How did colonisation shape ancient states? What was the role of gods and their temples in identity formation? How unequal were ancient societies? What was the social significance of sport in the ancient world?
These are the types of questions that lie at the core of the Ancient History track of the MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations. The emphasis of the programme is on political, economic, and religious connectivities within the Mediterranean world, from the Classical Greek world to the fall of the western Roman Empire (roughly 500 BCE to 500 CE).
This one-year programme offers you the opportunity to study the ancient world at an advanced level, working with a wide variety of historical evidence (e.g. literary texts, inscriptions, archaeological remains, papyri). During your studies you will also become acquainted with several different theoretical approaches and methodologies (e.g. deep mapping, network analysis).
This Master's track is taught in English and can be studied full-time as well as part-time. For more information about the Ancient History department in Groningen, see our website. If you aspire a career in research, you may be interested in the two-year Research Master's.
Semesters | ||||
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CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
Landscape and Memory (5 EC) | ||||
2 Research Seminar. Exploring Late Antiquity (10 EC) | ||||
Elective Greek epigraphy: Essay (5 EC, optional) | ||||
Elective Greek epigraphy: pensum (5 EC, optional) | ||||
GLTC Commentaarcollege Grieks en Latijn (10 EC, optional) | ||||
Track Ancient History and Culture (20 EC, optional) | ||||
Track Ancient History and Premodern Studies (20 EC, optional) | ||||
Track Ancient History and Religious Studies (20 EC, optional) | ||||
Masterstage Oudheidsstudies (10 EC, optional) | ||||
2 Research Seminar: Athletes and Oracles - Festival, sport and encounter in Ancient Greece (10 EC) | ||||
Ma-thesis Classics and Ancient Civilizations (20 EC) |
Programme options |
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Ancient History and Culture (specialization) This specialization gives you the opportunity to specialize in ancient history and ancient culture by selecting electives worth 20 ECTS. Courses may be selected from MA programmes within the Faculty of Arts, such as History Today, Classical Studies, and Philosophy. |
Ancient History and Religious Studies (specialization) This specialization gives you the opportunity to specialize in ancient history and religious studies by selecting 20 ECTS worth of electives from course units on Religious Studies. This track offers courses within the programme Politics, Religion, and Pluralism in which shifting and overlapping identities in the post-classical world are explored through thematic courses (see website). You can also write a thesis that combines Ancient History and Religious Studies. |
Ancient History and Premodern History (specialization) You can specialize in ancient history and premodern history by freely selecting your own package of electives of 20 ECTS total. The specialization track Premodern History is a track within the Research Master Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Studies. This track offers research seminars and specialist courses on approaches. |
Master's Placement (specialization) This Master's track includes an optional work placement for which you are awarded ECTS credit points. It is your responsibility to find a placement yourself, but the Office for Student Affairs can offer help with this where necessary. |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
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Archaeology | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
History (part-time) | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
Classics (part-time) | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Archaeology | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
History (part-time) | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Classics (part-time) | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
American Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Communication and Information Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Arts, Culture and Media | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Art History | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Information Science | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
English Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
European Languages and Cultures | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Media Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Dutch Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Middle Eastern Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Minorities & Multilingualism | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Linguistics | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
International Relations and International Organization | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a Pre-Master/ Minor (30 ECTS) in Classics and Ancient Civilization. |
Specific requirements | More information |
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previous education |
Student with a Bachelor's degree in Classics, Archaeology, History or other relevant programme from a Research University are directly admissible to this Master's programme. Knowledge of Classical languages is not required (but we doo offer optional courses in beginners' Latin and Greek). Students with a different Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, who have completed the Pre-Master/ Minor Classics and Ancient Civilization (30 ECTS) are also admissible to the Master's track. Students who wish to transfer from other programmes may apply if they have taken c. 30 ECTS in relevant courses. It is also possible to gain entry via a pre-Masters' trajectory. |
language test |
Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 180. |
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 15 August 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
15 August 2025 | 01 September 2025 | |
EU/EEA students | 01 May 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 | |
non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
Specific requirements | More information |
---|---|
previous education |
Student with a Bachelor's degree in Classics, Archaeology or History from a Research University are directly admissible to this Master's programme. Students with a different Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, who have completed the pre-Master/ Minor Classics and Ancient Civilization (30 ECTS) are also admissible to the Master's track. |
language test |
Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 180. |
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 15 August 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
15 August 2025 | 01 September 2025 | |
EU/EEA students | 01 May 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 | |
non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2024 | 01 September 2024 |
01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
Nationality | Year | Fee | Programme form |
---|---|---|---|
EU/EEA | 2023-2024 | € 2314 | full-time |
non-EU/EEA | 2023-2024 | € 16000 | full-time |
EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 2530 | full-time |
non-EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 18700 | full-time |
Practical information for:
Upon graduation students hold a (60 ECTS) MA degree in Classics and Ancient Civilizations with a track in Ancient History from the UG. A student's career after that depends on the kind of person they are. However all graduates possess a broad knowledge of the history of the Greek and Roman World on the basis of different types of sources.
