BA Classical Studies
Royal Holloway, University of London
About this course
A BA in Classical Studies, a humanities degree examining the literature, history, philosophy, and material culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Core topics include Research Methods and Historical Research. Students can also complete an optional placement year. The first year introduces classical antiquity with compulsory foundational study alongside optional choices such as Beginner’s Greek, Beginner's Latin, and Introduction to Greek Archaeology. The second year expands into diverse topics including Homer (In Translation), Augustus: Propaganda and Power, and From Dig to Digital: Archaeological Theory, Method and Practice. The final year centres on a compulsory Extended Essay (Dissertation) alongside advanced option modules like Alexander the Great and Understanding Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB-BBB (Required subjects: We require English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade 4 (C)) IB: 6,5,5 at Higher level or 32 points overall.
See the highest paying History, Philosophy & Religion degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 30 final-year students who answered
- Teaching on my course: 95%
- Learning opportunities: 89%
- Assessment and feedback: 90%
- Academic support: 92%
- Organisation and management: 92%
- Learning resources: 93%
- Student voice: 84%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 45 students who started
- Continued on course: 90%
- Left higher education: 10%
What graduates do next
Based on about 8 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 65%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 20%
Most common jobs
- Elementary occupations: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 20%
- Skilled trades occupations: 15%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 55%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 30%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 20%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 55 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 5%
- West Midlands: 3%
- East of England: 11%
- London: 45%
- South East: 25%
- South West: 9%
Who gets in
Based on about 30 students who started
- A levels: 95%
- Access course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Studying Classical Antiquity
- Beginner’s Greek
- Intermediate Greek
- Beginner's Latin
- Intermediate Latin
- Introduction to Greek Literature
- Roman Literature of the Empire
- Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
- Greek History and the City State
- Key Themes in Roman History
- Introduction to Greek Archaeology
- Introduction to Roman Archaeology
- Advanced Greek
- Advanced Latin
- Aspects of Modern Greek Language and Culture
- Intensive Latin
- Homer (in Greek)
- Latin Epic (in Latin)
- Homer (In Translation)
- Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Art and Power in Augustan Rome
- Greek History to 322 BC
- Spinning the Past: Greek Historiography from Herodotos to Diodoros
- Augustus: Propaganda and Power
- Historiography of the Roman World
- The Good Life in Ancient Philosophy
- Second Year Projects
- Plato (in Greek)
- From Dig to Digital: Archaeological Theory, Method and Practice
- Roman Drama (in Latin)
- Athenian Law and Social History
- Tacitus and the Making of Empire
- Life in the Big City
- Empire and its Others - Virgil's Aeneid
- Greek Drama (In Translation)
- The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic
- Rome and its Empire from Augustus to Commodus
- The Later Roman Empire
- Byzantium and its Neighbours, 641-1081
- Extended Essay (Dissertation)
- Further Aspects of Modern Greek Language and Culture
- Augustus
- Alexander the Great
- Understanding Pompeii and Herculaneum
- City of Athens
- Intensive Greek
- Encounters with Latin Poetry (in Latin)
- Food in the Ancient World
- Roman Protests and Riots
- Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire
- Thinking Myth: classical myth and its reception
- Of Masks & Voices: Gender and Performance in Ancient Greece
- Art, Architecture and Identity in the Hellenistic World
- Christians and Pagans from Constantine to Augustine (AD 306-430)
- History and Fiction
- Contemporary Approaches to Latin Literature
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £25,500 after 3 years, £30,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £35,000. The £30,500 median after five years is £1,000 less than the UK median for Classics.
What do graduates of BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London do next?
95% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London?
95% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 119 UCAS points.
Does BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Classical Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London?
90% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.