PhD Classics and Ancient History: The University of Manchester

Course description

In the PhD programme they aim above all to enable and assist the student to produce in three years a dissertation that constitutes a genuine contribution to scholarly knowledge and understanding of the field, and to acquire in so doing an excellent general knowledge of the wider field in question and high competence in relevant languages, ancient and modern, and associated skills, subject-specific and generic.

Module details

Recent and current PhD topics include: Athens under Macedonian control; Mycenaean and ancient Greek dialects; Language and discourse in early Greek medical texts; The ethos theory in ancient Greek music; Aspects of ancient warfare (several theses); The tribunate in the Roman Republic; Caesar's Gallic Wars as a regional conflict; Roman sumptuary legislation; The service industry in ancient Rome; Rhetoric in Ovid's Metamorphoses; Gender and power in imperial Latin epic; Prudentius; Isidore of Seville; Visigothic identity.

Research students in their first year must take their research-training course 'Studying the Ancient World: Techniques and Approaches' and any MA or advanced BA course units recommended by the supervisor. Students coming from outside Manchester may begin research innocent of Latin or Greek, but they are expected to acquire and develop knowledge of relevant languages (modern as well as ancient) throughout the PhD.

Career opportunities

The PhD is a vital vocational qualification for those planning to pursue an academic career. Recent graduates have gone on to research fellowships, and to part-time and full-time temporary and permanent academic positions in UK and overseas universities. As a non-vocational qualification, the PhD offers a wealth of highly valued transferable skills, and thus allows students to keep open a very wide range of career options in virtually any branch of professional employment in the public or private sector, including government, commerce, industry or teaching.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview: A good Pass (ideally a Distinction) at MA level (or overseas equivalent) in a subject relevant to the proposed field of research.

English language: Non-native speakers of English should have at least a score of IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 600 (paper based) or 250 (computer based).