They have, moreover, critical thinking skills and are experts in analyzing problems from the perspective of different cultures and periods. Having a multiperspectival view is an asset in the contemporary world.
A degree in Classics and Ancient Civilizations (Ancient History) can therefore be the starting point of different types of jobs. Many of the skills an Ancient History MA teaches are transferable. You will probably find that your analytical competence, ability to write, and capacity to solve problems will significantly improve after completing an MA degree.
We encourage our students to complete a 10 EC internship in a field of their interest.
With your MA-degree you could become a policy consultant, or work as editor, journalist or in a museum. You may also choose to pursue a career as lecturer or researcher in higher education.
Our programme prepares students for, for instance, the following jobs:
University of Groningen research on Ancient History covers a wide range, from the Greek Classical period up to and including the Late Roman Empire, and from religion and political representation to network theory.
We are part of the large History department, which provides us with many opportunities for comparative teaching and research. In addition we enjoy the full advantages of the diverse Groningen expertise in Classical Studies: a thriving Classical Studies department, a good Mediterranean Archaeology department, and a prominent Faculty of Theology. We collaborate intensively with all of these departments in our teaching and research.
Our permanent staff are all active and internationally published researchers with research experience abroad and many international contacts. Our research projects are organised under the title Political Culture, Religion and Identities from the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity. Our research takes place under OIKOS, the National Research School in Classical Studies, and is locally subsumed under ICOG, the Groningen Research Institute for the Study of Culture, and CRASIS, Culture, Religion and Society in the Ancient World. We are partners in Anchoring Innovation, the research initiative of the research school OIKOS which was awarded a gravitation grant that will allow us to initiate exciting new research projects.
Prof van Nijf and Dr Williamson were recently awarded a 4 year grant for their project Connecting the Greeks that investigates the development of festival networks in the Hellenistic world; this project continues to expand the project Connected Contests, the online database of athletes in the ancient world.
Dr Jan Willem Drijvers has been the recipient for numerous grants and fellowships for his work on Late Antiquity, among others from the National Humanities Center and Dumbarton Oaks in the USA, in Oxford, Göttingen, Yale, Jerusalem and Sydney.
Dr Jeremia Pelgrom has co-directed two projects from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) that focus on mapping the Via Appia and landscapes of early colonization in Italy in the mid-Republican period.
Our teaching and research are characterized by a focus on interdisciplinary approaches. In our research projects, we work together with archaeologists, classical studies experts and religious studies experts, and most of our PhD students are supervised in collaboration with experts from these disciplines. We are also involved in supervising PhD students from other departments.
There is an active group of PhD students at the Ancient History department and neighbouring departments. Recent and current PhD projects include the following:
Our PhD and Research MA students are involved the CRASIS Ancient World Seminar.
For more about Ancient History in Groningen, see our website.
Are you a non-EU/EEA student from Russia, India or Indonesia, starting a Master's programme at the Faculty of Arts? If so, you could qualify for the University of Groningen OTS/Talent Grant, Faculty of Arts, a partial scholarship which helps you to finance your studies.
Read more about the OTS/ Talent Grant Faculty of Arts
See here for a list of all Ancient History staff members.
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