BA Ancient History

A staff of world-renowned tutors will expand your knowledge of several subjects. These include the Roman Army, Alexander the Great and the Roman Family. You'll have a truly multidisciplinary learning experience. This course offers the chance to immerse yourself in ancient ideas, with ideas ranging from slavery to medicine. 

You can study ancient Greek and Latin from beginner level up. You can also study Archaeology, Egyptology, Greek and Roman Literature, and Ancient Philosophy.  Further options are available in other areas that complement your subject. Examples of this are modern history, religions and theology, as well as history of art. 

In this course, you'll develop many transferable skills. These include logical and imaginative thinking, effective communication, and the ability to form ideas and theories. You'll also learn to interpret and evaluate information and data. 

You will also undertake independent study units which will allow you to carry out research on the topics that interest you most.

Placement year

Use your subject-specific knowledge in the real world. Do this through a placement year in your third year of study. It will help you enhance your job prospects, clarify your career goals, and build your networks.

Study abroad

You can apply to spend one semester studying abroad during Year 2. Our exchange partners include those in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Explore world-class collections

Enjoy unique opportunities to explore special archived material and carry out research in a wide range of archives, libraries, museums and other research institutions in Manchester and beyond.

You'll learn through a variety of methods. Lectures will introduce and survey the main issues, supported by small group tutorials and seminars.

Language classes are taught intensively, with group sizes capped to encourage participation.

You are encouraged to involve yourself, under guidance, in independent study and original research.

Contact hours

Contact hours during term-time will depend on your course unit selections. You will study 120 credits per year, split generally into 20-credit course units. Students study 60 credits in each semester. Each 20-credit unit has a minimum of 3 contact hours per week (approximately 33 hours contact during the semester). In addition to contact time, each 20-credit unit requires an additional 167 hours of self-study (200 hours in total per unit).

Assessment procedures in different course units vary, but our basic objective is to achieve a good balance between formal examinations, continuous assessment and project work which develop a range of skills for future employment or study. 

The John Rylands Library

At The John Rylands Library, you'll have exclusive access to our important collections. They include papyri, medieval manuscripts, and early printed books. For example, we have very early copies of the Homeric poems.

Manchester Museum

The UK's leading university museum has over four million objects. They span millennia, including one of the largest collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the UK. Go behind-the-scenes to handle, analyse and interpret rare artefacts, including exclusive material specific to ancient history.