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With our BA Classical Studies and English Literature degree, explore the extraordinary legacy of the classical world and its enduring influence on modern literature and culture.
Study texts written in every era, from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, and contemporary writing in English from across the globe.
In classical studies, you will learn about the literature, history and culture of ancient civilisations. Through the study of translated texts you can explore genres and themes like poetry, tragedy and love in classical literature, and their influence on the modern world. You can also enhance your knowledge of the ancient world through Latin and Greek language modules or gain an understanding of the period through different media, for example through drama and films from Ben-Hur to Gladiator. For more information visit the Department of Classics website.
In your English literature modules, you will read more of authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But you will also encounter aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, from children’s literature to publishing studies and the history of the book. Our academics have published research on everything from medieval poetry to contemporary Caribbean and American fiction.
As you progress through your degree, your module choices become more diverse and specialised: you can do archive work on Studying Manuscripts, or look at the politics of literature in Class Matters. Everyone in the Department of English Literature, from new lecturers to professors, teaches at every level of the degree: this gives you the benefit of our expertise and makes you part of the conversation about our research and its impact outside the classroom. We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. In your first and second years, you will have a mix of lectures (which can be quite large) and seminars (which will never have more than 16 people).
You will receive careers and employability training in your first and second years and you can also study a modern language as part of your degree.
We encourage all our students to gain direct experience of ancient sites through independent travel, for which scholarships are available. 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.
Overview
With our BA Classical Studies and English Literature degree, explore the extraordinary legacy of the classical world and its enduring influence on modern literature and culture.
Study texts written in every era, from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, and contemporary writing in English from across the globe.
In classical studies, you will learn about the literature, history and culture of ancient civilisations. Through the study of translated texts you can explore genres and themes like poetry, tragedy and love in classical literature, and their influence on the modern world. You can also enhance your knowledge of the ancient world through Latin and Greek language modules or gain an understanding of the period through different media, for example through drama and films from Ben-Hur to Gladiator. For more information visit the Department of Classics website.
In your English literature modules, you will read more of authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But you will also encounter aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, from children’s literature to publishing studies and the history of the book. Our academics have published research on everything from medieval poetry to contemporary Caribbean and American fiction.
As you progress through your degree, your module choices become more diverse and specialised: you can do archive work on Studying Manuscripts, or look at the politics of literature in Class Matters. Everyone in the Department of English Literature, from new lecturers to professors, teaches at every level of the degree: this gives you the benefit of our expertise and makes you part of the conversation about our research and its impact outside the classroom. We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. In your first and second years, you will have a mix of lectures (which can be quite large) and seminars (which will never have more than 16 people).
You will receive careers and employability training in your first and second years and you can also study a modern language as part of your degree.
We encourage all our students to gain direct experience of ancient sites through independent travel, for which scholarships are available. 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.
Entry requirements A Level BBB | IB 30 pts overall
Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we will guarantee you a place if you achieve one grade lower than the published offer.
Typical offer
BBB, including grade B in A level English Literature or related subject.
Related subjects include English Literature and Language, Drama and Theatre Studies, and Creative Writing.
International Baccalaureate
30 points overall including 5 in English 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 |
---|---|---|
CL1SO | Ancient Song | PROF Ian Rutherford |
CL1TR | Texts, Readers, and Writers | PROF Eleanor Dickey |
EN1PE | Poetry in English | DR Matthew Scott |
EN1GC | Genre and Context | DR Chloe Houston |
EN1RC | Research and Criticism | DR Stephen Thomson |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
PP1GJ | Global Justice | DR Shalini Sinha |
PP1ML | The Meaning of Life | DR Luke Elson |
PP1RP | Radical Philosophy | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
PO1FRE | Freedom | DR Rob Jubb |
PO1INE | Inequality | DR Jonathan Golub |
PO1IPI | Introduction to Political Ideas | DR Rob Jubb |
MT1CC | The Science of Climate Change | PROF Nigel Arnell |
LS1GL | Globalization and Language | DR Tony Capstick |
MC1PP | Presenting the Past | DR Rhi Smith |
MC1HPE | Museum History, Policy and Ethics | DR Rhi Smith |
ML1IL | Introduction to Linguistics | DR Federico Faloppa |
LA1PK1 | IWLP Modern Greek 1 | PROF Timothy Duff |
CL1L1 | Latin 1 (C) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL1GH | Greek History: war, society, and change in the Archaic Age | DR Emma Aston |
