- Why study Classics at Christ's?
- Course content and structure
- Teaching
- What do our students think?
- How to apply
- Helpful resources
- Come to an Open Day or Online Event
- What to know more?
Why study Classics at Christ's?
Christ’s is a very special place to study Classics. We take 4-6 undergraduates in each study year; currently we also have 14 postgraduate students pursuing Masters and PhD degrees.
Our very own Classics Society organises talks, reading groups, museum visits and social events, including an annual dinner and the now-legendary summer punting trip. They also attend talks organised by other academic societies in the university together - there are many events that are of interest to Classics students. And if you’re keen to try some acting, the professionally-directed Cambridge Greek Play attracts audiences from all over the UK, including Christ's Classicists who – if they’re not already taking part – go as a group. Activities such as these create a real sense of community at the College.
Many former graduates now teach classical subjects at universities worldwide, including George Boys-Stones (Toronto) and Mark Buchan (Columbia). The scholars J.N. Adams (Oxford), David Johnston (later Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge), Margaret Atkins (scholar of Cicero and Augustine), Greg Woolf (Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, London) and Henry Spelman (Merton College, Oxford) were all classical Research Fellows at the College.
Other graduates have gone on to work in fields including broadcasting, law, accountancy, banking, consultancy, teaching and research.
Course content and structure
At Cambridge, we don’t just see Classics as a period set in the past. Here, you study with a view to how classical culture, language and philosophy have affected the history of Western civilisation right up to the present. We are, after all, in constant dialogue with our past.
The field of Classics is expanding as archaeologists find new artefacts for us to study. Existing evidence is also being re-assessed as we draw on approaches from related fields such as Film Theory, Cognitive Science and Gender Studies.
The Classics course (or ‘tripos’) is either a three year degree or a four year degree, depending on which subjects you have studied at school. Please visit the University website for full details of the Classics course content and structure, including the course film .You will also find information on the Classics Faculty page for prospective applicants. If you have further questions about the course content, please contact schools.liaison@classics.cam.ac.uk.
Teaching
Christ’s is lucky to have a number of experienced Classicists under its roof:
- Professor Caroline Vout Director of Studies, University Professor in Classics and a teaching fellow of the College
- Dr Henry Spelman, Director of Studies, and lecturer in Classics
- Professor David Sedley Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy Emeritus
- Professor Gabor Betegh Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy
- Dr Ella Grunberger-Kirsh Junior Research Fellow
- Dr Il-Kweon Sir Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and Bye-fellow in Classics
- Dr Matthew Ward Junior Research Fellow
Christ’s College’s Director of Studies in Classics Prof Caroline Vout can advise you on choosing options and arrange your supervisions. These are tutorial teaching sessions – one-to-one or in small groups – that provide help and tuition tailored to your personal work. As other universities usually tutor in much larger groups, this approach is a real advantage of a Cambridge education.
If you’re struggling with Greek or Latin, essay-writing, or job applications, our Fellows are happy to help. They get to know each student well so they can tweak their supervisions accordingly. The Christ's Awards mean that the College can offer undergraduate prizes, bursaries and travel grants to Classical lands, as well as enable students to do modern language courses or stay in College during vacations for study.
Lectures take place i
n the Faculty of Classics, a short walk from Christ's, with some classes in the Museum of Classical Archaeology, which can be found on the first floor of the same building.
Students with interests beyond Classics may also attend almost any other lectures in the University; many members of the University take advantage of this in order to learn or improve a foreign language. In some cases it may be possible to use this study to gain a formal qualification (Certificate or Diploma) in a foreign language (e.g. modern Greek) in addition to your degree.
What do our students think?
Read about the experiences of some of the Christ's College Classics students.
If you’d like to hear from other Christ's students, please watch the Christ's student Q&A film, and visit our Student Profiles page.
How to apply
Details and a timeline for the application process can be found on the how to apply page. You may also find the additional Faculty of Classics application information useful.
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Subject requirements
Applicants for the three year Classics course must take Latin at A-Level, IB Higher Level, Scottish Advanced Higher or equivalent. If you are taking Classical Greek but not Latin, please contact us for further information. Please also read the Classics Faculty advice.
No specific subjects are required for the four year Classics course. We advise that the following subjects give useful preparation: Classical Civilisation, English (Language or Literature), History, a language (ancient or modern), and recommend that you also read the Classics Faculty advice.
We encourage students to attend one of our regular Subject Matters webinars for help with choosing Post-16 subjects for competitive university applications. This webinar is pitched for students aged 14-16 though it is also possible to attend when you have started sixth form.
Written work
After you have applied, Classics applicants are asked to upload TWO examples of marked written work that you feel accurately reflect your abilities and interests. In all cases work submitted must be your own original work, written in English and not more than 2,500 words in length. Normally the essays will have been completed during your normal course of your school study and have been marked by your usual teacher. Full written work guidelines are provided as part of the current applicants section on this website (published on 20 September each year), and the deadline for uploading your work will be in early November.
