Programme description

The MSc (by Research) in offers you the opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of supervised independent research in your chosen field.

In Classics we can offer you a first-class experience in graduate education and research. Only candidates with a degree in a relevant field, who submit a strong and viable research proposal, will be considered for this degree.

The MSc (by Research) in Classics is a one-year degree. It provides a grounding in the methods and techniques of sustained research, while at the same time allowing you to pursue your own project and complete an extended thesis, with the guidance of supervisors who are experts in the field.

We welcome applications from anyone keen to work on topics that overlap with the research interests of our academic staff. Major research interests include:

• Homer and early Greek poetry
• Ancient philosophy
• Greek drama
• Hellenistic and Roman poetry
• classical Greek and Hellenistic history
• the ancient economy
• Archaic and Classical Greek archaeology
• Jewish history in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods
• Byzantine history and literature
• the Greek East under Rome
• the Hellenistic and Roman Near East
• Roman imperial history
• Greek literature of the Roman empire
• late Roman literature and history
• Christianity in the Roman empire
• ancient slavery
• ancient law
• epigraphy
• gender in antiquity
• Greek sculpture
• mythology in art
• Roman and late antique archaeology

We provide you with opportunities to hear from distinguished speakers in the weekly classics research seminar series and to share your research with your peers at the Classics graduate seminar. You would be studying in Edinburgh, the Athens of the North, a stunningly beautiful city with a worldwide reputation as a cultural and academic capital!

Breadth of expertise

The Classics department is home to over 25 members of academic staff, making it one of the largest Classics departments in the UK. The department includes specialists in the central areas of Greek and Latin literature and thought, Greek and Roman history, and Classical art and archaeology; but we have a broad view of the discipline, with expertise in (for example) late antiquity and reception history.

To find out more about our research strengths, and the research groups and centres based in the School, consult our research pages:

• School research website

You can identify a potential supervisor by looking at the School of History Classics and Archaeology’s Staff Profiles, which give details of research interests and publications, and email addresses. You are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your research project before making a formal application.

To discuss possible topics and areas for the MSc by Research in History, please contact the Programme Director.

International reputation

Studying in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology you will benefit individual supervision from nationally- and internationally-renowned classicists.