Ancient and Modern History

Undergraduate

Ancient and Modern History at St Hilda's

Ancient and Modern History at St Hilda’s is a wonderfully broad degree, allowing you to tailor your studies across different periods of the past in different parts of the world in ways that are varied and illuminating.

Our Ancient and Modern History students are integrated into two distinct but closely related academic communities – the Historians and the Classicists - with all the academic and social benefits of both, including large, vibrant undergraduate, postgraduate and senior communities.

There are up to 2 places for Ancient and Modern History.

St Hilda's Classics Society

Set up and run by undergraduates, the society hosts regular speakers on classical themes, as well as social events such as dinners, classical film nights and trips to museums.

St Hilda's History Society

The History Society has regular meetings where you will meet with tutors, other history undergraduate and graduate students. Guest speakers have included history graduates working in museums, publishing, and journalism, as well as leading academic historians speaking on cutting-edge research subjects such as ‘From history to hashtags. Doing humanities-led research in a digital age’, ‘Does historical scholarship on masculinity have anything useful to say to the wider public?’ and ‘Working with material culture, museums and the heritage sector’. We believe that student input is central to what the History Society does and we very much encourage you to invite speakers who inspire you, or public figures you’d like to question, to talk to us. The lively discussions often continue over refreshments.

Tutors' drinks parties

The Classics tutors host a party every term for all the classical students at St Hilda's.

Travel grants

We are lucky enough to be able to offer substantial financial help towards the cost of travel to Classical sites around the Mediterranean world and also modern history-related travel. We encourage students to make the most of this opportunity.

Additional information

Applicants for Ancient and Modern History have often studied Modern History at school. Some have studied Classical Civilization, Latin, Greek or Ancient History.

This is not compulsory, however, and many successful students have applied to Oxford without any experience of studying the ancient world beyond their own private reading.

If alongside your history studies, you want to learn the Classical Languages at university, you can do so here.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and ask only that you can show a strong commitment to the subject.