Program Overview

Combine research skills training in classics and ancient history with tailored theoretical and methodological approaches aligned to your proposed research project. Under expert supervision, you’ll produce a major piece of independent research that makes an original contribution to knowledge and offers ideal preparation for PhD study.

This MRes provides a personalised and focused introduction to postgraduate research. It will enable you to develop into an independent researcher and produce an original research project, supported by an expert in classics and ancient history.

The programme provides intensive preparation for doctoral research and your future career. We’ll guide you through the research process, equipping you with transferable skills, including critical thinking, project management, written and verbal communication, and problem solving.

Training in research methodologies will be tailored to classics and ancient history and your specific research proposal. You’ll co-design a bespoke reading list and individual assessment tasks in preparation for a substantial piece of research.

You’ll discover how to develop a research proposal, identify relevant evidence and sources, plan and undertake the research, and analyse and present your findings. The programme will also engage you in current historiographical and theoretical debates.

You’ll be supported by academic experts in the Department of Archaeology, Classic and Egyptology. Our team of MRes supervisors are actively engaged in research, ranging from early prehistory to late antiquity. Their specialisms include the Ancient near east, Graeco-Roman civilisation, and early technologies.

What you'll learn

• Methodological approaches appropriate to specific research topics
• How to design a robust research proposal
• How to identify relevant evidence and sources
• How to plan and conduct a major piece of original, independent research
• How to collect, interpret and analyse data and present your findings
• Project management and problem-solving skills
• Ethical issues in research
• Ability to engage with current historiographical and theoretical debates
• How to prepare a bibliography.