Greek/Latin

Ancient Greek and Latin together form the classical languages at the heart of Western literary and intellectual culture. Greek was the language of Homer, Plato, Thucydides and the Greek tragedians, and the vehicle through which the philosophical, scientific and literary traditions of ancient Athens and the Hellenistic world were transmitted. Latin was the language of Virgil, Cicero, Tacitus and the entire apparatus of Roman administration, law and culture, and it remained the international language of scholarship, the Church and diplomacy for over a thousand years after the fall of Rome.

Studying both languages at degree level means engaging with these traditions in their original words, developing a linguistic precision and interpretive sensitivity that cannot be achieved in translation.

At the University of Glasgow you will study Greek and Latin over four years of full-time study, developing proficiency in both languages alongside the literary, historical and cultural knowledge to read and interpret the works they preserve. You will progress from whatever level of prior knowledge you bring to a point of genuine scholarly reading ability, engaging with major texts across poetry, prose, philosophy and history. A year abroad is built into the programme, providing academic engagement in an international context.

The typical tariff of 152 reflects the disciplinary demands of a degree that requires linguistic rigour alongside humanistic breadth.

Graduates of classical languages programmes work in education, where Latin and Greek teachers are rare and valued, in publishing, heritage, museums, archives, the civil service, law, journalism and a wide range of roles where the intellectual formation of classical study is recognised. Many pursue postgraduate study in classics, ancient history, classical philology or classical reception, and the combination of Greek and Latin opens doors to the full breadth of classical scholarship at research level. The analytical precision, linguistic care and cultural depth developed through this programme are consistently valued by employers in demanding professional and academic environments.