“I found some of my best friends because of this programme. Through all the amazing ups and challenging downs, I had an incredible support system of friendly faces. Even more so, both schools are so wonderfully distinct; each is its own adventure. I will never forget all the extraordinary things I experienced and all the wonderful people I met at each school.”
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
Entry requirements
The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.
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- Standard entry grades:
- AAAAB
- Minimum entry grades:
- AABB
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- Standard entry grades:
- AAA
- Minimum entry grades:
- ABB
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- Standard entry grades:
- 38 (HL 6,6,6)
- Minimum entry grades:
- 36 (HL 6,5,5)
General entry requirements
All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.
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SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computing science
- Geography
- Applications of Mathematics
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology.
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GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computing Science
- Geography
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology.
Other qualifications
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.
More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.
Do I need to have studied this subject before?
No prior knowledge of classical studies is necessary.
International applicants
If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.
Course details
The BA (International Honours) in Classical Studies is a four-year course run jointly by the School of Classics at St Andrews and the Department of Classical Studies at the College of William & Mary.
You will study for two years at both St Andrews and William & Mary, spending the first year of the programme at one institution and the second year at the other. You will then be able to choose where you wish to spend your third and fourth years of study and graduate from either university.
You will apply to the university where you intend to spend your first year, and then you will transfer to the other institution for your second year.
What you will study
If you study a BA (International Honours) in Classical Studies, you will choose between two pathways: Greek and Latin, or Ancient History and Archaeology.
If you choose the Greek and Latin pathway, you will be able to take both Greek and Latin at complete beginners' level or at more advanced level if you have substantial previous experience.
If you choose the Ancient History and Archaeology pathway, you will be introduced to, and given advanced training in, the history and material culture of the ancient Mediterranean world.
The BA (International Honours) is a single Honours degree, and other combinations – such as joint Honours degrees – are not available with this programme. However, during the programme you will have opportunities to study a range of other subjects offered by both institutions. Find out more about the St Andrews – William & Mary joint degree.
About the BA (International Honours) programme
The BA (International Honours) is a four-year undergraduate degree that combines the best of the Scottish and American educational experience.
This programme offers an impressive range of modules that students can take without losing the depth of focus by following either a language or ancient history and archaeology pathway.
Working together, the classics departments from both universities offer a unique range of modules. For example, students are able to pursue coursework in Etruscan archaeology and Egyptology (at William & Mary) as well as modules in environmental history, Classical art and its reception, and the archaeology of the Roman empire, religion, and interactions between the Mediterranean world and the communities of the Indian ocean (at St Andrews): this unusual combination of modules is hard to find in any single department. The programme also provides Greek and Latin language students with a more flexible degree, one which can be tailored to your level of study between the two institutions.
Undertaking a classics degree in both campuses will also allow students a wider range of postgraduate opportunities in North America and the United Kingdom. As a student on the programme, you will have the unique advantage of knowing the UK and US systems well should you wish to make postgraduate applications.
The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.
Modules
Students studying the Classical Studies BA (International Hons) will take the required modules at both institutions in their first and second years.
The following modules are those offered at St Andrews. Find out more about module requirements at William & Mary.
Ancient History and Archaeology pathway
Students on the Ancient History and Archaeology pathway who spend their first year at St Andrews must take the following modules:
- Ancient Empires: explores how imperial states built and maintained their power; the experiences of other populations and cultures that were conquered or incorporated into ancient empires; and the contested legacies of imperial states, both in antiquity and today.
- Cities and communities in the ancient Mediterranean: explores urbanisation by examining changing physical as well as social relations between people, as well as between people and their environments. We will study the rise and fall of the ancient city, including its ecology and domestic politics, and modern debates over ancient urbanism.
Students on this pathway are strongly encouraged to take two modules of Latin or Greek alongside Ancient History in their first year.
Greek and Latin pathway
Students on the Greek and Latin pathway who spend their first year at St Andrews must choose one of the following Latin or Greek module pathways:
Latin
- Elementary Latin 1: provides an introduction to the Latin language for beginners, concentrating on morphology, vocabulary, and basic syntax.
- Elementary Latin 2: builds on work from 'Elementary Latin 1' and develops knowledge of Latin language and enables the reading of Latin texts for beginners.
- World of Latin 1: enhances understanding of Latin language and literature through study of verse and a range of verse or prose set texts in the original language and regular language classes.
- World of Latin 2: builds on work from 'World of Latin 1' and introduces students to a wider range of Latin literature.
Greek
- Greek Language for Beginners: provides a thorough grounding in the Greek language for beginners or near beginners.
- Greek Literature for Beginners: prepares students for the challenge of reading and interpreting Greek literature.
- Greek Language and Literature 1: involves detailed study of a range of set texts as well as linguistic and translation exercises designed to enhance students' knowledge of Greek and confidence in reading Greek literature in its historical and cultural context.
- Greek Pastoral and Passion: introduces students to the thematic connections between bucolic or pastoral poetry and the Greek novel and involves detailed study of set texts and linguistic and translation exercises.
Ancient History and Archaeology pathway
Students on the Ancient History and Archaeology pathway who spend their second year at St Andrews must choose two of the following compulsory modules:
- Ancient Societies: Gender, ethnicity, and inequality in the ancient world: surveys the fundamental divisions that gave shape to ancient social life, examining issues like gender, inequality, and ethnic identity through a broad range of sources and methodologies.
