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With BA Ancient History and History, go on a journey through your favourite historical periods, from ancient Greece through Medieval Europe to Cold War Britain, with our highly regarded and award-winning teaching staff.
This course enables you to study the classical world alongside modern history. Ancient History gives you an understanding of the cultures and societies of the Greek and Roman worlds, a period spanning from 2000 BC to around 600 AD, while modern history focuses on the era from the Crusades to the 1960s.
Your first year is about discovery and experimentation. You will address important modern questions and trace them back to their roots, exploring different periods of history through both literary and material sources. You can enhance your knowledge of the ancient world through Ancient History modules and optional Latin and Greek language modules, or deepen your understanding through hands-on experience with artefacts from the Ure Museum.
Your History modules will lead you through the last thousand years, giving you the chance to explore different historical periods before pursing your own interests later in the course.
To complement your studies you can choose one of the History Department's popular employability modules and gain useful transferable skills and work experience. The University also offers all students the chance learn a modern language alongside their core subjects.
You will be encouraged to gain direct experience of ancient sites through independent travel, for which you can apply for our annual travel bursary. You can also apply to study at the British School at Athens and the British School at Rome, which both offer summer school opportunities to University of Reading students.
Placement
Work placements are encouraged and both Departments benefit from a dedicated placements officer to help with CV writing and letters of application. History's Discovering Archives and Collections module is ideal if you are interested in a career in libraries or archives, while Going Public: Presenting the Past, Planning the Future provides an insight into heritage and museum work. The University's museums also provide a number of voluntary placements.
If you would like to gain first-hand experience of life in another culture you can choose to study abroad for part of your degree.
For more information, please visit the Department of Classics website.
Overview
With BA Ancient History and History, go on a journey through your favourite historical periods, from ancient Greece through Medieval Europe to Cold War Britain, with our highly regarded and award-winning teaching staff.
This course enables you to study the classical world alongside modern history. Ancient History gives you an understanding of the cultures and societies of the Greek and Roman worlds, a period spanning from 2000 BC to around 600 AD, while modern history focuses on the era from the Crusades to the 1960s.
Learning
Your first year is about discovery and experimentation. You will address important modern questions and trace them back to their roots, exploring different periods of history through both literary and material sources. You can enhance your knowledge of the ancient world through Ancient History modules and optional Latin and Greek language modules, or deepen your understanding through hands-on experience with artefacts from the Ure Museum.
Your History modules will lead you through the last thousand years, giving you the chance to explore different historical periods before pursing your own interests later in the course.
To complement your studies you can choose one of the History Department's popular employability modules and gain useful transferable skills and work experience. The University also offers all students the chance learn a modern language alongside their core subjects.
You will be encouraged to gain direct experience of ancient sites through independent travel, for which you can apply for our annual travel bursary. You can also apply to study at the British School at Athens and the British School at Rome, which both offer summer school opportunities to University of Reading students.
Placement
Work placements are encouraged and both Departments benefit from a dedicated placements officer to help with CV writing and letters of application. History's Discovering Archives and Collections module is ideal if you are interested in a career in libraries or archives, while Going Public: Presenting the Past, Planning the Future provides an insight into heritage and museum work. The University's museums also provide a number of voluntary placements.
If you would like to gain first-hand experience of life in another culture you can choose to study abroad for part of your degree.
For more information, please visit the Department of Classics website.
Entry requirements A Level BBB | IB 30 pts overall
Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.
Typical offer
BBB, including grade B in A level History, Ancient History, or Classical Civilisation.
International Baccalaureate
30 points overall including 5 in History at higher level
Extended Project Qualification
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.
BTEC Extended Diploma
DDM (Modules taken must be comparable to subject specific requirement)
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0, with no component below 6.0
For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.
Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students
For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.
International Foundation Programme
If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.
Pre-sessional English language programme
If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.
