Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Ancient History and History
Duration: 3 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: VV50 / Institution code: M20
- Typical A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: ABC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ACC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 35 points overall with 6,6,5 at HL including specific subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Scholarships and bursaries are available to eligible Home/EU students, including the Manchester Bursary . This is in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.
- Find out more from Student Finance .
- International student? Check your country page .
- Interested in a student internship ?
Course unit details:
The Roman Army and the North-West Frontiers
| Unit code | CAHE30882 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course examines the structure and development of the Roman Army from c.31BC to c.AD 235. It also looks at Rome’s expansion to the North and West during this period and examines the nature and management of the frontiers so produced.
Aims
The aim of this course is to give an understanding of the functioning of the Roman army and the frontiers of the Roman Empire in its Northern and Western regions.
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the structure of the Roman Army, the campaigns of the army in the North and West, the nature and theoretical discussion of the North Western frontiers of the Roman Empire during the period studied.
Intellectual skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- analyse ancient source material;
- critically analyse competing forms of evidence.
Practical skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
• analyse ancient source material;
• critically analyse competing forms of evidence.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- present a critical argument in writing and orally;
- analyse and present complex arguments.
Employability skills
- Other
- The course involves a large number of important employment skills, most notably an ability to analyse and examine a large amount of often difficult information, an ability to see both sides of an argument, the ability to synthesise an argument in a cogent form, the ability to retrieve information from complex sources and present it in a compelling and cogent fashion.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written exam | 60% |
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 40% |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Oral | Formative |
Written | Formative and Summative |
Recommended reading
• E Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire (Baltimore & London 1976) • S Mattern, Rome and the Enemy. Roman Imperial Strategy in the Principate (1999) • C Whittaker, Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Baltimore:1994) • G Webster, The Roman Imperial Army (London 1979) • Y Le Bohec, The Imperial Roman Army (London 1994) • D Breeze & B Dobson, Hadrian's Wall (London 1991) • A Bowman, Life and Letters on the Roman Frontier (London 1994) • B. Campbell, The Roman Army 31 BC-AD337, a sourcebook (London 1994) |
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Fieldwork | 15 |
| Lectures | 22 |
| Seminars | 11 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 152 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Andrew Fear | Unit coordinator |