PhD Classics and Ancient History

Our PhD Classics and Ancient History programme is aimed at students who want to make a genuine contribution to scholarly knowledge and understanding of the field through their thesis. You will acquire an excellent general knowledge of the wider field in question and high competence in relevant languages - ancient and modern - and associated skills, both subject-specific and generic. Research centres of special importance to us and our research students include the Centre for Late Antiquity, the Centre for the Cultural History of War, and the Cultural Theory Institute. We offer supervision in a very broad range of subjects spanning Greek and Roman culture, history, literature and language from the archaic period to late antiquity.

The principal supervisor, a co-supervisor, and a further 'independent reviewer' together constitute the PhD Panel, which meets biannually to review and give constructive advice on the student's individual progress, both on the thesis and more generally. Research training teaches you how to devise realistic independent research projects, how to plan and execute them, and how to present your results. The PhD is a vital vocational qualification for those planning to pursue an academic career. Recent graduates have gone on to research fellowships, and to part-time and full-time temporary and permanent academic positions in UK and overseas universities including Oxford, UCL, Manchester, Exeter and Leeds. As a non-vocational qualification, the PhD offers a wealth of highly valued transferable skills, and allows you to keep open a very wide range of career options in virtually any branch of professional employment in the public or private sector, including government, commerce, industry or teaching.

Aims

We aim to:

further your academic career objectives by making you feel welcome within, and a part of, our dynamic and demanding research culture;
inspire you to attend and give papers at seminars and conferences;
encourage you to undertake a modicum of appropriate undergraduate teaching, with guidance and support throughout.

Teaching and learning

Given the all-important emphasis on the production of a PhD thesis in three years, good research training and good proactive supervision are essential.

PhD study centres on the student-supervisor relationship and on regular meetings with the supervisor (at least once a month for full-time students).

Career opportunities

The PhD is a vital vocational qualification for those planning to pursue an academic career.

Recent graduates have gone on to research fellowships, and to part-time and full-time temporary and permanent academic positions in UK and overseas universities including Oxford, UCL, Manchester, Exeter and Leeds.

As a non-vocational qualification, the PhD offers a wealth of highly valued transferable skills, and allows you to keep open a very wide range of career options in virtually any branch of professional employment in the public or private sector, including government, commerce, industry or teaching.

Our PhD students have three members of academic staff assigned to them in a supervisory role.

The principal supervisor, a co-supervisor, and a further 'independent reviewer' together constitute the PhD Panel, which meets biannually to review and give constructive advice on the student's individual progress, both on the thesis and more generally.