PhD at the Institute of Classical Studies
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 up to 6 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 6,130 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* home, full-time | £15500: international, full-time. fees vary depending on mode of study and fee status. please visit our website for updated fees
Introduction
Undertaking doctoral research allows you to develop in-depth knowledge while making a meaningful contribution to your chosen field.
With guidance from our expert supervisors, you'll carry out extensive independent research culminating in a thesis of up to 100,000 words. Broadly speaking the areas covered by the Institute’s expertise are ancient literature and cultural history, intellectual history, reception studies and the classical tradition, and digital classics.
This degree presents the opportunity to gain expertise in your area of interest while also honing a range of transferable skills. On completing this course, you'll be well prepared for specialist career paths both within academia and beyond.
The Institute of Classical Studies
The Institute of Classical Studies (ICS) is a national and international research center for the study of the languages, literature, history, art, archaeology, and philosophy of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
With its world-class library, the ICS provides an important academic focus for postgraduates and scholars from universities throughout the world in association with the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. ICS also serves as the meeting place of the main Classics organizations in the UK.
The School of Advanced Study
The School of Advanced Study at the University of London brings together eight internationally renowned research institutes to form the UK's national center for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Our students fund their studies in a variety of ways including scholarships, bursaries, and fellowships, as well as government loans and postgraduate loans.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that you don't need to pay back and are awarded based on personal circumstances or academic achievement. Funding at the postgraduate level is competitive so it’s a good idea to plan financially before starting your course.
- The London Arts and Humanities Partnership Studentship
- University of London Scholars Awards
- Yusuf Ali Scholarship offered by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
- Stefania Barichello International Travel Bursary
- JB Trapp Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
- Rubinstein Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
Curriculum
The Institute of Classical Studies will be pleased to accept applications for doctoral research supervision in the following areas:
Digital classics include:
- Digital editing of inscriptions, papyri, or manuscripts
- Digital approaches to prosopography, onomastics, or geography
- Impact of digital methodologies on classical scholarship or teaching
under the supervision of Dr Gabriel Bodard.
- History of Classical scholarship
- Reception of Greek and Roman antiquity from the 18th to the 20th centuries
- Greek and Roman literature
- History of political thought
- Gender and race in classics/classical reception
under the supervision of Professor Katherine Harloe.
and
- Early Greek historiography, esp. Herodotus
- Greek religion
- Greek interactions with foreign peoples
- The history of scholarship from the 19th to the 20th centuries
under the supervision of Professor Thomas Harrison (Associate Fellow of the ICS).
It is possible to arrange co-supervision with particular experts in the Colleges of the University of London, and, on occasion, with experts from institutions outside the University of London (for example, the British Library, the British Museum, or other higher education institutions). In cases where it is more appropriate for MPhil/PhD students to be registered at a College of the University, the Institute is happy to offer informal advice.
Before submitting an application you are advised to contact a member of the ICS academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study to discuss your proposal.
Course structure
Full-time study for the Ph.D. degree entails three or a maximum of four years of independent research, culminating in the writing of a thesis of not more than 100,000 words. Part-time students complete the same program in five, or a maximum of six years.
After submission of the thesis, you will attend an oral examination conducted by an internal examiner, from the University of London, and an external examiner, normally from another British university.
There is no formal coursework, but you will be expected to participate in a weekly seminar on Work in Progress and to present a paper every year from your second year onwards. In your first year, you are required to attend a weekly class on Techniques of Scholarship. You are also encouraged to participate in the regular seminars held at the Institute during the academic year.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The Institute of Classical Studies with its world-class library provides an important academic focus for postgraduates from universities in the UK and abroad, who are studying all aspects of the ancient world.
Postgraduates are encouraged to attend the Institute’s broad range of research seminars and guest lectures, which provide an excellent opportunity to hear and discuss papers by leading scholars from the UK and abroad, as well as to meet others interested in a particular field of study.
The Institute is also committed to an expanding program of research training on aspects of Classical antiquity and related disciplines. The regular series of Postgraduate Work-in-Progress seminars attract participants from throughout the UK; student-organized conferences also play an increasingly important role in the Institute’s events program.
More broadly, the School of Advanced Study itself offers excellent resources for interdisciplinary research by bringing together eight internationally renowned research institutes that support the promotion of research in the humanities.
The School of Advanced Study is also home to Senate House Library(Opens in new window), the central library for the University of London. The Art Deco building, which the School and Senate House Library are part of, is a literary landmark in the heart of Bloomsbury, located next to the British Museum. The Library occupies the fourth to the nineteenth floors of the building, with a range of historic library reading rooms and collections.
Much like the Institute itself, the School offers a broad range of events, seminars, and conferences(Opens in a new window) that we encourage our research students to engage with.
Our research students can also take advantage of a varied and challenging research training program, with general research skills training and research methodologies courses provided through the School and subject-specific training provided within the institutes.