Structure
Compulsory modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
CL1RH | Roman History: the rise and fall of the Republic | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL1GH | Greek History: war, society, and change in the Archaic Age | DR Emma Aston |
HS1JH1 | Journeys through History 1:Power and People | DR Elizabeth Matthew |
HS1JH2 | Journeys through History 2: Culture and Concepts' | PROF Anne Lawrence |
HS1RSO | Research Skills and Opportunities in History | DR Ruth Salter |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
PP1RP | Radical Philosophy | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
PP1GJ | Global Justice | DR Shalini Sinha |
PP1ML | The Meaning of Life | DR Luke Elson |
PO1INE | Inequality | DR Jonathan Golub |
MT1CC | The Science of Climate Change | PROF Nigel Arnell |
EC111 | Economic Policy and Social Problems | PROF Giovanni Razzu |
EC110 | The Economics of Climate Change | DR Stefania Lovo |
CL1TR | Texts, Readers, and Writers | PROF Eleanor Dickey |
CL1L1 | Latin 1 (C) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL1SO | Ancient Song | PROF Ian Rutherford |
CL1G1 | Ancient Greek 1 | MRS Jackie Baines |
AR1SOC | Contemporary world cultures: an introduction to social anthropology | DR Thomas Grisaffi |
AR1REV10 | Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present [10 credits] | DR Aleks Pluskowski |
AR1MET | Archaeology today: methods and practice | MS Amanda Clarke |
AR1REV | Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present | DR Aleks Pluskowski |
AR1FOR | Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death | MRS Ceri Falys |
AR1FOR10 | Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death [10 credit] | MRS Ceri Falys |
AR1EMP | Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome | PROF Roger Matthews |
AP1SB1 | Introduction to Management | DR Yiorgos Gadanakis |
LA1PK1 | IWLP Modern Greek 1 | PROF Timothy Duff |
ML1IL | Introduction to Linguistics | DR Federico Faloppa |
MC1HPE | Museum History, Policy and Ethics | DR Rhi Smith |
MC1PP | Presenting the Past | DR Rhi Smith |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
ED2TS1 | Development of transferable skills through a school placement 1 | DR Caroline Foulkes |
CL2DR | Ancient Drama | PROF Barbara Goff |
CL2G3 | Ancient Greek 3 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL2G2 | Ancient Greek 2 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL2PR | Prospects for Classicists and Ancient Historians | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL2RME | Rome’s Mediterranean Empire; A World of Cities | DR Andrew Souter |
CL2LAN | Literature and Society in Late Antiquity | DR Susan Griffith |
CL2PL | Work placement for Classicists and Ancient Historians | PROF Eleanor Dickey |
CL2L3 | Latin 3 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL2L2 | Latin 2 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL2SI | My Mother's Sin and other Stories | DR Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps |
CL2RO | Roman History: From Republic to Empire | PROF Annalisa Marzano |
CL2CGH | Greek History: Persian Wars to Alexander | PROF Timothy Duff |
CL2CLE | Cleopatras | DR Rachel Mairs |
CL2AE | Ancient Epic | PROF Katherine Harloe |
HS2GPP | Going Public: Presenting the Past, Planning the Future | PROF Kate Williams |
HS2HAD | Historical Approaches and My Dissertation | MR Dafydd Townley |
HS2O10 | The Colonial Experience: Africa, 1879 to 1980 | DR Heike Schmidt |
HS2O11 | Hollywood Histories: Film and the Past | PROF Patrick Major |
HS2O12 | Belief and Unbelief in Europe: Religion, Science and the Supernatural c.1400-1800 | PROF Helen Parish |
HS2O13 | The Crusades, 1095-1291 | PROF Rebecca Rist |
HS2O14 | Rebel Girls: The Influence of Radical Women 1792-1919 | DR Jacqui Turner |
HS2O17 | Reform and Revolt in the Modern Middle East: Egypt from Ataturk to the ‘Arab Spring’ | DR Dina Rezk |
HS2O18 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Empire, Slavery, and Society, 1550-1750 | DR Richard Blakemore |
HS2O19 | Europe in the Twentieth Century | DR Daniel Renshaw |
HS2O20 | Sexual politics: Gender, sex, and feminism in Britain after 1918 | DR Natalie Thomlinson |
HS2O25 | From War to the New Millennium: Making Modern Britain | DR Natalie Thomlinson |
HS2O3 | People, power and revolution: political culture in seventeenth-century England | DR Eilish Gregory |
HS2O4 | Women and Medieval History | DR Ruth Salter |
HS2O7 | Kingship and Crisis in England, c.1154–1330 | DR Elizabeth Matthew |
