M.A. in Classics and Ancient Civilizations
Amsterdam, Netherlands
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,209 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU/EEA students: April 1 | EU/EAA students: June 1
** EU students: €2,209 per year | non-EU students: €16,060 per year
Key Summary
Do you want to be challenged to become an expert in the literature and linguistics of classical languages or in the cultures and religions of Ancient Greece, Rome, or the Near East? Then the Master's in Classics and Ancient Civilizations with its two distinct specializations – Classics and Ancient Studies – may be the program for you.
This Master’s is offered jointly by VU Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam – combining their expertise in Archaeology, Ancient History, and Classics in the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology (ACASA).
Strengths of the program
- The collaborating universities are leading research universities in Europe
- You will gain a world-class, interdisciplinary education
- Opportunity to follow your own interests in research projects
- Teaching in small classes
The one-year Classics and Ancient Civilizations Master's program allows you to explore the theoretical frameworks and methodologies currently used in Classics or Ancient Studies. You will gain a thorough knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages or of themes in the field of Ancient Studies, such as Urban History, Politics, and Society as well as Religions.
Students are considered to be partners in research, and teaching is strongly related to the research expertise of the staff. The program also provides training in interdisciplinary thinking for which there is an increasing demand on the job market.
Why study Classics and Ancient Civilizations in Amsterdam?
- You will receive excellent training in either classical linguistics, intertextuality, narratology, and post-classical Greek and Latin or gain an in-depth understanding of the social, cultural, and religious history of Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East;
- You will be able to follow and develop your personal interests, among others by tapping into the wide array of expertise of eminent scholars at UvA and VU;
- Amsterdam is an international metropolis with a small-city feel. It is a welcoming place to live and study and English is widely spoken.
Student Association
Synkratos is an association for students who study Classics or Ancient Studies. Established in 1988, we welcome everyone who is interested in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world. Each year, we offer a variety of social and cultural activities, including lectures, evenings with board games, visits to museums, and sporting activities. We also offer a cultural trip once a year to an appealing destination linked to the ancient world.
Summer School
Apply to VU Amsterdam Summer School and develop your academic skills in a focused and inspiring study abroad experience.
Campus Tour
Curious about the VU campus? Watch the full campus drone video on YouTube here.
The Master's program in Classics and Ancient Civilizations comprises 60 EC:
- 18 EC for interdisciplinary courses and associated self-study
- 12 EC for specialization courses
- 12 EC for research projects or electives
- 18 EC for a Master’s thesis
The interdisciplinary courses aim at training your disciplinary reading skills whilst at the same time sparking a cross-disciplinary dialogue between literary and historical approaches to texts (period 1). They also teach you how to apply modern theories from the social sciences for a better understanding of ancient textual or material sources (period 2).
The objectives of the two modules within the specialization Classics are to deepen the understanding of modern literary and linguistic theory in Classics, post-classical Greek, and Medieval Latin. The two modules of the specialization Ancient Studies intend to deepen the understanding of concepts and methods in ancient history and ancient studies with literary, epigraphic, and iconographical sources.
In the second semester, you will participate in small groups in two Research Projects which are closely associated with research by faculty staff, alternatively, you will take electives, which include the courses of the national Master Language program, such as Greek epigraphy in Athens and Latin epigraphy in Rome. For Ancient Studies it is possible to take electives from the Archaeology Programme in ACASA.
Finally, you will write your Master’s thesis on your own area of research. The writing of your Master’s thesis is an important part of the program, enabling you to conduct original research under the supervision of one of the staff members. The subject of the thesis must be mutually agreed upon by you and your academic supervisor. A Master’s thesis seminar is offered to prepare you for the assignment. Thanks to the cooperation between the two universities a wide array of topics is open for supervision.
Courses
Track Ancient Studies
- Master Thesis Ancient Studies
- Politics and Society: Rulership in the Ancient Mediterranean
- Story vs History: Alexander the Great
- Religion and Society: Lived Religion in Greece and the Near East (7th to 4th cent. BCE)
- The Ancient World & Modern Theory: Memory and Forgetting
- Choose between:
- Master language: Greek Epigraphy
- Term Paper plus Conference
- Choose between:
- Master language: Latin Epigraphy
- Research Project 1: Analyzing Greek and Latin Inscriptions from Satricum
- Research Project 1: Travelling Tales
- Choose between:
- Ancient Judaism: Ethnicity, Politics, Religion
- Master Seminar Akkadian
- Research Project 2: Towards a New Loeb Edition of Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica
- Research Project 2: Visualizing Troy through the Ages
Track Classics
- Master Thesis Classics
- Story vs History: Alexander the Great
- Echoing Texts and Themes: The Pastoral Tradition
- The Language of Literature: Greek and Roman Comedy
- Choose between:
- Master language: Creative Imitation in Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Latin Literature
- The Ancient World & Modern Theory: Memory and Forgetting
- Choose between:
- Master language: Greek Epigraphy
- Term Paper plus Conference
- Choose between:
- Master language: Latin Epigraphy
- Research Project 1: Analyzing Greek and Latin Inscriptions from Satricum
- Research Project 1: Travelling Tales
- Choose between:
- Ancient Judaism: Ethnicity, Politics, Religion
- Master language: Canonicity: Highlights from Greek Literature
- Research Project 2: Towards a New Loeb Edition of Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica
- Research Project 2: Visualizing Troy through the Ages
After graduating with a Master’s degree in Classics and Ancient Civilizations, you will be well prepared for positions requiring in-depth knowledge of this field, or other jobs requiring a range of academic skills.
If you plan to continue your career in education, you will be well equipped to follow an Educational Master’s program specializing in Greek and Latin. Taught in Dutch, this program will allow you to become a fully qualified secondary school teacher in the Netherlands. If you decide to pursue an academic career, it’s a good idea to discuss the possibility of switching to a two-year Research Master's program.
What can you do after your Master's degree?
Enter the workforce
A Master’s degree in Classics and Ancient Civilizations gives you three main options.
Start working
You can start working, using your in-depth knowledge and academic skills, in areas like arts management, commercial research, or the broader cultural sector – including museums, archives, journalism, publishing, and cultural tourism.
Deepen your academic knowledge
Follow an Educational Master
Or you can follow an Educational Master’s program and become a fully qualified secondary school teacher in the Netherlands. With the Classics specialization, you can follow VU Amsterdam’s one-year Dutch Educational Master’s (Leraar VHO in de Taal- en Cultuurwetenschappen), specializing in Greek and Latin.
Join one of the Research Master’s programs within ACASA
If you perform well during the regular Master’s program and wish to pursue a Ph.D. candidacy at VU Amsterdam or the UvA, or at another university in the Netherlands or abroad, continue your studies in one of the two-year selective Research Master’s programs within ACASA – Classics and Ancient Studies: Research at VU or Archaeology at UvA – may be an option.
For more information about our (upcoming) open days and webinars please visit us