Classical Civilisation and History BA
Year of entry 2023
2024 course information- UCAS code
- Q810
- Start date
- September 2023
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 3 years full time
- Work placement
- Optional
- Study abroad
- Optional
- Typical A-level offer
- AAB (specific subject requirements)
- Typical Access to Leeds offer
- BBB at A Level and pass Access to Leeds
Full entry requirements - Contact
- artsadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview
Classical Civilisation allows you to take a varied and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. You’ll study classical literature, philosophy, and history alongside material culture to gain a deeper understanding of these societies and how their customs, ideas, and art have shaped the modern world. You’ll combine core and optional modules to develop a broad base of subject knowledge and then create deeper interests in diverse topics as you progress.
With History, you have the chance to explore all aspects of human activity across cultures and over time. Core modules will introduce you to historiography and working with primary sources, developing your skills and knowledge. You’ll then choose from a wide range of optional modules to pursue topics that interest you, from the fall of Rome to the 20th century and the US to India. You’ll also gain a wide range of transferable skills that are very attractive to employers.
Explore our libraries
Leeds has plenty of useful resources for Classical Civilisation and History students. The world-class Brotherton Library holds a wide variety of manuscript, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections. Our other library resources are also excellent, and the University Library offers a full training programme to help you make the most of them.
Take a look around our libraries:
Course details
A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core topics as students on each single honours course, but you’ll take fewer optional and discovery modules so you can fit in both subjects. You’ll also undertake a major research project in either subject in your final year.
In your first year, you’ll study core modules that introduce you to concepts such as historiography and develop historical skills like working with primary sources. You’ll also choose from core modules on the history and literature of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
In the following year, you’ll study the methods and approaches involved in Classics to build your research skills and choose from optional modules such as Ovid the Innovator and Plato on Love. You’ll also study in-depth Homer’s Iliad and/or Virgil’s Aeneid - both powerhouses of western literature - and/or Ancient Empires. You’ll also be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules, keeping a balance between earlier and later periods. You could study the Crusades, Imperial Germany or Mao Zedong and China since 1949.
In your final year, you'll carry out your own major research project or dissertation in either Classics or History on a subject of your choice. You'll also continue to choose from optional modules on diverse topics from around the classical world, including the image of Sparta or representations of mythological women from antiquity to the present.
Classical texts are taught in translation, so you don’t need to have studied an ancient language. However, we offer Ancient Greek and Latin in every year of the degree if you want to learn or continue with either.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Exploring History | 20 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Ancient Lives | 20 |
| The Greek World: an Introduction | 20 |
| The Roman World: An Introduction | 20 |
| Greek Poets | 20 |
| Roman Poets | 20 |
| Introduction to Classical Archaeology | 20 |
| Intermediate Ancient Greek (Level 1) | 20 |
| Intermediate Latin (Level 1) | 20 |
| Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 1) | 20 |
| Beginners Latin | 20 |
| Faith, Knowledge and Power, 1500-1750 | 20 |
| The Medieval World in Ten Objects | 20 |
| Medieval Lives: Identities, Cultures and Beliefs | 20 |
| Global Empires | 20 |
| Global Decolonization | 20 |
| The Making of the Twentieth Century | 20 |
Year 2 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Evidence and Enquiry in Classics | 20 |
Year 2 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Invisible Greeks and Romans | 20 |
| Virgil's Aeneid | 20 |
| Homer's Iliad | 20 |
| Ancient Empires: Power and Control | 20 |
| Intermediate Ancient Greek (Level 2) | 20 |
| Intermediate Latin (Level 2) | 20 |
| Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 2) | 20 |
| Beginners Latin (Level 2) | 20 |
| Traversing Time: The Voyage of Argo | 20 |
| The Athenian Empire | 20 |
| Herodotus and the Beginning of History | 20 |
| The Rise of Rome: Myth and History | 20 |
| Roman Comedy | 20 |
| Augustus and his Legacy | 20 |
| The Ancient Greek Novel | 20 |
| Screening Antiquity | 20 |
| Heroines: Representations of Mythological Women from Antiquity to the Present | 20 |
| Plato on Love | 20 |
| Greek Tragedy | 20 |
| The Tudors: Princes, Politics, and Piety, 1485-1603 | 20 |
| Colonial Encounters: France and its Empire, 1830-1945 | 20 |
| Sin in Spanish America, 1571-1700 | 20 |
| Medieval Romans and the shape of Afro-Eurasia today | 20 |
| Britain and the Atlantic World | 20 |
| The Body, Disease and Society in Europe, 1500-1750 | 20 |
| The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 1921-1993 | 20 |
| Life and Death in British India, 1690-1871 | 20 |
| America and the Sixties | 20 |
| Bass Culture in Modern Britain | 20 |
| The History of Africa since 1900 | 20 |
| The Global Caribbean, 1641-1848 | 20 |
| Black Politics from Emancipation to Obama | 20 |
| Thinking about History | 20 |
| Histories of Black Britain | 20 |
| Global Business History | 20 |
| Mao Zedong and Modern China, 1949-Present | 20 |
Year 3 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Major Research Project | 40 |
| Intermediate Ancient Greek (Level 3) | 20 |
| Intermediate Latin (Level 3) | 20 |
| Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 3) | 20 |
| Advanced Ancient Greek | 20 |
| Beginners Latin (Level 3) | 20 |
| Advanced Latin | 20 |
| Traversing Time: The Voyage of Argo | 20 |
| The Athenian Empire | 20 |
| Herodotus and the Beginning of History | 20 |
| Ovid the Innovator | 20 |
| The Rise of Rome: Myth and History | 20 |
| Augustus and his Legacy | 20 |
| The Ancient Greek Novel | 20 |
| Screening Antiquity | 20 |
| Heroines: Representations of Mythological Women from Antiquity to the Present | 20 |
| The Image of Sparta | 20 |
| Plato on Love | 20 |
| Greek Religion | 20 |
| Greek Tragedy | 20 |
| Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement | 40 |
| Ordinary People: The Everyday Lives of Men, Women and Children in Britain, c. 1920s-50s | 40 |
