BA Classical Studies and Drama

About this course

BA in Classical Studies and Drama, a combined humanities degree exploring ancient civilizations alongside theatrical performance and dramatic texts. Core topics include Research Methods and Historical Research. Students can optionally undertake an industrial placement year or spend a year studying abroad. The first year introduces foundational skills through compulsory modules such as Performance Making and Storytelling & Dramaturgy, alongside a wide range of optional classical language and history choices including Beginner’s Greek and Beginner's Latin. Moving into the second and third years, learners can tailor their education by selecting from numerous specialized options spanning classical literature, ancient philosophy, archaeology, and diverse theatrical practices like Theatre and Performance Making: Devising, Theatre and Performance Making: Theatre Directing, and Theatre and Performance Making: Acting for Camera. Optional study areas cover ancient history, textual analysis, and modern performance theory, allowing participants to blend practical theatre-making with historical investigation throughout the programme.

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.

Institution: Royal Holloway, University of London
Level: undergraduate
Subject: Classical Studies and Drama
Duration: 3 years
UCAS code: QW84
Typical offer: A-level ABB, IB 32
Median salary: £28,000 after 5 years

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. Including Higher Level Essay-based subject

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What students say

Based on about 65 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university

Teaching on my course: 90%
Learning opportunities: 83%
Assessment and feedback: 86%
Academic support: 90%
Organisation and management: 70%
Learning resources: 87%
Student voice: 79%

Do students stay on the course?

Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)

Continued on course: 90%
Left higher education: 10%

What graduates do next

Based on about 22 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)

Working: 70%
Working and studying: 10%
Further study: 15%
Unemployed: 5%

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: 80%
Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
Use what they learnt on the course: 55%

Where graduates work (5 years on)

Based on about 135 graduates, across similar courses at this university

North West: 3%
Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
East Midlands: 3%
West Midlands: 2%
East of England: 12%
London: 38%
South East: 27%
South West: 7%
Wales: 3%
Scotland: 2%

Who gets in

Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)

A levels: 100%

Accreditation & quality ratings

TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.

Modules

Performance Making
Storytelling & Dramaturgy
Beginner’s Greek
Intermediate Greek
Greek Language and Reading
Beginner's Latin
Intermediate Latin
Latin Language and Reading
Introduction to Greek Literature
Roman Literature of the Republic
Roman Literature of the Empire
Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
Individual and Community
Greek History and the City State
Key Themes in Roman History
Studying Classical Antiquity
Introduction to Greek Archaeology
Introduction to Roman Archaeology
Intensive Greek
Aspects of Modern Greek Language and Culture
Hellenistic Epic: Apollonius of Rhodes
Imperial Greek Poetry: Epic & Epigram
Homer (in Greek)
The Tragedy of Euripides
Greek Dramatic Texts II (Comedy)
Herodotus
Plato (in Greek)
Imperial Greek Literature
Greek Historiography (in Greek)
Greek Erotic Poetry in Greek
Horace
Lucretius and Virgil
Latin Love Elegy
Roman Satire
Latin Epic (in Latin)
Latin Historiography
Catullus and Horace
Latin Letters (in Latin)
Homer (In Translation)
Greek Drama (In Translation)
Cinema and Classics
Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Art and Power in Augustan Rome
Virgil’s Aeneid: The Empire in the Literary Imagination
Gender in Classical Antiquity
Greek Law and Lawcourts
Greek History to 322 BC
Spinning the Past: Greek Historiography from Herodotos to Diodoros
Augustus: Propaganda and Power
The Roman Republic: A Social and Economic History
The Rise of the Roman Empire: An Economic and Social history
Historiography of the Roman World
Body and Soul in Ancient Philosophy
The Good Life in Ancient Philosophy
The Built Environment in Classical Antiquity
Greek and Roman Art in Context
Understanding Pompeii and Herculaneum
Perspectives on Roman Britai
Second Year Projects
Theatre and Performance Making: Devising
Theatre and Performance Making: Theatre Directing
Theatre and Performance Making: Acting for Camera
Theatre and Performance Making: Dance and Theatre
Theatre and Performance Making: Scenography
Theatre and Text: Staging the Real
Theatre and Text: Decoding debbie tucker green
Shakespeare, Ecology and Performance
Theatre and Culture: Theatre for Young Audiences
Theatre and Culture: Cultures of Memory
Dancing Bodies, Global Culture
Theatre and Ideas: Ideas of Gender and Sexuality
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of Tragedy
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of Adaptation
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of the Musical
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of Acting
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of Money
Theatre and Ideas: The Idea of Casting
Further Aspects of Modern Greek Language and Culture
Roman Oratory
Ancient Literary Criticism
Roman Drama (In Translation)
Greek Lyric, Eros and Social Order
Nature and the Supernatural in Latin Literature
Greek Literature under the Roman Empire
Studying Ancient Myth
Culture and Identity from Nero to Hadrian
The Roman Novel
Augustus
Alexander the Great
The City from Augustus to Charlemagne: The Rise and Fall of Civilisation
The Good Life in Ancient Philosophy II
Perspectives on Roman Britain
City of Rome
City of Athens
The Archaeology of the Roman Near East
Extended Essay (Dissertation)
Love, Gender and Sexuality
Race Relations in Theatre, Film and Television
Shakespeare
Naturalist Theatre in Context
Creative Learning and Theatre
Physical Theatre
Shakespeare on Camera
The Actor's Voice
Actor Training in a Globalised World
Final Year Project - Special Study
Final Year Project - Dissertation
Taught Dissertation

Questions about this course

How much do graduates of BA Classical Studies and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London earn?

The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £22,500 after 3 years, £28,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £23,000 and £34,500. The £28,000 median after five years is £3,500 less than the UK median for Classics.

What do graduates of BA Classical Studies and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London do next?

90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).

Are students happy with the teaching on BA Classical Studies and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London?

90% 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 and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London?

The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 132 UCAS points.

Does BA Classical Studies and Drama 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 and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London?

90% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.