12 monthsProgramme duration
22,900 EURTuition Fee/year
Feb, SepStarting Month
Programme overview
Main Subject
Classics and Ancient History
Degree
MA
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
The MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University covers the entire range of present-day research on the civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria and Palestine, Greece and the Roman Empire. In chronological terms, the program covers thousands of years, from the early origins of Egyptian and Sumerian societies down to the world of Greece and Rome, including its modern reception from the Renaissance to the twenty-first century.
Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University has been ranked 13th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 and awarded a silver medal in the EW Best Studies 2023 (in Dutch). The Master programme distinguishes itself from other similar programmes through its flexibility and wide range of electives, through the diversity of the research-related specialisms offered within the program, and through the collaboration of Assyriology, Classics, Egyptology and Hebrew and Aramaic Studies within one program. The program is well connected with excellent research institutes in Leiden, including the National Institute for the Near East (NINO), the National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) and the University Library, which hosts the Papyrological Institute and a unique collection of ancient and medieval manuscripts. An important goal of the programme is to develop your ability to conduct high-quality scientific research using a wide variety of research methods. Classics and Ancient Civilizations is a particularly exciting field in which to conduct research, with different research sources opening up the possibility of completely fresh interpretations of the past. Many students conduct field research in a country abroad, visiting excavation sites, or participate in one of our department’s own research projects including excavations at Saqqara and the Dakhla Oasis.
Programme overview
Main Subject
Classics and Ancient History
Degree
MA
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
The MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University covers the entire range of present-day research on the civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria and Palestine, Greece and the Roman Empire. In chronological terms, the program covers thousands of years, from the early origins of Egyptian and Sumerian societies down to the world of Greece and Rome, including its modern reception from the Renaissance to the twenty-first century.
Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University has been ranked 13th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 and awarded a silver medal in the EW Best Studies 2023 (in Dutch). The Master programme distinguishes itself from other similar programmes through its flexibility and wide range of electives, through the diversity of the research-related specialisms offered within the program, and through the collaboration of Assyriology, Classics, Egyptology and Hebrew and Aramaic Studies within one program. The program is well connected with excellent research institutes in Leiden, including the National Institute for the Near East (NINO), the National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) and the University Library, which hosts the Papyrological Institute and a unique collection of ancient and medieval manuscripts. An important goal of the programme is to develop your ability to conduct high-quality scientific research using a wide variety of research methods. Classics and Ancient Civilizations is a particularly exciting field in which to conduct research, with different research sources opening up the possibility of completely fresh interpretations of the past. Many students conduct field research in a country abroad, visiting excavation sites, or participate in one of our department’s own research projects including excavations at Saqqara and the Dakhla Oasis.
Admission Requirements
For more information about admission requirements, please check the website.
English language requirements: Cambridge English 180, C1 level; Cambridge English 180, C2 level; IELTS 6.5; TOEFL internet-based 90.
Admission requirements and application: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/master/classics-and-ancient-civilizations/admission-and-application?utm_source=qs&utm_medium=portal&utm_campaign=Classics+and+Ancient+Civilizations+MA&utm_content=entry_requirements_other
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Frequently Asked Questions
Your future employers will not only be interested in your knowledge of Classics and Ancient Civilisations, but also in the skills that you have developed during your studies. In the MA programme you learn how to analyse a problem, how to formulate a research question, how to select and assess your sources, how to assess secondary literature, how to give a clear and well-argued oral presentation either for specialists or for a wider audience, and how to write a clear and well-argued paper. You will be training the following transferrable skills:
- critical thinking (formulating questions, checking assumptions, assessing sources and scholarship)
- analytical skills (selecting, ordering, sorting out, and solving a problem)
- oral presentation skills (speaking, listening, discussing, receiving feedback)
- writing skills (reporting, summarizing, presenting an argument, with structure and style)
- independence (self-discipline, initiative, motivation)
The students of all specializations participate in the MA Ancient World Thesis seminar. This seminar provides you with the academic skills that you will need for writing your papers and MA Thesis. It also prepares you for the job market, through meetings with alumni and career advisors. Finally, teams of students will set up a small-scale research project, in order to explore the intercultural connections between ancient civilizations
As a graduate of an MA in Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University you are qualified to work as a junior academic researcher in an academic environment or carry out further research work on a PhD programme. It is also possible to find employment within the fields of publishing or teaching, at policy-making departments of governmental bodies, within the education sector, or within cultural tourism.
Our graduates end up working in a diverse range of positions, examples include:
- Policy officer for education
- Curator of classical antiquity at a museum
- Education officer at a museum
- PhD candidate at a university
- Research analyst at a consultancy firm
- Teacher of classical languages at a secondary school
- Teacher at an institute for special needs education
- Policy officer at the provincial department of a political party
- Chief desk editor at a publishing house
For more information about admission requirements, please check the website.
English language requirements: Cambridge English 180, C1 level; Cambridge English 180, C2 level; IELTS 6.5; TOEFL internet-based 90.
- Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS)
- StuNed Scholarship Programme
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