A young university student studying in a classics library with a Roman bust and pottery fragments on the desk alongside open classical texts, representing the scholarly study of ancient civilisations

DEGREE GUIDE

Ancient History

What do Ancient History degrees involve?

Ancient History degrees teach you about the political, social, and cultural developments of ancient civilisations, focusing on Greece, Rome, and other early societies. You will study key areas such as classical history, archaeology, mythology, warfare, and the impact of ancient empires. These courses help you develop strong research, analytical, and critical thinking skills while exploring how historical events shaped the modern world. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as ancient economies, religion, or the everyday lives of ancient peoples. Many programmes include opportunities for studying historical texts, engaging with archaeological evidence, or even participating in fieldwork, giving you hands-on experience in historical research.

Example
Modules

Introduction to Greek Civilisation: Study ancient Greece through its myths, politics, literature and art, tracing its influence on Western culture.

Introduction to Roman Civilisation: Explore the rise of Rome, from republic to empire, focusing on everyday life, law, and power.

Classical Civilisation: Early Greece: Examine the early Greek world from the Trojan War to the Persian Wars, uncovering key developments in society and warfare.

Common Degree Names

💼 Some courses offer placements in museums, archives or heritage organisations.
🌍 Study abroad is commonly offered, particularly in Europe.

BA (Hons) Ancient History
BA (Hons) Classical Civilisation
BA (Hons) Ancient History and Archaeology
BA (Hons) Ancient History and Classics

An ancient illuminated manuscript with handwritten translation notes alongside Roman coins and terracotta pottery fragments, illustrating the textual and material analysis skills developed in Ancient History degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Ancient History explores the civilisations of Greece, Rome, and the ancient world. Universities look for students who can research, analyse texts, and build arguments.

Universities usually expect:

History – highly recommended and sometimes required (even if focused on modern history)
Classical Civilisation or Ancient History – great if available
English Literature – develops analytical and essay-writing skills
Latin or Ancient Greek – valued if available, but not required
Other essay-based subjects – Religious Studies, Philosophy, Politics

✨ History or Classical Civilisation keeps the widest range of options open. If your school doesn't offer Classics, History and English prepare you just as well.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas. Some courses will require specific BTEC subject areas or A-levels alongside
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study - see above for IB subjects that could strengthen your application

Entry requirements vary by course, especially if Ancient History is combined with another subject, so always check the university’s website for exact details.

Level 2 (GCSE / MYP / Nat 5)
Most universities ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5 passes or MYP results
GCSE History – not usually required, but definitely helpful if available

📘 Strong performance in essay-based subjects like English, History, or Religious Studies at this level will help you build key skills for the course.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What fascinates you about the ancient world? Whether it's Greece, Rome, Egypt, Persia, or other civilisations, think about what draws you in - particular events, figures, societies, or the challenge of understanding the past through fragmentary evidence. If you've explored ancient history through books, documentaries, museum visits, podcasts, or ancient sources in translation, reflect on what captured your interest and what questions it raised. Reading beyond your studies, engaging with how historians interpret evidence, or exploring connections between ancient and modern worlds can show genuine curiosity. Admissions tutors want to see that you're excited by the detective work of understanding distant pasts, not just memorising facts.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Humanities or Arts

Some universities offer a foundation year that can lead into Ancient History. This adds an extra year but provides a route in if you don't have the required subjects or grades.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Humanities or History)

Accepted by universities offering Ancient History. Choose a pathway with essay-based units such as history, literature or philosophy, and aim for Distinctions in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

Start Your Journey → £3 a month

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Context sentence

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

custom skills note goes here

Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Ancient History degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

The Past & How It Shapes Us: The degree takes you deep into the ancient world. You'll study the rise and fall of empires, the politics of city-states, and the lives of ordinary people in civilisations like Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Persia, piecing together their stories from texts, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence.

Society, Communities & How People Live Together: You'll study how ancient societies were organised and how people lived within them. From Greek democracy and Roman citizenship to slavery, trade, and everyday community life, the degree explores how social structures shaped the ancient world and continue to influence our own.

Students who thrive in an Ancient History degree are often motivated by

Research and Discovery

You're excited by the idea of uncovering something genuinely new: being at the cutting edge, running experiments, and contributing knowledge that didn't exist before. You want to discover, not just learn what others have found. The prospect of adding something original to human understanding is what drives you, and you're willing to spend long periods on uncertain work for that possibility.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Ancient History click for the students who love it?

A handful of inscriptions, a broken tablet, a chronicle copied centuries after the events it describes: from scraps like these they set out to rebuild a whole vanished world. It is detective work, reconstructing how people lived, ruled and worshipped when the evidence is thin and the sources flatly disagree. The best part is getting somewhere no one has reached before, bringing back lives most people only know from myths and films, and adding something to what we understand about them.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you like piecing together a story from limited or incomplete information — working out what happened when the full picture isn't obvious?
Do you enjoy forming your own view on something and backing it up with solid evidence, even when others might see it differently?

Careers an Ancient History degree could lead you to

Ancient History

What do Ancient History degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Heading 6

Heading 6

Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Ancient History degree could lead you to

Example
Modules