After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• discern the roots of the development of various differences as well as similarities between contemporary civilizations
• explain the historical development of ancient regions from the mid-4th millennium until the transitional period between antiquity and the Middle Ages
• read sources of a given period at a high professional level
• write scientific papers in the field of ancient history
• decipher many allegories and metaphors in written and art culture
• consult translations and other works from ancient history and write reviews of them

Graduates can find jobs in education, including the further education of teachers; in public and state service; in diplomatic service; in the cultural sphere (museums, galleries, libraries, archives, and the education of young people in various interest groups); in tourism; in publishing houses of books and scholarly journals; as consultants for films and other artistic works with ancient history as the theme, and as translation consultants on ancient historical works.

The standard duration of the Master’s degree study programme is four semesters.

For admittance to the final state examination, students must earn 120 ECTS credits for type A/required, type B/selective, and type C/elective courses.

For the single-subject programme, type A/required courses make up 81 credits (including credits for courses focused on writing a Master’s thesis) plus 4 credits for general linguistic training. The type B/selective courses, which students choose according to their interests and specialization, make up 30 credits in total. The remaining credits can be earned from type C/elective courses offered in the curriculum of the given study programme or from other courses offered by any other study programme.

For the double-subject programme, if Ancient History is the major subject, type A/required courses make up 66 credits (including credits for courses focused on writing a Master’s thesis) plus 4 credits for general linguistic training; the type B/selective courses make up 15 credits.

If Ancient History is the minor subject, type A/required courses make up 46 credits plus 4 credits for general linguistic training; the type B/selective courses make up 15 credits.

During the course of their studies, students should follow the study catalogue valid for their year of matriculation. The study catalogues for the individual years of matriculation are available at the Faculty of Arts website.

The final state examination is oral only. Topics, the knowledge of which is required at the exam, are publicly available on the website of the Department of Classical Studies.

The ability to independently compare the individual ancient cultures and periods and to solve methodological issues is required for the final state examination. The student draws five topics from a published list covering the areas of methodology, reading of sources, and selected auxiliary disciplines, the history of the field, the history of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, India, and China, the history of ancient Greece and Rome, and the history of the transitional period between antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The defence of the Master’s thesis takes place on a date before the oral examination. The student is admitted to the defence if at least one of the required reviews is commendatory.

After completion of the Ancient History Master’s degree study programme, graduates can continue in the ensuing doctoral degree study programme in Ancient History or any other doctoral degree study programme after satisfying the admission requirements, preferably in history, classical archaeology, archaeology, Mediterranean studies, sociology, religion, anthropology, environmental studies, or European studies.