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Classical Studies and English BA Honours

  • UCAS code: QQ83
  • Full time
  • 3 years

Discover the literature that has shaped our culture and society, from Greek and Latin poetry and epics through to modern day novels.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year: 2025


Next start date:

  • September 2025

Fees (per year)

  • Home: £9250
  • International: £23800

Entry requirements and offers

  • A-Level: AAB
  • IB: 34 points

UCAS Institution name and code:

  • NEWC / N21

Course overview

Immerse yourself in the study of the Greek and Roman worlds on this Classical Studies and English BA Honours degree, exploring how these cultures have influenced English novels, poetry, plays and films. 

You'll study the language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome and develop your knowledge of how Greek, Latin and English writers thought about and presented their worlds through their work.

You will analyse the relationships between literature written in English and Greek, and Roman literature and culture, exploring the impact of the Classical tradition on Western civilisation. You'll also have the opportunity to explore classical texts in translation or in the original language.

This flexible, interdisciplinary degree gives you the chance to study ancient Greek and Latin language – from beginners’ to advanced level – and choose to specialise in areas of particular interest to you, equipping you with a thorough and specialist knowledge of the classical world.

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Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions

You'll develop a broad knowledge of English literature and the ancient world. You'll build a foundation of skills so that you are able to use different methods to think about and approach the Greek and Roman past, and to comprehend, analyse and interpret texts by classical authors and authors writing in English.

You'll also have the option to take modules in Greek and Latin language, ancient philosophy and ancient history.

Modules

Compulsory Modules Credits
Transformations 20
Beginnings 20
Revolutions 20
Optional Modules Credits
Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology 20
The World of Latin Literature 20
Tragedy, Comedy, History: The World of Greek Literature 20
How Should I Live? An Introduction to Ancient Philosophy 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 2 20
West meets East: Greek History and Society 20
The Roman World from Romulus to Trajan 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 2 20

In addition to a research training module, which helps you to develop your independent research skills in preparation for the final year dissertation, you can choose from a range of modules from English and Classics. Topics relate to English literature from the 16th Century to the present day, Greek and Latin literature, ancient history and Greek and Latin language.

You may also choose a creative writing module.

Modules

Compulsory Modules Credits
Special Study on an Aspect of Classical Influence in English Literature 20
Optional Modules Credits
Foundations of European Drama: Tragedy in Greece and Rome 20
Love, Death, and Longing 20
Ancient Biography 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 2 20
Level 2 Greek: Interpretation of Texts 20
Level 2 Greek: Special Study 20
Hellenistic Empires from Alexander to Cleopatra 20
The Roman World from Hadrian to Heraclius 20
Greek and Roman Religions 20
Slavery in Greco-Roman Antiquity 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 2 20
Level 2 Latin: Interpretation of Texts 20
Level 2 Latin: Special Study 20
HaSS Study Abroad Semester 1 60 Credits 60
HaSS Study Abroad Semester 2 60 credits 60
Career Development for second year students 20
Renaissance Bodies 20
Writing New Worlds, 1688-1789 20
Revolutionary Britain, 1789-1832 20
Victorian Passions: Victorian Values 20
Contemporary Cultures 20
Modernisms 20
Creative Practice 20
Monsters, Misery & Miracles: Heroic Life in Old English Poetry 20
Poetry Workshop 20
Theatre Script Workshop 20
Prose Workshop 20
Screenwriting Workshop 20
Stagecraft in Early Drama 20
Literatures of Decolonisation 20
You only take one of the following modules if you undertake the Study Abroad exchange programme:

You'll conduct a major research project, writing a dissertation on a topic of your choice related to the Classical tradition in English, for which you will be guided and supervised by our expert staff. A creative writing project is also an option.

For your four optional modules, you'll be able to choose from a wide range of topics in English literature, from Chaucer to the current day, as well as topics in Greek and Latin literature and Greek and Roman history, including the choice to take an ancient language (Greek or Latin).