Interviews
If we select you for interview, these take place in early December. At Christ's we do all of our interviews online, and you can have them either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier). We normally organise two interviews for our Classics candidates with academics in Classics. Your interviews will cover a range of topics based on your UCAS application and My Cambridge Application form, (for example, set-texts, wider reading, personal statement).
- If you are applying for the three-year course, one of your interviews will be longer than the other, as it will include the 3-year Latin (or Greek) skills assessment (see below)
- If you are applying for the four-year course you will have an additional interview for your assessment (see below)
Further information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section.
Admissions Assessment
If you are selected for interview, you will also be asked to do the relevant skills assessment for your course. We arrange your assessment for you automatically so you don’t need to do anything to register, and the assessment will be conducted verbally.
- Interview candidates for the Classics (3-year course) will have a Latin (or Greek) skills assessment in one of your two online interviews (we will be clear about which interview will include the assessment, and extra time will be allocated to this interview for the assessment). Please see the College assessments page for further detail and examples, and remember that if you're studying Classical Greek but not Latin, we ask that you get in touch with us.
- Interview candidates for the Classics (4-year course) need to do a language aptitude assessment, which is scheduled like an additional (third) online interview but will be with a language teaching officer from the Classics Faculty. Your Assessment interview will take place at about the same time as your other interviews but may not be on the same day. Please see the College assessments page for further detail and examples.
Details of how the relevant assessment will work are given to students selected for interview by email. If you will not be applying this year, note that there are sometimes changes to assessments from year to year - any changes are confirmed by the July before you apply.
Offers
Christ's College does not have fixed quotas of places for different subjects and the exact numbers admitted in any one year will depend upon the strengths of the fields of applicants in various subjects. However, the College's aim is to admit around 4 - 6 students each year in Classics.
We define the terms of each offer individually, but our typical offer for Classics is
- A*AA at A-level
- 42 points overall in the International Baccalaureate with 7, 7, 6 in relevant Higher Level subjects
- A1, A2, A2 in three Scottish Advanced Highers
You need to be academically ambitious, as the majority of students arrive with higher grades than are required.
If you’re taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range, for example
- Baccalauréat français international (BFI): 17 (mention très bien) out of 20 overall, with a minimum of 17 in relevant subjects.
- European Baccalaureate: at least 85% overall, with 9/10 in relevant subjects
You can look up other qualifications in the offer levels for other exam systems and international entry requirements, and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the Christ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.
If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, mature students or applying from a university.
Helpful resources
Would you like to receive these resources in an email? Please complete this brief form.
| The Greeks, The Romans and Us | Find out more about applying to study Classics at Cambridge |
| Why Classics matters | A helpful overview from the Faculty website |
| Reading suggestions | This online list, provided by the Faculty, gives insight into all areas of classical study. |
| Latin resources (for 3 yr course). | The Classics Faculty have provided commentaries on Cicero, Tacitus, and Virgil. for those studying Latin at AS or A level. |
| Films with one of the Christ's Directors of Studies | Professor Caroline Vout looks at some of the standout pieces in the Museum of Classical Archaeology Cast Gallery: Antinous; Discobolus; Peplos Kore |
| The Classical Anthology | A collection of passages from Greek and Latin literature (with translations) - click 'show menu' to start. |
| Antigone journal website | Open forum for Classics in the twenty-first century. |
| HE+ Classics | Resources for students who want to explore Classics beyond a school curriculum |
| Omnibus Magazine | Classics journal aimed at those in the final years of high school or starting university. |
| Theoi Greek mythology | About the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures (theres) and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion. |
| Open University courses | Introducing Classical Latin Getting started on Classical Latin Introducing Ancient Greek Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin |
| Classics for All | Resources for Classical Civilisation, Latin, and Ancient Greek |
| Internet Classics Archive | Greco-Roman works, all in English translation. |
| Duolingo | This includes an option to learn/practice Latin |
| Essay competitions | Entering an essay competition gives you an opportunity to explore a relevant topic and get some extra practice in writing a convincing and well-structured essay. |
| In our Time | Programmes on the ancient world from BBC Radio 4 |
| CamGuides | Introducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you would be working. |
Events (online / in person)
Our open days and events page advertises online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge - there should be something to suit everybody.
We particularly recommend taking part in a Christ's College Open Day as a good way to find out more about the College and talk to current students and staff about studying Classics here. These take place online with an optional in-person visit to the College. Or you could come along to one of Cambridge Classics events and open days and visit Christ's on the same day.
If you might be interested in combining a Classical Language with a Modern European Language such as French, German, Spanish etc, see the Cambridge Languages Open Day.
Want to know more?
For a full picture of what the course involves, please take a look at Undergraduate Classics admissions on the University website and visit the Faculty of Classics information for prospective students too.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk. We’ll be happy to help.
Undergraduate Admissions / Subjects / How to apply / Why Christ's?