HS2STA | Society, Thought and Art in Modern Europe | DR Veronica Heath |
HS2UNR | Unity, Nationalism and Regionalism in Europe | DR Athena Leoussi |
MC2CCM | Curatorship and Collections Management | DR Rhi Smith |
MC2LE | Museum Learning and Engagement | DR Rhi Smith |
MM270 | Practice of Entrepreneurship | DR Norbert Morawetz |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
CL3AA | Anatolia and the Aegean in the Late Bronze Age. The Context for the Trojan War | PROF Ian Rutherford |
CL3BSA | Archaeology and Topography of Ancient Greece | DR Emma Aston |
CL3BSR | British School at Rome Undergraduate Summer School | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3DN | Dissertation in Classics | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3DP | Preparation for Dissertation in Classics | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3EGY | History and Culture of New Kingdom Egypt | DR Hana Navratilova |
CL3G4 | Ancient Greek 4 (H) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3G5 | Ancient Greek 5 (H) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3INP | Independent Third Year Project | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3L2 | Latin 2 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3G6 | Ancient Greek 6 | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3L4 | Latin 4 (H) | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3L5 | Latin 5 (H) | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3UL | Urban Life: The Archaeology and Anthropology of Roman Cities | DR John Hanson |
CL3TE | Technology in the Ancient World | PROF Annalisa Marzano |
CL3TH | Transformations of Helen | PROF Barbara Goff |
CL3NH | History, Culture and Society in the time of Nero | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3L6 | Latin 6 | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
AR3HCP | THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL PROPERTY | DR Alanna Cant |
HS3T98 | From Darwin to Death Camps? Evolution and eugenics in European society, 1859-1945 | PROF David Stack |
HS3T84 | Ireland in the seventeenth century: colonization, conflict and identity | DR Rachel Foxley |
HS3T89 | Africa from European Settlement to Nelson Mandela | DR Heike Schmidt |
HS3CCO | Crisis, Change, Opportunity: Italy from 1968 to the Present | DR Daniela La Penna |
HS3HLD | Dissertation in History | DR Heike Schmidt |
HS3M68 | May ‘68 | DR Sophie Heywood |
HS3SAU | Anarchy in the UK: Punk, Politics and Youth Culture in Britain, 1976-84 | PROF Matthew Worley |
HS3SBR | Becoming a Revolutionary: the Old Regime and the French Revolution, 1787-1794 | PROF Joël Félix |
HS3SLS | The Last Super Power and the New World Power: the United States and China, 1882-1989 | DR Mara Oliva |
HS3T25 | Medieval Magic and the Origins of the Witch-Craze | PROF Anne Lawrence |
HS3T30 | Ireland and the English in the middle ages | DR Elizabeth Matthew |
HS3T75 | The United States and the Cold War | DR Mara Oliva |
HS3T77 | Battleaxes and Benchwarmers’: Early female MPs 1919-1931 | DR Jacqui Turner |
HS3T82 | Axis at War: Life and Death in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, 1936-45 | PROF Patrick Major |
Fees
New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250 per year
New international students: £19,500 per year
UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes
UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
EU student fees
With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
Careers
This combination of subjects will provide you with a range of transferable skills. Historians have to analyse a wide variety of sources to produce reasoned conclusions, and this helps develop clear thinking, written and oral communication skills, time management, adaptability, independence, and the ability to understand different cultures.
Additionally, if you choose to study abroad you will develop further desirable skills such as independence, knowledge of different cultures, international communication skills and adaptability.
Our previous graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers, including work in accountancy and banking, the government and the civil service, law, heritage and museums, teaching, publishing, public sector management, libraries and archives, and media research and production. Past employers include GCHQ, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the University of Oxford, the British Museum, the NHS, the Environment Agency and Sotheby's.
Alternatively, you can choose to further develop your research skills by moving on to postgraduate studies.