CL1G1 | Ancient Greek 1 | MRS Jackie Baines |
AR1SOC | Contemporary world cultures: an introduction to social anthropology | DR Thomas Grisaffi |
AR1MET | Archaeology today: methods and practice | MS Amanda Clarke |
AR1REV | Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present | DR Aleks Pluskowski |
AR1REV10 | Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present [10 credits] | DR Aleks Pluskowski |
AR1EMP | Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome | PROF Roger Matthews |
AR1FOR | Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death | MRS Ceri Falys |
AR1FOR10 | Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death [10 credit] | MRS Ceri Falys |
AP1SB1 | Introduction to Management | DR Yiorgos Gadanakis |
EC118 | Economy, Politics and Culture in the Roman World | PROF Ken Dark |
EC110 | The Economics of Climate Change | DR Stefania Lovo |
EC111 | Economic Policy and Social Problems | PROF Giovanni Razzu |
EN1PW | Persuasive Writing | DR Mary Morrissey |
EN1TCL | Twentieth-Century American Literature | PROF David Brauner |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
LS2LLE | Literature, Language and Education | MRS Suzanne Portch |
MM270 | Practice of Entrepreneurship | DR Norbert Morawetz |
MC2LE | Museum Learning and Engagement | DR Rhi Smith |
MC2CCM | Curatorship and Collections Management | DR Rhi Smith |
CL2CGH | Greek History: Persian Wars to Alexander | PROF Timothy Duff |
CL2CLE | Cleopatras | DR Rachel Mairs |
CL2AE | Ancient Epic | PROF Katherine Harloe |
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 |
CL2RME | Rome’s Mediterranean Empire; A World of Cities | DR Andrew Souter |
CL2PR | Prospects for Classicists and Ancient Historians | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL2RO | Roman History: From Republic to Empire | PROF Annalisa Marzano |
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 |
EN2BB | The Business of Books | DR Nicola Wilson |
EN2CF | Contemporary Fiction | PROF Bryan Cheyette |
EN2CMN | Chaucer and Medieval Narrative | DR Aisling Byrne |
EN2CRI | Critical Issues | DR Madeleine Davies |
EN2LV | Lyric Voices 1340-1650 | DR Mary Morrissey |
EN2MOD | Modernism in Poetry and Fiction | DR Mark Nixon |
EN2OEL | Introduction to Old English Literature | DR Aisling Byrne |
EN2RER | Restoration to Revolution: 1660-1789 | DR Rebecca Bullard |
EN2RP | The Romantic Period | DR Matthew Scott |
EN2RTC | Renaissance Texts and Cultures | PROF Michelle O'Callaghan |
EN2SH | Shakespeare | DR Lucinda Becker |
EN2VIC | Victorian Literature | DR Lucy Bending |
EN2WA | Writing America | DR Sue Walsh |
EN2WGI | Writing, Gender, Identity | DR Yasmine Shamma |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
AR3HCP | THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL PROPERTY | DR Alanna Cant |
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 |
CL3L4 | Latin 4 (H) | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3L5 | Latin 5 (H) | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3INP | Independent Third Year Project | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3L2 | Latin 2 (I) | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3G6 | Ancient Greek 6 | MRS Jackie Baines |
CL3L6 | Latin 6 | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3NH | History, Culture and Society in the time of Nero | DR Andreas Gavrielatos |
CL3TE | Technology in the Ancient World | PROF Annalisa Marzano |
CL3UL | Urban Life: The Archaeology and Anthropology of Roman Cities | DR John Hanson |
CL3TH | Transformations of Helen | PROF Barbara Goff |
EN3PC | Publishing Cultures: Writers, Publics, Archives | DR Nicola Wilson |
EN3PSY | Psychoanalysis and Text | PROF Karin Lesnik-Oberstein |
EN3RF | From Romance to Fantasy | DR Mary Morrissey |
EN3SHF | Shakespeare on Film | DR Lucinda Becker |
EN3TBS | The Bloody Stage: Revenge and Death in Renaissance Drama | DR Chloe Houston |
EN3UTD | Utopia and Dystopia in English and American Literature | DR Chloe Houston |
EN3VW | Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury | DR Madeleine Davies |
EN3WWP | Writing Women: Nineteenth Century Poetry | DR Lucy Bending |
EN3BBF | Black British Fiction | DR Cato Marks |
EN3CF | Contemporary American Fiction | PROF David Brauner |
EN3CL | Children's Literature | PROF Karin Lesnik-Oberstein |
EN3DD | Decadence and Degeneration: Literature of the 1880s and 1890s | DR Lucy Bending |
EN3DIC | Dickens | PROF Andrew Mangham |
EN3DIS | Dissertation | DR Neil Cocks |
EN3ECN | The Eighteenth-Century Novel: Sex and Sensibility | DR Rebecca Bullard |
EN3HT | Holocaust Testimony: Memory, Trauma and Representation | PROF Bryan Cheyette |
EN3MAT | Margaret Atwood | DR Madeleine Davies |
EN3MO | Medieval Otherworlds | DR Aisling Byrne |
EN3MPS | Creative Writing Masterclass: Prose | MS Shelley Harris |
EN3MPY | Creative Writing Masterclass: Poetry | DR Conor Carville |
EN3NL | Nigerian Prose Literature: From Achebe to Adichie | DR Sue Walsh |
EN3PA | Placing Jane Austen | DR Paddy Bullard |
Fees
New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250* per year
New international students: £17,320 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
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.
Flexible courses (price per 10 credit module)
UK/Republic of Ireland students: £750
International students: £1275
Careers
A degree in Classical Studies and English Literature will help you develop a range of transferable skills, including critical thinking; research and writing; ability to analyse a diverse range of materials; time-management; adaptability; independence; and a high degree of cultural literacy.
Previous graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers, including work in accountancy and banking, government and the civil service, law, heritage and museums, teaching, publishing, public sector management, libraries and archives, and media research and production. Recent employers include GCHQ, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Oxford University, the British Museum, the NHS, the Environment Agency, and Sotheby's.