary Texts moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
or
Latin Literary Texts
This module builds upon A level Latin, and allows you to develop your understanding of Latin by further reading of significant works by authors and in genres which, for the most part, you will not have previously studied. As well as developing your ability to read Latin more fluently and to translate from Latin, the module also teaches you advanced grammar, and offers an ambitious introduction to literary criticism and philological analysis at degree level.
Read more about the Latin Literary Texts moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Two optional modules from Classics, chosen from the following:
Greek Culture and Society
This module introduces students of all backgrounds to the vast panorama of Greek culture, from Homeric times to the coming of Rome. It explores some of the most distinctive features of Greek culture and its social institutions, from the polis, festivals and religion, to mythology, sport and the performance of poetry, while encouraging students to consider the degrees of continuity and difference between ancient Greek culture and their own beliefs and practices. The module is designed to provide a framework within which you can develop your own individual interests in the second and third years.
Read more about the Greek Culture and Society moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Roman Culture and Society
This module explores what was distinctively ‘Roman’ about Roman culture and society, both in Rome itself and throughout its empire, from Britain to Bulgaria, and from the Nile to the Euphrates. The module introduces students of all backgrounds to topics from the late first century BC to the early third century AD, investigating the impact on Roman society of the emergence of sole rulers and dynastic powers, and the gradual opening up of society to provincials. It considers a range of evidence, from poetry to graffiti, monuments to religious artefacts, and is designed to provide a framework within which you can develop your own individual interests in the second and third years.
Read more about the Roman Culture and Society module,Link opens in a new window including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Ancient Thought: Philosophy, Politics, Science
This module introduces students to the breadth and variety of ancient thought – investigating the ways in which the ancient Greeks and Romans articulated their thinking and their beliefs, about themselves and the worlds around them. We survey the cultural and intellectual contours of the ancient Graeco-Roman world from the presocratics through to late antiquity, and investigate not just the origins and development of philosophical thinking, but also developments in scientific investigation.
Read more about the Ancient Thought: Philosophy, Politics, Science moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Encounters with Greek Texts
This module, taught in translation, introduces students to many different kinds of ancient Greek texts across a wide variety of genres and forms, including epic, drama, lyric, historiography, rhetoric. The module will also allow students to explore critically the range of methodologies and approaches used in the interpretation of ancient texts both within and beyond original cultural and political contexts.
Read more about the Encounters with Greek Texts moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Encounters with Latin Texts
This module, taught in translation, introduces students to many different kinds of Latin texts written in a variety of genres and forms, including historiographical, epigraphic and rhetorical texts, and literary texts in poetry and prose, from the canonical to the marginal and ‘sub-literary’. As well as expanding awareness of the Latin texts classicists study across different sub-fields (for instance, philology, archaeology, ancient history), the module will explore critically the range of methodologies and approaches used in the interpretation of ancient texts in their cultural and political contexts, and allow students to test out these skills in their own responses to texts.
Read more about the Encounters with Latin Texts moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Modes of Reading
What is a reader? How is our understanding and perception of a text formed? What does it mean to think critically when we read? This module allows you to explore these questions by putting a spotlight on the question of critical thinking in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By studying a series of literary texts in relation to some of the most influential literary and cultural theorists of the last hundred years, you will take your own position on everything from Marxism, queer and feminist theory to ecocriticism and postcolonial critique.
Read more about the Modes of Reading moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Epic into Novel
Tracking the transition from the epics of the ancient world to their incarnation as texts of modernity, this module introduces you to some of the most influential and formative works of world literature. You will study central texts of the classical world, such as Gilgamesh, Homer’s Iliad, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Catullus; ancient epics from India and Africa; Milton’s Paradise Lost; as well as responses to ancient epic by Tennyson, Margaret Atwood, Seamus Heaney, and Maria Dahvana Headley. Reading across history and cultures, between languages and genres, you will develop the skills to analyse narrative, character, and style.
Read more about the Epic into Novel moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
or
Medieval and Early Modern Literature
Taking you from the mythical court of King Arthur to the real world of ambition, intrigue, and danger in the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, this module introduces you to early literature written in a range of genres (romance, epic, fabliau) and poetic forms. You will study texts like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Thomas More’s Utopia, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, and Shakespeare’s sonnets to explore some of the period’s highest ideals—‘trawthe’ or integrity—as well as some of humanity’s darkest impulses: greed, deception, revenge, and desire.
Read more about the Medieval and Early Modern Literature moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Two
Optional modules from either the Classics or English department.
You are required to take half your modules from each department, including at least 30 CATS focussing on Latin literature in the original.
Year Three
Dissertation (supervised by either the Classics or English Department) and modules chosen from the Classics and English Departments.