- Narratives of antiquity: examines influential narratives from the ancient world and their reinterpretations in later periods, from the nineteenth century to the present day, and how they continue to shape the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves for better or for worse.
- Early Greek Poetry and Philosophy: studies the earliest phases of the Greek literary and philosophical tradition in the archaic and early classical Greek world. It explores the diversity of early Greek thought through the poetry and philosophy of the period, and explores themes of conflict, justice, love and the relationship between mortals and gods.
- Culture and Thought in the Late Roman Republic: studies the art and literature of Rome in the Late Republic (first century BCE). Key literary texts, such as the passionate poetry of Catullus and the stylish rhetoric of Cicero, are set against the broader backdrop of Roman political, cultural and social life in this turbulent period of civil war and dictatorship.
Students on the Ancient History and Archaeology pathway are also strongly encouraged to take two modules in either Latin or Greek in their second year.
Greek and Latin pathway
Students on the Greek and Latin pathway who spend their second year at St Andrews continue their exploration of Greek and Latin language and literature by choosing one of the following Latin or Greek module pathways:
- Latin in Progress 1: building on work covered in 'Elementary Latin 1 and 2', this module introduces students to verse texts from the Republican period, and enhances Latin language skills through regular language classes.
- Latin in Progress 2: building on work from 'Latin in Progress 1', this module examines a wide range of prose texts from the imperial period, and enhances Latin language skills through regular language classes.
- Latin Language and Literature 1: building on 'World of Latin 1 and 2', this module examines a wide range of texts in verse taken mostly from the Republican period, and enhances Latin language skills through regular language classes.
- Latin Language and Literature 2: building on 'Latin Language and Literature 1', this module examines a wide range of texts in prose from the Roman Imperial period, and enhances Latin language skills through regular language classes.
- The Landscape of Greek Prose (B): designed for students to follow on from 'Greek Literature for Beginners', this module examines a wide range of Greek prose texts and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
- The Landscape of Greek Poetry (B): following on from 'The Landscape of Greek Prose (B)' in Semester 1, this module covers a diverse range of ancient poetry in the original Greek, starting with Homer’s Iliad, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
- The Landscape of Greek Prose (A): designed for students to follow on from 'Greek Pastoral and Passion', this module examines a wide range of Greek prose texts and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
- The Landscape of Greek Poetry (A): following on from 'The Landscape of Greek Prose (A)' in Semester 1, this module covers a diverse range of ancient poetry in the original Greek, starting with Homer’s Iliad, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
Students will spend either their third or fourth year in St Andrews. You will be able to choose from a wide variety of advanced options.
Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered at St Andrews in previous years:
Ancient History and Archaeology
- Classical Collections
- Greek Painted Pottery
- In the Footsteps of the Ancients: Exploring the Archaeology and Topography of Greece
- Magic in the Greco-Roman World
- Religious Communities in the Late Antique World
- The Archaeology of Ancient Rome
- The Archaeology of Identities in the First Millennium BCE Mediterranean World
- The Culture of Roman Imperialism
- The Environmental History of the Ancient Mediterranean World
- The World of the Ancient Indian Ocean
- The Supremacy of Greece: Athens, Sparta and Thebes 479-366 BCE
- Travels and Marvels in the Graeco-Roman World
Greek and Latin
- Africa in Latin Literature
- Greek Tragedy
- Greek Literature in the Roman Empire
- Greeks and Barbarians
- Horace and You
- Lies, History and Ideology
- Ritual and Religion in Latin Literature
- Roman Epic
- Roman Satire
- The Gods of Greek Literature
- The History of Ancient Greek from Homer to the New Testament
- The Rest of the Story: Greek Epic after Homer
- Writing Roman Civil War
If at St Andrews for fourth year, students will have the opportunity to undertake an 8,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.
The modules above are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. Please see the module catalogue for more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment.
Teaching
Students who are at St Andrews for their first or second year will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, language classes and set-text reading classes.
In third or fourth year, all teaching is delivered through seminars (10 to 20 students), with a strong emphasis on students’ own contributions in informal class discussion and in group or individual presentations.
In addition to these classes, students at St Andrews are expected to undertake substantial independent, but guided, work outside of the classroom. Typically, this will involve:
- reading Greek or Latin texts
- practising language and translation skills
- reading ancient source material in translation
- reading journal articles and books
- undertaking research in the library
- working on individual projects
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations
Modules in classical studies at St Andrews are assessed by a mixture of coursework and written exams. Coursework includes:
- research essays
- literary criticism and commentary exercises
- class tests, including unseen translation and grammar exercises
- source analysis
- analysis of ancient sites and material evidence
- learning diaries
- oral presentations
Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.
The School aims to provide feedback on every assessment within two weeks to help you improve on future assessments.
Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.
At St Andrews, you will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Greek, Latin, ancient history and archaeology. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of classes and seminars under the supervision of the module coordinator.
You can find contact information for all classical studies staff on the School of Classics website.
The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.
Fees
Find out about fees, living costs, scholarships and funding.
Careers
The Classical Studies BA (International Honours) provides international experience which will make students more competitive in a globalised job market. Students in Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology commonly pursue careers outside of the subject focus, including:
- cultural resource management
- foreign service
- journalism
- law
- politics
A Classics degree is highly valued for the skills that are built in critical thinking, research and broad understanding of the past.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.
What to do next
Online information events
Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.
Undergraduate visiting days
We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2600
- classics@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of Classics
Swallowgate
St Andrews
KY16 9AL