MRes Late Antiquity

Start date
September
Duration
Full-time: 1 year
Course Type
Postgraduate, Combined research and taught
Fees
Annual tuition fees for 2024 entry:
UK: £6,780 full-time
International: £21,840 full-time
More details.

This programme offers you the opportunity to research one aspect of the fragmentation of the Roman World and its transformation into a myriad of new states as the result of internal pressures and barbarian invasion in the period AD 300–700.

The taught elements examine major debates about the period, tackling historical, textual, archaeological and art historical material as an essential foundation for your research topic.

We are ranked 8th amongst departments of Classics in the country in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on research rated 4*, according to Times Higher Education. 

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

What is an MRes?

An MRes is a programme that will help you develop the skills for both doctoral study and a future career. You will complete a major individual research project, supervised by a specialist in the field of study, and a taught component that develops research and analytical skills. If you are interested in applying, we strongly encourage you to contact the admissions tutor or a member of staff with interests in your field to discuss your application in general and your proposed research topic in particular.

At Birmingham, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research students also have the opportunity to learn graduate academic languages free of charge, to support your studies.

The best things about my course is the close and meticulous support I am receiving from my supervisors, as well as the sense of connection with the local research community. Life is exciting as a researcher at the University of Birmingham with lots of events, conferences and presentations by renowned scholars

Ioannis

Why study this course?

  • Research resources: We have an outstanding research collection in the University Library, with strong holdings in periodicals and other scholarly publications, including those in relevant European languages, and subscriptions to all major online databases and e-resources.
  • Postgraduate community: The Department has a large postgraduate community that has its own forum and journal (Rosetta) and schedule of meetings at which postgraduates present their research. Postgraduates also organise an annual postgraduate colloquium which students and staff attend. Students benefit from several disciplines – Ancient History, Classics, Byzantine Studies and Archaeology – being represented in the Department.
  • Coin collection: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts houses one of the most impressive collections of Roman, Byzantine, Sasanian, medieval Islamic and medieval and modern Hungarian coins in the world and has around 16,000 objects in its collection. Pandemic-related limitations on access are currently under review.
  • Research excellence: The Classics department is ranked 8th out of Classics department in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on research rated 4*, according to Times Higher Education. 
  • Course flexibility: You will have the opportunity to choose modules from a range of opportunities taught by the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology or the Department of History depending on your interests and research needs.

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces, to careers support and funding opportunities. Learn more about your postgraduate experience.

Modules

The MRes consists of three taught modules and a 20,000-word supervised research thesis on a topic of your choice in the late antique world. You should talk to a potential supervisor about this project before making your application.

You will study one core module: Research and Scholarship in Classics and Ancient History.

You will also choose two optional modules from a range which typically includes:

  • Byzantine Archaeology and Material Culture
  • Empire and Identity
  • Greek (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Latin (Beginner/Advanced)
  • CAHA Seminar for Social History: Ancient Slaveries 
  • The Economies of the Late Roman, Byzantine and Frankish East 
  • Gender in Byzantium 
  • Ideas, Ideals and Ideologies
  • Methodologies of Byzantine Studies 

For more information, see our Classics and Ancient History module descriptions.


Please note that the optional module information listed on the website for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024 entry:

  • UK: £6,780 full-time
  • International: £21,840 full-time

Fee status

Eligibility for UK or international fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students.

Paying your fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding.

Scholarships and studentships

Scholarships to cover fees and/or maintenance costs may be available. To discover whether you are eligible for any award across the University, and to start your funding application, please visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

How To Apply

Application deadlines

The deadline for International students (including EU) to apply is 7 May 2024. The deadline for UK students is 30 August 2024.

Six easy steps to apply for a postgraduate research course in the College of Arts and Law

Before you make your application

Please refer to our six step process on applying for PhD, MA by Research and MRes opportunities for Arts subject areas, which includes detailed advice on research proposals and how to write them.

Making your application

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Our requirements for postgraduate research are dependent on the type of programme you are applying for:

  • For MRes and MA by Research programmes, entry to our programmes usually requires a good (normally a 2:1 or above) Honours degree, or an equivalent qualification if you were educated outside the UK, usually in a relevant area.
  • Applicants for a PhD will also need to hold a Masters qualification at Merit level or above (or its international equivalent), usually in a relevant area.

Any academic and professional qualifications or relevant professional experience you may have are normally taken into account, and in some cases, form an integral part of the entrance requirements.

If you are applying for distance learning research programmes, you will also be required to demonstrate that you have the time, commitment, facilities and experience to study by distance learning.

If your qualifications are non-standard or different from the entry requirements stated here, please contact the admissions tutor.

International students

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries - use our handy guide below to see what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language requirements: standard language requirements apply for this course - IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band. If you are made an offer of a place to study and you do not meet the language requirement, you have the option to enrol on our English for Academic Purposes Presessional Course - if you successfully complete the course, you will be able to fulfil the language requirement without retaking a language qualification.

IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band is equivalent to:

  • TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 21 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 59 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Learn more about international entry requirements

International Requirements


Academic staff in Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology are undertaking research in a variety of areas, from exploring the earliest settlements to unravelling the complex archaeology of modern industrial societies, utilising both traditional applied techniques and cutting edge technologies to reconstruct the past in imaginative and innovative ways.

Please contact a staff member working in your area of interest in the first instance. 

Late Antiquity staff research supervision areas

The MRes in Late Antiquity is taught by a large concentration of staff approaching the late antique world from a range of perspectives – archaeological, art historical, historical, philosophical and literary.

Staff within the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, work particularly on late antique North Africa and Augustine of Hippo, Britain and the western provinces, the Balkans and the East Roman/Byzantine empire. Relevant colleagues in the Department of History work on early Islam and on Scandinavia.

You will benefit from the large postgraduate community in the Department who work on all aspects of the ancient and late antique worlds. There is a particular concentration of students who work on the Byzantine period.

You will also become part of, and contribute to, the lively international community of the College of Arts and Law Graduate School, which offers dedicated research resources and a supportive working environment. Our team of academic and operational staff are on hand to offer support and advice to all postgraduate students within the College.

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated  careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

  • Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
  • Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
  • Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
  • Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation.

Postgraduate employability: Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology

Birmingham's Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology graduates develop a broad range of transferable skills including: familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large quantities of information from diverse sources; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; the expertise to write clearly and concisely and to tight deadlines; critical and analytical ability; the capacity for argument, debate and speculation; and the ability to base conclusions on statistical research.

Many of our postgraduates enter roles for which their programme has especially prepared them, such as museum, heritage and archaeological posts. Elsewhere, a range of professions are undertaken by our graduates, including fundraising, publishing, teaching and accountancy.