Rhetoric MRes

Royal Holloway, University of London

The course

Want to master the art of persuasion? If you’re also looking for a postgraduate degree course that equips you with the transferable skills of research, analysis, critical thought and communication, then this course is for you.

The only course of its kind to be offered by a major UK university, this one-year, research-based postgraduate course in oratory and rhetoric is designed for all students, not just those with a background in classics. It is ideal for those looking for onward progression into a career or further studies where an ability to construct and deliver persuasive arguments, as well as analyse and evaluate those presented by others, is key.

Combining both ancient and modern fields of research, the course draws on the research expertise of the Centre of Oratory and Rhetoric in the Royal Holloway Classics Department. With the primary emphasis on the practice of oratory, the course delivers a core module on Problems and Methods in Oratory and Rhetoric plus a wide range of complementary optional modules. Add to that access to experts in rhetoric and oratory from around the world as well as world-class research resources and MRes Rhetoric students will finish the course equipped with a range of analytical and research skills, fully adept in the art of persuasion.

Teaching & assessment

Assessment is carried out primarily by coursework, the projects and the dissertation. Examinations may be used in some of the optional modules available.

Part-time students usually complete the core course and the independent projects in the first year, then take their optional course and work on their dissertation in the second year.

Your future career

Graduates of classical degrees have much to offer potential employers having developed a range of transferable skills, both practical and theoretical, whilst studying with us.

In recent years, PhD graduates, many of whom have progressed from our MA programmes, have taken up academic positions at Oxford, Bristol and Roehampton Universities. Outside of academia, our graduates have embarked on teaching careers in the UK and overseas, undertaken archaeological and museum work and pursued careers in journalism, finance, politics and the arts.

With the MRes Rhetoric course designed to equip you with the skills of research, analysis, critical thought and communication graduates are best placed for continuing onto PhD studies or for pursuing non-academic careers, especially those involving communication (such as law, politics, the media, advertising, or teaching).