Classics and Ancient History

MPhil: a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding in the submission of a 25,000-word dissertation. Students may have the option to audit units from taught programmes if they are relevant to their research.

PhD: a research project undertaken across four years (full-time, minimum period of study three years), culminating in an 80,000-word thesis. As well as having the option to audit taught units, there may be opportunities for PhD students to gain teaching experience from their second year of study onwards.

All research students are offered training sessions: some are run by the department, some by the School of Humanities, and some by the Faculty of Arts. Students are also expected to attend the fortnightly departmental research seminars.

The MPhil and PhD can be studied via distance learning.

MPhil: An upper second-class degree or international equivalent. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree.

PhD: A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent). Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Members of the department carry out research across the whole range of classical studies: Greek and Latin literature, ancient history and historiography, visual culture, archaeology, philosophy and reception. Our work is characterised by a particular focus on interdisciplinary approaches and theoretical questions, and by an interest in the globalisation of classics.

A special resource is the Bristol Institute of Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition, which provides a focus for collaborative and interdisciplinary work and support for conferences and other research activities. The institute encompasses research from many fields, including history, art history, archaeology, literary studies and philosophy, with a particular interest in exploring links between the ancient and modern worlds.

Individual members of staff are involved with research groups across the faculty and University, such as medieval studies, early modern studies, colonialism and the Cabot Institute for the Environment. They have run Faculty of Arts research clusters on topics such as 'The Embodied Mind' and 'Tragedy'. Members of the department currently hold, and have recently held, major research fellowships from the Alan Turing Institute, the Leverhulme Trust and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.