Bachelor of Arts in Classics
Advising
To ensure adequate planning of a student’s program, all majors must consult an advisor regularly throughout their undergraduate years. A list of Department of Classics advisors and a schedule of their availability can be found on the Classics website.
Students are also advised to consult with the University’s Advising Center for information about General Education and other University requirements.
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Students will become familiar with a broad range of Latin and/or Greek texts and may elect to acquire sufficient proficiency to read and interpret these texts in the original language(s). (literature and language)
2. Students will become familiar with the broad diachronic development of ancient Mediterranean cultures. (history)
3. Students will acquire an understanding of how material evidence informs our understanding of ancient Mediterranean cultures. (material culture)
4. Students will learn to develop cogent arguments in writing about various topics in the study of the ancient Mediterranean. (writing)
5. Students will apply their knowledge of ancient Mediterranean languages and cultures toward a richer understanding of their own language and culture. (connections)
Steps to Change Major
Students may change their major by visiting with any of the Department of Classics advisors. A list of Department of Classics advisors and a schedule of their availability can be found on the Classics website.
Students may also change their majors online through the Student Center. (Login to SF State Gateway / MySFSU, navigate to Student Center, and select Change Major/Minor). If you encounter any difficulties, please contact any Departmental advisor.
Bachelor of Arts in Classics — 36 Units
Discovery (6 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select two lower-division courses from CLAR, CLAS, GRE, and LATN prefixes. | ||
Survey (9 Units)
Select Three:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 410/HUM 401 | Ancient Greek Literature | 3 |
| CLAS 415/HUM 402 | Ancient Roman Literature | 3 |
| CLAR 420/ARTH 401 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece | 3 |
| CLAR 425/ARTH 402 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome | 3 |
Synthesis (3 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 400GW | ||
or a GWAR course in another department upon advisement. | ||
Electives (18 Units)
Select six elective courses, upon advisement, from CLAS, CLAR, GRE, and LATN prefixes, at least two of which must be upper-division. With the permission of an advisor, three electives can be taken in another department.
Culminating Experience
All undergraduate students will complete a culminating experience project with one of the following components:
- A demonstration of oral and written skills in Latin and/or Greek. This demonstration has three parts: oral declamation of a prose passage; written transcription of a prose passage dictated by a test administrator; and oral declamation of passage of poetry (scansion) in dactylic hexameter.
- A comprehensive reflective statement focused on the role that receiving a Classical education at SF State has and will play in the student’s life.
- A display of the student’s best projects from their Classics coursework (e.g. term papers, translations, archaeological reconstructions).
These components may be fulfilled through in-person meetings with a Classics undergraduate advisor, but students wishing to develop and display information competency are encouraged to complete these components in electronic form (website, etc.).
Complementary Studies
Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least 12 units of Complementary Studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)
Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement. Additional ways to complete the CS requirements for students in the classics major is to complete 12 units in Greek (GRE) or Latin (LATN) or some combination.
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
SF State Scholars
The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master’s degree.
BA in Classics, MA in Classics Scholars Roadmap
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in History.
For students with another approved ADT
Approved ADTs:
- Anthropology (AA-T)
- Art History (AA-T)
- English (AA-T)
- Global Studies (AA-T)
- Philosophy (AA-T)
- Social Justice Studies (AA-T)
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.