Museum and Classical Studies BA (Hons)

University of Reading

Develop as a museum professional and gain hands-on experience at the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology and our other University museums on our unique BA Museum and Classical Studies degree.

This joint honours course combines the contemporary theory and practice of museum studies with the study of the classical world through literature, material culture, and history. We are the only UK university to offer this exciting combination.

Central to the course is the hands-on experience you will gain at our on-site museums. The University has three museums – including the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology – in which you can gain experience as a volunteer as you learn. As well as museums, we also have a number of archives and special collections of international importance.

Your teaching staff are all practising professionals, including curators, conservators and archivists, and use a combination of problem solving and enquiry-based learning techniques to teach you. In the Department of Classics, we achieved a 91% satisfaction score for the teaching on our courses (National Student Survey, 2022).

Guided by the Department of Classics, you will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be a museum professional. Teaching will encourage you to research the environment that artefacts are displayed in, how they are catalogued, and the meanings they hold for different audiences. You will be given the opportunity to conduct your own research and, in your final year, you will design, create and evaluate your own exhibition.

In Classical Studies, you will explore the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. You will have the opportunity to study different genres of ancient literature alongside your choice of modules in areas including history, art, and language. You can enhance your knowledge of the ancient world through optional Latin and Greek modules, or broaden your understanding by looking at the Classical past in film or through archaeology.

We encourage you to gain direct experience of ancient sites through independent travel, for which travel scholarships are available. We also run our own study trips. You can apply to study at the British School at Athens and the British School at Rome, who both offer summer school opportunities to University of Reading students.

Placement

You will volunteer and undertake a number of work placements to gain hands-on experience. The Department has great connections with conservators, learning specialists and funding and policy specialists, as well as with a large number of museums, including local institutions such as the Reading Museum, and the Royal Berkshire Medical Museum.

Additionally, the Classics Department has close links to overseas institutions. If you would like to gain first-hand experience of life in another culture you can choose to study abroad for part of your degree.

For more information, please visit the Classics website.