Classics

Classics at Cambridge

The Faculty of Classics is one of the most dynamic of its kind, with an exceptional reputation for teaching and research.

Our course encompasses the history, culture, archaeology, art, philosophy and linguistics of classical antiquity and the study of original texts and artefacts. You can either specialise in a particular field or retain the breadth with which the course starts. 

The courses

Classics at Cambridge is open to all in equal measure. We welcome and support students with no ancient language experience whatsoever as well as students who have started Greek and/or Latin before University.

We offer a three-year course and a four-year course. The three-year course is usually for students with A Level/IB Higher Level Latin or equivalent (regardless of whether they have Greek). We offer an intensive ancient Greek programme for those with little or no Classical Greek.

The four-year course is for those with little or no Latin, and offers a preliminary year which focuses on Latin language and Roman culture. Years 2, 3 and 4 are identical to the three-year course.

If you have A Level/IB Higher Level (or equivalent) Classical Greek but not Latin, you may be advised to take the four-year degree (depending on circumstances – please contact the Faculty or a College admissions office for guidance).

Facilities and resources

The Faculty's facilities include a well-stocked library and our own Museum of Classical Archaeology. In addition, you have access to the holdings of the Fitzwilliam Museum, where some classes take place. There's a thriving student society, and the renowned Cambridge Greek Play (produced in the original language) is regularly staged by a professional director. We also offer various undergraduate prizes, bursaries and travel grants.

Course Outline

During Part IA and Part IB, you have an average of eight to 10 lectures a week, and language classes as needed. You also have at least two supervisions a week in which you discuss your work.

In Part II, you may have Faculty seminars as well as lectures, while your College supervisions give you the opportunity to research essay topics of your choice in depth.

Assessment is by end of year exams, although in Year 3 you can substitute an exam for a dissertation.

Preliminary Year (four-year course)

You learn to read Latin confidently through language study and the reading of texts from the Roman world. You also study Roman culture, submit essays for assessment, and start work on Ancient Greek.

Year 1 (Part IA)

Written texts are a major source of evidence for classical antiquity. In IA, you study texts in the original Greek and Latin from the most familiar periods of ancient literature by central authors such as Homer, Euripides, Plato, Virgil, Ovid and Cicero.

You also study elements of ancient history, archaeology, art, philosophy, philology and linguistics, as well as modern usages of the classical tradition, to build the broadest possible understanding of the ancient world and our relationship to it. Reading and language classes directed by specialist language teachers, as required, extend your knowledge of the ancient languages. End of year exams test your linguistic and literary comprehension and essay writing skills. Your language exams will be adapted to take into account your language ability when you started the course so that your results accurately reflect your progress over the course of the year.

Year 2 (Part IB)

A choice of papers is offered. Two are compulsory:

• Greek translation
• Latin translation

The remaining papers are chosen from a range of subjects:

• Greek Literature
• Latin Literature
• Greek Philosophy
• Greek and Roman History
• Classical Art and Archaeology
• Classical and Historical Linguistics

Further optional papers on prose or verse composition in both languages are available if you wish to develop your confidence and creativity in manipulating language. For language exams, different streams are adapted to different entry levels to make sure results reflect the progression made over the course of the year.

Year 3 (Part II)

You can specialise within one discipline (eg archaeology) or construct a wide-ranging course particular to your individual strengths and interests. You choose four papers from a broad range of options, including:

• literature, eg Women and Greek Literature
• philosophy, eg Aristotle's World, from Turtles to Tragedies
• history, eg Slavery in the Greek and Roman Worlds 
• art and archaeology, eg Beyond Classical Art
• historical Linguistics, eg Greek in the Bronze Age
• a multidisciplinary paper, eg Rome – the Very Idea
• papers from another degree course

At the end of the year, you take exams in these subjects or you can substitute one paper with a dissertation on a subject of your choice within the field of Classics. Past dissertations have covered:

• cross-dressing in antiquity
• modern receptions of Sappho
• Milton as a Latin poet
• gods in Pindar 
• Greek tragedy and politics
• Roman statues and canons of beauty
• Indo-European poetics
• the nature and role of pleasure in human life
• urbanism in Roman Egypt

For further information about studying Classics at the University of Cambridge see the Faculty of Classics website.

The application process

The Cambridge application process is slightly different to other universities. You still need to apply through UCAS, however, at Cambridge the process starts earlier to give us time to collect and consider all of the application information. The steps below and the following pages will guide you through the process.

You’re going to be studying to a very high level for several years so make sure you choose a course you’re personally interested in and will really enjoy studying! Check, also, that you meet the entrance requirements of the course you want to study.

Most applicants need to take a written admission assessment as part of the application process. Some applicants will also be asked to submit examples of their written work.

Please check the type of assessment required for your course as early as possible as some assessments require you to be registered before the UCAS application deadline (15 or 30 September).

Where would you like to live when you’re here? In your UCAS application, you can apply directly to one of our 29 Colleges or make an open application. 

You need to submit your UCAS application by 15 October – our institution code is CAM C05. Please note:

• Earlier or later deadlines may apply for Mature Students, Foundation Year and Organ Scholarship applicants.
• There's an additional application form if you're applying for the Graduate Course in Medicine.
• You can’t apply to both the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the same year.
• Some applicants will be required to submit an academic transcript.

After you’ve submitted your UCAS application, you will need to fill in an additional Cambridge-specific application form, which we’ll send you a link to by email.

Everyone with a good chance of being offered a place is invited to attend an interview. If you decide to apply, you can find videos and full information on what to expect and how to prepare, in our interviews section.

We’ll advise you of our decision before the end of January.