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English and Classical Civilisation BA (UCAS QQ39)

A group of students interacting with various lecturers in a study room.

Undergraduate

Find out more about our English and Classical Civilisation degree at Warwick

Our English and Classical Civilisation (BA) degree will enable you to study classical antiquity (its literature, art, material culture and thought) together with English and comparative literature.


General entry requirements

A level typical offer

AAB including Grade A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).

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 A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). Check 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 English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined)

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 to include 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). Check 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.

BTEC

We welcome applications from students taking BTECs alongside A level English Literature or English Language-Literature (combined).

Scotland Advanced Highers

AA in two Advanced Highers including English Literature and ABB/BBB in three further Highers subjects.

AB in two Advanced Highers including A in English Literature and AAB in three further Highers subjects.

Welsh Baccalaureate

ABB in three subjects at A level including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined) plus grade C in the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate.

Access to Higher Education Diplomas

We will consider applicants returning to study who are presenting a QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma on a case-by-case basis.

Typically, we require 45 Credits at Level 3, including Distinction in 33 Level 3 credits and Merit in 12 Level 3 Credits. We may also require subject specific credits or an A level to be studied alongside the Access to Higher Education Diploma to fulfil essential subject requirements.

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 requirementsLink opens in a new window. 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 English literature to A level (or equivalent), this course will enable you to study classical antiquity (its literature, art, material culture and thought) together with English and comparative literature.

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, while in your final year you can choose to weight your modules more towards Classics or English, to pursue areas of particular academic interest. You also have the opportunity to learn an ancient language.


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 focussing on Greek and Roman literature, thought, culture and society (studied in translation), alongside two English core modules (currently Modes of Reading, and either Epic into Novel, or Medieval and Early Modern Literature). You may also choose to begin or continue study of an ancient language (Greek or Latin).

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. In addition to modules focussing on classical and English literature, you may also choose to take modules on ancient history, art or archaeology.


Year One

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 2023/24 year of study).

Two optional core modules from Classics, chosen from the following: 

Greek Culture and Society/Roman Culture and Society 

You will study both these modules, which explore the central features of Greek and Roman culture, including aspects such as religion and festivals, political institutions, women and the family, and death. This grounding will allow you to delve further into specific topics in your Honours modules, as well as encouraging you to consider the degrees of continuity and difference between ancient Greek and Roman culture and our own beliefs and practices.

Read more about these modules, 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 2023/24 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 2023/24 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 2023/24 year of study).

Plus two other optional modules from Classics, including Greek or Latin language, Introduction to Greek and Roman History and Encounters with Material Culture.

And Either

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 2023/24 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 in a global context. 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 2023/24 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 Greek or Latin language, literature or thought.

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 which can be taken in either of the departments. You must include at least 30 CATS of modules focussing on Greek or Latin language, literature or thought.


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
  • Songs, Texts, Theories: Greek Lyric Poetry
  • Romantic and Victorian Poetry
  • Devolutionary British Fiction
  • The Politics of Archaic and Classical Greek Literature
  • Ancient Greek Theatre
  • Greek Myth: Narratives, Sources, Approaches
  • The Vulnerable Body in Roman Literature and Thought
  • Explorations in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies
  • Epic and Epyllion
  • Public Engagement in Classics
  • The Transformation of Roman Society under Augustus
  • Retelling Myths in Greek and Roman Art

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 English and Classical Civilisation 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. For English modules, seminar class sizes vary from 10 to 15 while Classics module lectures range in size from 10-50, with smaller groups for seminars.


Typical contact hours

You will take four modules each term, each with 2 to 3 contact hours per week (more for any language module/s that you may select).

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.

Learn more about fees from UCASLink opens in a new window.

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.

Find out more about the Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship.Link opens in a new window

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.

Find out more about your eligibility for the Warwick Undergraduate Bursary.Link opens in a new window

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.

Find out more about the Warwick Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarships for asylum seekers.Link opens in a new window

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.

Find out more about government student loans for home students residing in England.Link opens in a new window

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

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 loan.Link 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:

  • Archaeology related roles
  • 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 our alumni
  • Networking for Classics students

Discover more about careers support at Warwick.

Teaching on this degree is shared between the Departments of English and Comparative Literary Studies and Classics and Ancient History. Admissions and programme management are conducted by the Classics Department

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.


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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.

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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.

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Whether you want to compete, relax or just have fun, you can achieve your fitness goals.

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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
  • Different study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces.

Studying at Warwick

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).

Travelling from campus

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.

Student support

Chaplaincy

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.

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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.

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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.

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Explore our student blogs in Unibuddy. You can read about campus life from students themselves, and register to post questions directly to students.

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Our 360 tour lets you:

  • 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

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Open Days at Warwick

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