| The Good Life: Global Commodities of Luxury and Leisure, 1492-1700 | 40 |
| The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 | 40 |
| Body, Mind and Senses: The Social and Cultural History of Disability in Britain, 1833-1998 | 40 |
| Black British Culture and Black British Cultural Studies | 40 |
| Teaching & Learning in Early Modern England: Skill, Knowledge, and Education | 40 |
| The Soviet Sixties: Politics and Society in the USSR, 1953-1968 | 40 |
| War, Regicide and Republic: England, 1642-1660 | 20 |
| Early Modern Media: Printing and the People in Europe c.1500-c.1800 | 40 |
| Mapping the Middle Ages: space and representation from the Pacific to the Atlantic | 20 |
| White Africans: Intimacy, Race and Power | 40 |
| Stalin and Stalinism | 40 |
| Georgians at War | 40 |
| The Later Elizabethan Age: Politics and Empire | 40 |
| Order and Disorder in Early Modern France: Understanding the French Wars of Religion | 20 |
| Nazism, Stalinism and the Rise of the Total State | 20 |
| Men and Masculinity in Britain, c.1860-1960: War, Work and Home | 20 |
| Missionaries, Abolitionists and Colonial Philanthropists: Evangelical Attitudes to Empire, 1765-1865 | 20 |
| Gender and Slavery in Latin America, 1580-1888 | 20 |
| Medieval Women Mystics: Visionaries, Saints and Heretics | 20 |
Discovery modules
Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.
This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.
Learning and teaching
Our tutors are experts in their fields, and their teaching is informed by their own cutting-edge research.
We use a range of teaching methods to help you benefit from their expertise, including lectures, seminars, tutorials or occasionally workshops. However, independent study is also central to this degree, since it allows you to develop your skills in research and analysis. You will be able to apply your skills and knowledge in a Final Year Research Project on a topic of your own choice.
The University offers a variety of tailored support for Classics and History students; the University Library runs free classes and workshops so you can learn how to use them.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
While we usually use a mixture of exams and essays, you may also be assessed on oral presentations or group work in some modules. We work hard at Leeds to make other innovative and inclusive assessment options available too. Our aim is to make sure you develop skills not only in your chosen subjects but also ones which you can take into your future career.
Support will be on hand throughout your time at Leeds – we run extra classes on skills such as public speaking, structuring essays and exam techniques that you’ll be able to attend throughout your time at Leeds.
Entry requirements
A-level: AAB
Other course specific tests:
Alternative qualification
Access to HE Diploma
BTEC
Cambridge Pre-U
D3, M1, M1
International Baccalaureate
35 points overall with 16 at Higher Level
Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)
H2, H2, H2, H2, H3, H3
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers
Welsh Baccalaureate
Other Qualifications
European Baccalaureate: 80%
Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.
Alternative entry
We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.
Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.
Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.
Typical Access to Leeds offer: BBB at A Level and pass Access to Leeds.
International
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
International Foundation Year
International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
Fees
UK: £9,250 (per year)
International: £22,250 (per year)
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24 and 2024/25
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students are set by the UK Government and will remain capped at £9,250 for 2023/24 and 2024/25. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation only as a consequence of future changes in Government legislation and as permitted by law.
Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24 and 2024/25
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 and 2024/25 are available on individual course pages.
Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.
Applying
Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.
Read our guidance about applying.
International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2024
This course is taught by
School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
School of History
Contact us
School of Languages, Cultures and Societies Undergraduate Admissions
Email: artsadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Career opportunities
A degree as demanding and broad as Classical Civilisation and History equips you with a wide range of transferable skills that are highly valuable to employers.
You’ll have advanced communication skills, which allow you to present and defend your ideas confidently and clearly. You’ll also have strong independent research skills and be able to think critically about the information you find. You’ll also have teamwork skills, and the organisational skills needed to handle two different subjects.
This means our graduates are in a great position to succeed in diverse careers. They’ve gone into publishing, law, journalism, education, advertising and marketing, business and finance, the charity sector, and the civil service. Many have also continued to postgraduate study.
You can read more about the range of careers our Classical Civilisation and History graduates progress into, as well as the support we offer you throughout your degree.
The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies careers and employability support includes promoting internships, providing opportunities to work for the School and employer-led workshops and events.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.
Study abroad and work placements
Study abroad
On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America.
Find out more at the Study Abroad website.
Classics at Leeds has exchange links with Verona University (Italy) and modern language classes are available before you go to prepare you for the experience. There are also opportunities at our partner universities across the world where courses are taught in English.
Work placements
Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.
Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.
A work placement year is a popular choice with our students as it provides an opportunity to gain invaluable work experience as part of your degree. Hannah spent a year working for an integrated marketing group. As with study abroad, you don't have to decide whether to pursue this before coming to Leeds.
You'll apply for the work placement year when you are already here and settled into your degree. If you are successful, you'll work in a graduate-level role and return to Leeds to complete your final year.