You are required to take at least 30 CATS from each Department in addition to the Dissertation.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- English Literature and Feminisms 1790-1899
- The Vulnerable Body in Roman Literature and Thought
- The Question of the Animal
- Politics and Poetics in Greek and Latin Literature
- Romantic and Victorian Poetry
- Africa and the Making of Classical Literature
- Space and Place in Ancient Greek Literature
- Devolutionary British Fiction
- Democracy and Imperialism
- The Roman Empire from Tiberius to Hadrian
- Explorations in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies
Assessment
Different modules include a variety of forms of assessment, including traditional essays, written examinations, close reading exercises, creative projects, portfolios, video-essays, blogs, and films.
Your second and third years contribute equally to your final degree classification.
Teaching
You will study both Classics and English in a variety of ways - through lectures, seminars, and language classes, and, in your final year, through a dissertation on a topic of your own choice, with guidance from your departmental supervisor.
Class sizes
Class sizes vary from 6 to 80. Honours modules are capped at 60. For English modules, seminar class sizes vary from 10 to 15 while Classics texts classes can range from 2-10 students.
Typical contact hours
You will take four modules per term, each with 2 to 3 contact hours per week, and more for your language modules.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees cover the majority of the costs of your study, including teaching and assessment. Fees are charged at the start of each academic year. If you pay your fees directly to the University, you can choose to pay in instalments.
Undergraduate fees
If you are a home student enrolling in 2024, your annual tuition fees will be £9,250. In the future, these fees might change for new and continuing students.
How are fees set?
The British Government sets tuition fee rates.
Undergraduate fees
If you are an overseas or EU student enrolling in 2024, your annual tuition fees will be as follows:
- Band 1 – £24,800 per year (classroom-based courses, including Humanities and most Social Science courses)
- Band 2 – £31,620 per year (laboratory-based courses, plus Maths, Statistics, Theatre and Performance Studies, Economics, and courses provided by Warwick Business School, with exceptions)
Fees for 2025 entry have not been set. We will publish updated information here as soon as it becomes available, so please check back for updates about 2025 fee rates before you apply.
Fee status guidance
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.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status.Link opens in a new window
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on this web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module CatalogueLink opens in a new window (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2024/25 year of study). Information about module specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Further information
Find out more about tuition fees from our Student Finance team.
Scholarships and bursaries
Learn about scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students.
We offer a number of undergraduate scholarships and bursaries to full-time undergraduate students. These include sporting and musical bursaries, and scholarships offered by commercial organisations.
Find out more about funding opportunities for full-time students.Link opens in a new window
If you are an international student, a limited number of scholarships may be available.
Find out more information on our international scholarship pages.Link opens in a new window
You may be eligible for financial help from your own government, from the British Council or from other funding agencies. You can usually request information on scholarships from the Ministry of Education in your home country, or from the local British Council office.
Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship
We believe there should be no barrier to talent. That's why we are committed to offering a scholarship that makes it easier for gifted, ambitious international learners to pursue their academic interests at one of the UK's most prestigious universities.
We provide extra financial support for qualifying students from lower income families. The Warwick Undergraduate Bursary is an annual award of up to £3,000 per annum. It is intended to help with course-related costs and you do not have to pay it back.
As part of the 'City of Sanctuary' movement, we are committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for those seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. We provide a range of scholarships to enable people seeking sanctuary or asylum to progress to access university education.
Further information
Find out more about Warwick undergraduate bursaries and scholarships.
Eligibility for student loans
Your eligibility for student finance will depend on certain criteria, such as your nationality and residency status, your course, and previous study at higher education level.
Check if you're eligible for student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your tuition fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you can receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won’t have to set up any payments.
Maintenance Loan for living costs
You can apply for a Maintenance Loan towards your living costs such as accommodation, food and bills. This loan is means-tested, so the amount you receive is partially based on your household income and whether you choose to live at home or in student accommodation.
If you’re starting a course on or after 1 August 2021, you usually must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement SchemeLink opens in a new window to get student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
If you are an EU student and eligible for student finance you may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you may receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won't have to set up any payments.
Help with living costs
For the 2024 academic year, you may be eligible for help with your living costs if both of the following apply:
- You have lived in the UK for more than 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
And
- You have Settled Status (see further details on Settled Status)Link opens in a new window
If you are coming to the UK from 1st January 2021, you may need to apply for a visaLink opens in a new window to study here.
Please note: Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Find out more about government student loans for EU studentsLink opens in a new window
Repaying your loans
You will repay your loan or loans gradually once you are working and earning above a certain amount. For students starting their course after 1 August 2023, the repayment threshold is £25,000. Repayments will be taken directly from your salary if you are an employee. If your income falls below the earnings threshold, your repayments will stop until your income goes back up above this figure.
Find out more about repaying your student loanLink opens in a new window.
Your career
Graduates from Classics courses have gone on to work for employers including:
- Acturis
- Cancer Research UK
- Comic Relief
- English Heritage
- EY
- John Lewis and Partners
- KPMG
- Teach First
- The British Museum
- Waitrose and Partners
They have pursued roles such as:
- Business and related associate professionals
- Conference and exhibition managers and organisers
- Finance and investment analysts and advisors
- Legal associate professionals
- Management consultants and business analysts
- Marketing associate professionals
- Teaching and other educational professionals
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant. They offer impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- What can you do with a Classics and Ancient History degree?
