Study at Cardiff | Postgraduate

Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (MA)

Course Aims

The MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies is designed to provide students with the advanced knowledge, understanding and skills needed to carry out independent research into the history and culture of Late Antiquity and Byzantium. It takes advantage of the concentration of expertise in late antique history, culture, religion and archaeology in the Centre for Late Antique Religion and Culture (CLARC), which is based in the School.

Course Description

The MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies is designed to be flexible, enabling students to pursue their own interests whilst gaining a solid foundation of research skills. The MA can serve as a basis for doctoral research, but it also provides transferable skills, which will be valuable for a career in any field.

The taught element of the MA runs from October to May, and combines research training modules, study of an ancient language, and a choice of specialised options. During the taught stage of the MA, students lay the foundations for the second part of the course, which is an individual research project, carried out between May and September, leading up to a dissertation of 16,000 words. The course can be taken full-time in one year, or part-time over three years.

Course Structure

Students take a total of 180 credits of modules, consisting of:

• 40 credits of core skills modules
• 20 credits of language modules
• 60 credits of option modules selected by the student
• 60 credit dissertation (topic or theme chosen by the student in consultation with academic staff)

Please see the Ancient History website for more course and module information.

Skills Acquired

In addition to helping students obtain a detailed and critical knowledge of their chosen area of late antique or Byzantine history, the MA offers them the chance to acquire and perfect valuable skills that are applicable to careers in many different fields. Often referred to as transferable or generic skills, these skills expand students' individual capabilities and make it easier for them to obtain employment and enter their careers with abilities that are widely considered essential for professional success.

Upon completion of the MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, students will have acquired the following skills:

• Intellectual skills, including the ability to critically evaluate evidence and its interpretation, and to be tolerant of differing interpretations; to sustain a logical argument and reach a conclusion that can be defended; to synthesise and analyse information; to compare and contrast theoretical explanations and to integrate different methodologies.
• Language skills, including the ability to read and interpret texts in Latin, ancient Greek, Arabic, Hebrew or Syriac.
• Communication skills, including the ability to communicate orally in an appropriate professional manner; to make presentations both as an individual and as part of a group; to write effectively at an advanced level.
• Information technology skills, including the ability to use electronic resources for ancient historians and classicists; to find, manage and utilise information and data. Personal skills, including the ability to manage workloads; to adapt and apply skills to new contexts; to assess and formulate priorities, constraints and goals, and to adapt to changing circumstances.

Above all, by the end of the MA, students will be able to critically assess the work of others and of their own, to engage effectively in debate at an advanced level, to plan, design and carry out a coherent research strategy, and to produce detailed and coherent reports and presentations.

Entry Requirements

1st or upper 2nd class UK Honours degree in an appropriate subject. Suitable for graduates in Ancient History, Classics and Classical Archaeology, Religious Studies and related humanities and social science disciplines.

Students whose first language is not English will be required to pass an IELTS test (minimum 6.5) or equivalent.

Note: International students pursuing part-time programmes of study are not eligible for Tier 4 (General Student) visas and must have alternative leave to remain in the UK if they intend to study at the University in person.

How to Apply

Applications can be made for this course via our Online Application Service selecting the MA Late Antique and Byzantine Studies option from the list of courses. Applicants should use the Personal Statement section of the form to outline their area of interest and, if possible, the topic that they hope to research for their dissertation.

Funding

For more information on funding available for Masters students in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion please see the school's funding website.

Next intake: September 2013

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