The major in classical civilizations offers students the flexibility of designing a program of study that best suits their prior preparation, academic interests and professional goals. This degree may serve as preparation for doctoral level work in classics, but students must take care to choose courses that will satisfy the admissions requirements of Ph.D. programs that interest them.
The major in classical civilizations is pursued through coursework that culminates in the writing of an M.A. paper (33 credit hours). Apart from the classics proseminar, no specific courses are required, but students must distribute their coursework as outlined below:
Degree Requirements
To learn more about degree requirements, visit the Arts and Sciences bulletin.
Comprehensive Exams
Students are required to pass either one of the M.A. Comprehensive Exams in Greek or Latin (GRW8966 or LNW8966), or the M.A. Comprehensive Exam in Classics (CLA8961).
Master's Paper
All M.A. students of classical civilizations should follow the guidelines for the M.A. paper outlined in the Departmental Graduate Handbook. In addition, the M.A. students should submit to the director of graduate studies the "Classics Department M.A. Paper Approval Form" in the last week of September.
All students must also submit an M.A. paper prospectus by October 15. It should include a proposal for research, a literature review or context of the proposed research, and a bibliography. The specific details of the prospectus are determined by the major professor. The students are strongly advised to meet their major professor early and often. The prospectus is read by the committee and returned to the student, with comments, within two weeks of final submission.