Master of Arts in Classics
Admission to the Program
The ideal applicant to the Master of Arts in Classics program is someone with
- an undergraduate major in classics (or equivalent learning experience); and
- sufficient proficiency in both Latin and Greek to take graduate seminars in those languages.
The Graduate Division requires that applicants have a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
The Department also accepts applications from students without such preparation, providing pathways of study so that interested students may either begin to acquire such expertise but also so that the degree may be completed without study of the ancient languages.
Applicants must complete the online application to the graduate program and submit directly to the department a two to three-page statement of purpose and an eight to ten-page writing sample. Letters of recommendation (sent directly by the recommender) are optional but welcome.
Written English Proficiency Requirement
Level One
Satisfied by the writing sample submitted as part of the application process.
Level Two
Satisfied by the culminating experience project (either the literature survey that accompanies the oral exam (CLAS 896/CLAS 896EXM) or the thesis (CLAS 898).
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the M.A. program in Classics:
- (literature and language) Students will achieve advanced knowledge of Latin and/or Greek texts and may elect to achieve advanced reading proficiency in Latin and/or ancient Greek.
- (history) Students will demonstrate an advanced understanding of the diachronic development of Greek and Roman literature and of ancient Mediterranean cultures generally.
- (material culture) Students will achieve an advanced understanding of how material evidence informs our understanding of ancient Mediterranean cultures.
- (writing) Students will write critical research papers demonstrating mastery of scholarship on selected topics.
- (career development) Students will become capable of entering a doctoral program in the field of classics and/or gaining employment as an instructor at the K-12 or community college level.
Classics (M.A.) — Minimum 30 Units
Core Requirements (12 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 701 | Greek Language and Literature | 3 |
| CLAS 702 | Latin Language and Literature | 3 |
| CLAS 703 | Greek Art and Archaeology | 3 |
| CLAS 704 | Roman Art and Archaeology | 3 |
Electives (15 Units)
Five electives from the CLAS, CLAR, GRE, and LATN prefixes, three of which could be at the upper-division level.
Culminating Experience (3 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Community Engagement Project | ||
| Directed Reading in Classics and Culminating Experience Examination | ||
| Master's Thesis | ||
Community Engagement Project (CLAS 894)
Students who pursue this option will, guided by a committee of two faculty members, work with a community organization on some intersection between the classical world and the mission of that organization and will write a report of the results.
Comprehensive Oral Examination (CLAS 896/896EXM)
Students who pursue this option will write a literature survey and pass a comprehensive oral examination administered by a committee of two faculty members on a specified list of topics in the student’s area of emphasis.
Master’s Thesis and Prospectus (CLAS 898)
The student may be permitted, as part of the advising process, to write a master's thesis. The student’s committee of two faculty members must approve the prospectus before the student files the Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement form with the Graduate Division.