Ancient History and Classical Languages
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Description
The Ancient History and Classical Languages major provides students the opportunity to study not only the Latin and Greek classical languages, but the histories of the societies and cultures that spoke these languages also. The courses undertaken as part of this major aim to provide students with both a grammatical and practical understanding of the ancient languages but also an understanding of key cultural and historical concepts and issues. An appreciation of modern English in relation to the historical languages is developed, as are students’ critical thinking skills and written and verbal communication.
Graduates are valued for their ability to form eloquent and historically sensitive arguments, as well as their expertise in historical language and cultural concepts that can be applied to contemporary issues. Roles in academia and research usually require postgraduate qualifications, though an honours year alone is well regarded for government and private sector graduate programs. Opportunities existing for those who do not wish to study exist in fields such as journalism, policy development and law.
For more information about Ancient History and Classical Languages, visit the School of Humanities and Social Sciences site.
View our Bachelor of Arts in the Program Handbook and the online prospectus What Can I Study?.
View our Bachelor of Aboriginal Professional Practice in the Program Handbook and the online prospectus What Can I Study?.
Some occupations require a higher level of completed study than an undergraduate degree, and for this reason it is worthwhile considering the range of Honours, Research Higher Degrees (RHD), Postgraduate Coursework programs and additional study options available. These options may also be useful for specialising in a particular area, or to stimulate career change. Some of the future options following a major in Classical Languages include:
Honours
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Postgraduate Study:
Research
As the global job sector can be competitive, it is of great advantage to complete a post-graduate qualification, particularly by independent research (such as Masters by Research, or PhD). See examples of research areas within this discipline here.
Coursework
After completing a degree there are a broad range of post graduate options available in a variety of fields which can allow you to specialise in a particular area of interest or build upon your existing knowledge base. To explore such options please visit the Post Graduate Handbook at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/campaigns/postgrad/.
Sample Jobs
The following list provides some example jobs for the Classical Languages major. Some of these jobs will depend upon the amount and level of study undertaken, level of experience, and the combination of other majors and electives studied, for example some may require further study.
Getting the Edge
Most employers seek to recruit people who have relevant work experience and an appreciation for their industry. Here is a check list of ideas about gaining experience and industry knowledge.
- Check the type of experience most employers in your field of interest expect. Don’t overlook the part time work you may be currently doing. Most employers understand that the skills are transferrable even if the work is not in their industry.
- Check your academic program for any courses that involve a placement or the opportunity to undertake an industry based project.
- Check your school for Summer Scholarships for research opportunities.
- Check vacancy sites for advertised traineeships, part time employment and vacation work opportunities in your field.
- Source and approach organisations directly about possible work shadowing or information interview opportunities.
- Source and approach organisations directly for paid work opportunities.
- Consider volunteering.
Note: Gaining experience may be important but not at the expense of your studies. Make sure you do not overload your timetable with unrealistic work commitments.
Sample Employers
Classical Language graduates find employment opportunities in a wide variety of industries in small, medium or large organisations. Below is an example of some of the large organisations that recruit this major.
- Accenture Australia Ltd (International)
- ACP Magazines (Australia)
- ANZ (Australia)
- Attorney Generals Department (Australia)
- AusAID (International)
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Australia)
- Australian Secret Intelligence Service (Australia)
- Centrelink (Australia)
- Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Australia)
- Department of Defence - Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) (Australia)
- Department of Finance and Deregulation (Australia)
- Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (International)
- Department of Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)
- Department of Local Government NSW (Australia)
- Fairfax Media (Australia)
- IBM (Australia)
- Insurance Australia Group (Australia)
- John Wiley & Sons Australia (Australia)
- Macquarie Bank (Australia)
- Masterfoods (Australia)
- National Archives of Australia (Australia)
- National Australia Bank (Australia)
- National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (Australia)
- National Museum of Australia (Australia)
- News Corporation (Australia)
- Ogilvy (Australia)
- Oracle (International)
- Pan Macmillan Australia (Australia)
- PricewaterhouseCoopers (Australia)
- Qantas (International)
- Random House (Australia)
- Saatchi & Saatchi (International)
- The Samaritans (Australia)
- Scholastic (Australia)
- The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
- Unilever (International)
- Wesfarmers (Australia)
- Westpac (Australia)
Recruitment Timing
Some large organisations have specific graduate recruitment programs designed to employ the pick of graduates each year. You must be in your final year of study or recently completed to apply for these programs. The timing of these recruitment drives varies and may occur at any point in the academic year, in some cases starting as early as the first few weeks of the first semester or trimester.
Find out if employers in your area/s of interest have graduate programs, when they typically recruit and what recruitment methods they use. Check with the Careers Service .
Job Prospects and Salary
For up-to-date information please see Job Outlook Australia. This site provides basic Australian labour market information including job prospects, skills requirements and salaries. You might try some of the classifications below as a guide on this site.
Societies and Associations
Associations and societies often provide relevant and up to date information about a variety of issues relating to specific industry sectors. These can be a good starting point to learn more about occupations through profiles, industry news, links to academic journals and information on research developments. Many also offer student membership, conference and professional development activities, newsletters and the opportunity to participate in projects.
Don’t overlook student societies and associations. As well as student chapters of professional associations, some faculties or schools have discipline based student associations. Check your school or faculty web site; perhaps you might start one if one doesn’t exist.
Some academic disciplines run Seminar Programs that involve regular seminars presented by University of Newcastle academics, visiting academics and postgraduate students. Check your schools website for the timetable.
Job Search Sites
Searching job sites is a good way to gain an understanding of: industries recruiting professionals in this field; types of roles and the requirements or expectations of employers for these roles. There are many online job search sites, here are a few to start with:
Australian and International
- CareerHub: the University of Newcastle Careers Service careers and job search site for enrolled students and graduates.
Australian
- CareerOne: Australia wide job listings, all levels and industries including executive positions
- MyCareer: Australian and international listings
- Seek: comprehensive Australian job listings, also includes New Zealand and UK listings
- The Big Chair: Management and Executive Jobs
International
- Overseas Jobs
- Mind Exchange: links to job listings in Asia, Europe and Latin America
- International Jobs
- Agency Central: UK recruitment agency and job sites directory
- Command Group: a recruitment company with vacancies in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore
Sample Job Ads and Tips for Applying
Sample Job Ads & TipsJob ads provide useful information about the job and the required skills, experience and qualifications. Information like this is useful in career planning. Below is a small sample of job ads with tips on planning and job applications; explore further to gather more useful information for your planning.
Please note, the job ads listed on this page are not current and were sourced from a variety of websites in 2010.
