The Classics are for everyone, and students who major in Classics find themselves in a personable Department that offers all the benefits of a small liberal arts college in the midst of a large state university. Professors know their majors, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will work with each student to help him or her to find the classes best suited to their interests and career goals.
Some Classics majors go on to become teachers or scholars, but Classics is not primarily a vocational major. The Department offers students an opportunity to receive a comprehensive education in the liberal arts. The Department seeks to create an atmosphere that fosters traditional scholarly approaches to the classical past at the same time as it welcomes and encourages innovative methods and perspectives. The Department values the interdisciplinary of the Classics and strives to achieve an integrated understanding of the ancient world that includes a full appreciation of history, literature, and material culture. Students are encouraged to view the Classics within the context of the traditional humanities as well as in terms of the contemporary criticism of received cultural canons. All courses in Classics emphasize critical thinking, careful analysis and effective speaking and writing skills.
Some who major in Classics will go on to academic careers as philologists or archaeologists, and the Department has an excellent record in placing its majors in distinguished graduate programs. Others become teachers in the schools or specialists in museum work, and FSU is proud of the fact that the majority of Florida’s Latin teachers were educated here (and the national market for Latin teachers is excellent: at present, there are more jobs than there are qualified applicants). But it is important to recognize that most Classics majors find that their broad liberal arts background is excellent preparation for pursuing professional careers. Our graduates do very well in applying to law schools, business schools, and even medical school. The Department’s alumni include professionals in journalism, advertising, publishing, and drama, as well as attorneys and jurists. One of our majors was the recipient of FSU's only Rhodes Scholarship.
In addition to offering instruction to majors, the Department participates in the university’s Liberal Studies Program and offers innovative courses that satisfy the university’s multicultural requirement. Courses in beginning Greek or Latin can be used to fulfill the language requirement of the College of Arts & Sciences.