- Careers in the Creative Industries
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- Next steps after your classics degree ... hear from alumni
- Networking for Classics students
Classics and Ancient History at Warwick
Take your fascination with the ancient world further.
Our Classics and Ancient History department is tailor-made for a community of curiosity. Work closely with award-winning academics while carving your own path through the varied disciplines we study - from literature and history, to philosophy and art.
Share your observations, opinions and developing interests. Develop critical and creative thinking that will prove valuable for your future – wherever in the world this might take you.
Find out more about us on our websiteLink opens in a new window
Explore our new Faculty of Arts building
The department recently moved into the brand new £57.5 million Faculty of Arts building.
This means, as an Arts student at Warwick, you’ll find your home amongst brand new teaching, learning and social spaces, including specialist facilities, all designed to support collaborative working and to enable your creativity and innovation to flourish.
The sustainably built, eight-storey building is located next to the newly refurbished Warwick Arts Centre in the heart of the University’s creative and cultural arts quarter.
Explore our new Faculty of Arts building further.
Our courses
- Ancient History and Classical Archaeology (BA)
- Ancient History and Classical Archaeology with Study in Europe (BA)
- Classical Civilisation (BA)
- Classical Civilisation with Study in Europe (BA)
- Classics (BA)
- Classics (Ancient Greek) with Study in Europe (BA)
- Classics (Latin) with Study in Europe (BA)
- Classics and English (BA)
- English and Classical Civilisation (BA)
Related degrees
Life at Warwick
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities. A place where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. Our supportive, energising, welcoming space creates the ideal environment for forging new connections, having fun and finding inspiration.
Find out how to apply to us, ask your questions, and find out more.
Warwick Accommodation
Finding the right accommodation is key to helping you settle in quickly.
We have 12 self-catering undergraduate halls of residence on campus.
Our student property management and lettings agency manages more than 8,000 rooms both on and off campus, and provides advice to all full-time undergraduates.
Our campus
You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible new 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.
Food and drink
We have lots of cafés, restaurants and shops on campus. You can enjoy great quality food and drink, with plenty of choice for all tastes and budgets. There is a convenience store on central campus, as well as two supermarkets and a small shopping centre in the nearby Cannon Park Retail Park. Several of them offer delivery services to help you stay stocked up.
And don't miss our regular food market day on the Piazza with tempting, fresh and delicious street food. Soak up the atmosphere and try something new, with mouth-watering food for all tastes.
Clubs and societies
We currently have more than 300 student-run societies.
So whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Or you could try something new, or even form your own society.
Sports and fitness
Staying active at Warwick is no sweat, thanks to our amazing new Sports and Wellness Hub, indoor and outdoor tennis centre, 60 acres of sports pitches, and more than 60 sports clubs.
Whether you want to compete, relax or just have fun, you can achieve your fitness goals.
Studying on campus
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.
- The Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas.
- The University Library provides access to over one million printed works and tens of thousands of electronic journals
- Three Learning Grids offering you flexible individual and group study spaces.
Travel and local area
Our campus is in Coventry, a modern city with high street shops, restaurants, nightclubs and bars sitting alongside medieval monuments. The Warwickshire towns of Leamington Spa and Kenilworth are also nearby.
The University is close to major road, rail and air links. London is just an hour by direct train from Coventry, with Birmingham a 20-minute trip. Birmingham International Airport is nearby (a 20-minute drive).
Wellbeing support and faith provision
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.
Our Chaplaincy is home to Chaplains from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. We provide regular services for all Christian denominations and a Shabbat meal every Friday for our Jewish students. There is also an Islamic prayer hall, halal kitchen and ablution facilities.
How to apply
Learn more about our application process.
Key dates
Key dates for your application to Warwick.
Writing your personal statement
Make an impression and demonstrate your passion for your course.
After you've applied
Find out how we process your application.
Our Admission Statement
Read Warwick's Admission Statement
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Talk to us
Join us at a live event. You can ask about courses, applying to Warwick, life at Warwick, visas and immigration, and more.
Warwick Experience
Take a virtual, student-led campus tour. Then join an interactive panel session, where you can hear from and chat to our current students and staff.
Student blogs
Explore our student blogs in OurWarwick. You can read about campus life from students themselves, and register to post questions directly to students.
Explore campus with our virtual tour
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- Watch student videos
- View 360 photography and drone footage
- Learn about facilities and landmarks
Explore our campus virtually through our 360 campus tour now
Come to an Open Day
Don’t just take it from us, come and see for yourself what Warwick is all about. Whether it's a virtual visit or in-person, our University Open Days give you the chance to meet staff and students, visit academic departments, tour the campus and get a real feel for life at Warwick.
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