Modules

Compulsory Modules Credits
Special Study on an Aspect of Classical Influence in English Literature 40
Optional Modules Credits
Foundations of European Drama: Tragedy in Greece and Rome 20
Love, Death, and Longing 20
Ancient Biography 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Greek in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Greek Language and Literature Part 2 20
Level 2 Greek: Interpretation of Texts 20
Level 2 Greek: Special Study 20
City of Athens: Power, Society and Culture 20
'Frogs around the pond': Mobility and identity in the Pre-Roman Mediterranean 20
Roman Egypt 20
The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine 20
Gods in the Material World: Religion and Material Culture in Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia 2000BC-338BC 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 1 20
Beginners' Latin in Action Part 2 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 1 20
Intermediate Latin Language and Literature Part 2 20
Level 2 Latin: Interpretation of Texts 20
Level 2 Latin: Special Study 20
Level 3 Latin: Interpretation of Texts 20
Level 3 Latin: Special Study 20
Career Development for final year students 20
Sex and Money: Economies of the Victorian Novel 20
Landscapes of American Modernism 20
Enlightened Romantics: A Revolution in Feeling 20
Time, Change, and the Life Course in Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century 20
American Poetry Now 20
Prose Portfolio 40
Theatre Script Portfolio 40
Poetry Portfolio 40
Screenwriting Portfolio 40
Planetary Imaginations: Literature in the Time of Environmental Crisis 20
Writing Liberty in the Romantic Era 20
Fiction and the Philosophy of Terror: From the Supernatural to the Sublime 20
Freedom and Imagination: US Literature 1850-1900 20
Deep North: Modern Literature of the North East 20
Popular Romance and Contemporary Political Discourse 20
Making Young Adult Literature 20
War Writing: Heroic and Hostile Discourses in Medieval Literature 20
Envious Show: Wealth, Power and Ambition in Narratives of the Country House, 1550-2000 20
Exposing Ourselves: Privacy, Contemporary Performance and the Public Sphere 20
Devolutionary Fictions: Literature, Politics, and the British State since 1960 20
Border Fictions: Migration, Memory, and Transgressions in Global Anglophone Literatures, 1900-Present Day 20
Keats and Romantic Epic 20

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll be taught through a range of teaching methods and activities, including:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • workshops
  • tutorials
  • film-screenings

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

  • Assignments – written or fieldwork

  • Coursework

  • Dissertation or research project

  • Essays

  • Presentations

Skills and experience

Practical skills

During your degree, you will have the chance to take part in extracurricular field trips that take advantage of the North East's rich history such as:

  • the nearby World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall
  • the classically inspired Belsay Hall
  • Wallington Hall

You will be able to take advantage of the resources of the Great North Museum, with its extensive ancient collections.

These practical experiences complement your understanding of the topics you are studying, allowing you to analyse and interpret artefacts, and carry out research using a wide range of archives.

Research skills

In your final year, using the skills developed during your degree, you’ll write a dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. During this, you’ll hone your investigative skills as you undertake independent research with access to extensive print and electronic resources, as well as archives and special collections.

Opportunities

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You have the opportunity to study abroad in either Stage 2 or 3. You can study in an EU country as part of a study abroad exchange or further afield.

Find out more about study abroad.

Work placement

Get career ready with a work placement and leave as a confident professional in your field. You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world, and receive University support from our dedicated team to secure your dream placement. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year. Your degree title will show you have achieved the placement year.  Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements.

Facilities and environment

Facilities

You'll be based in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, located at the heart of campus in the historic Armstrong Building. You'll have access to excellent study resources including:

  • the Philip Robinson University Library, which houses over 800,000 books and provides access to ca. 1.8m e-books
  • Special Collections & Archives – a rich collection of archival material, historical medical texts and rare books
  • The Great North Museum: Hancock, our on-campus museum which holds an extensive collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artefacts
  • The Wolfson Archaeology Laboratory - with facilities for use-wear analysis of bone, stone, metal and glass, and furnaces for research in material culture or experimental archaeology.
  • a Material Culture Analytical Suite kitted out with microscopes, 2D and 3D scanning equipment and CT facilities

Find out more about the School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Support

You'll be welcomed into a vibrant and supportive community. We will ensure you are well placed to achieve your highest potential and are equipped for career success.

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

You'll develop a mix of practical, intellectual and transferable skills desirable to employers. This will give you an excellent choice of further study and career opportunities open to you on completion of your studies.

Classics graduates find themselves in a diverse range of careers, including:

  • Heritage and Museums
  • Journalism and Publishing
  • Education
  • Law and Legal Services
  • Marketing

Make a difference

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Careers support

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements and offers below apply to 2025 entry. 

A-Level
International Baccalaureate

Other UK and the Republic of Ireland qualifications

Contextual Offers

Through one of our contextual routes, you could receive an offer of up to three grades lower than the typical requirements.

What is a contextual offer? Find out more and if you’re eligible for this or our PARTNERS Programme supported entry route.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English Language requirements

Entrance courses (INTO)

International Pathway Courses are specialist programmes designed for international students who want to study in the UK. We provide a range of study options for international students in partnership with INTO. 

Find out more about International Pathway Courses

Admissions policy

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

University Admissions Policy and related policies and procedures

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course.

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed.

Qualification: BA Honours

Home students

full time 3 years

Tuition fees (per year)

9250

International students

full time 3 years

Tuition fees (per year)

23800

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

Open days and events

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

  • the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
  • the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
  • the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages

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