The Reception of the Classical World MA investigates the interactions of later ages with the cultures of the ancient world across a variety of media, making extensive use of London's unique resources of literary, historical and artistic study and research. The programme attracts European students and other students from overseas as well as the UK. Students gain a thorough grounding in the key figures, narratives, art forms, concepts, and social, religious and political practices of the classical world that have been most put to use by later cultures. The programme equips them with the tools necessary for research, including training in the use of digital resources online, library catalogues and archives.

The MA is an ideal springboard for a PhD programme and offers a unique range and depth of study in reception contexts from antiquity to the present. Some students go on to pursue research at UCL or in other institutions. Others have developed their skills in order to enter careers in e.g. teaching, publishing, the media, cultural heritage or the legal, business, charitable or financial sectors.

Students develop a wide range of skills highly valued by employers, such as advanced written and oral communication, the ability to abstract and synthesise information, the ability to construct and manage arguments, independent and critical thinking on difficult issues, competence in planning and executing essays, presentations and projects, self-motivation, information technology skills (including the ability to access and evaluate electronic data), team work, co-operation, and good time management. Students go on to employment in many sectors, including advertising, publishing, education, law, finance, libraries and museums, and the culture industries (including theatre and the media).