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 also requires that applicants have a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA. The department does admit students who have less than the ideal preparation described above; in those cases, the applicant is admitted conditionally (subject to meeting certain conditions for progress through the program).
Applicants must take the GRE, complete the online application to the graduate program, and submit directly to the department a two to three-page statement of purpose, an eight to ten-page writing sample, and one letter of recommendation (sent directly by the recommender).
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:
- (language) Students will achieve advanced proficiency in either Latin or Greek and at least basic proficiency in the other.
- (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 (18 Units)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
CLAS 700 | Proseminar in Classical Studies: Texts and Contexts | 3 |
CLAS 720 | Seminar in Classical Languages and Literature (variable topic) | 3 |
Select one course in the range of CLAR 800 - CLAR 890 Seminars in Classical Archaeology—Cultures and Civilizations | 3 | |
Choose one additional course from either CLAS 720 or CLAR 800 – CLAR 890 | 3 | |
Select two graduate courses in ancient literature (courses with GRE and/or LATN prefixes) | 6 |
Electives (9 Units)
Three electives, one of which may be from outside the department. All electives taken within the department (CLAS, CLAR, GRE, LATN) must be graduate level. Any course taken outside of the department must be approved by an advisor; such a course may be upper division.
Culminating Experience (3 Units)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Directed Reading in Classics and Culminating Experience Examination | ||
Master's Thesis (and Prospectus) |
Comprehensive Oral Examination
Upon completion of course work, the student not writing a thesis must pass a comprehensive oral examination administered by a committee of at least two faculty members on a specified group of works in the student’s area of emphasis.
Master’s Thesis and Prospectus
A written and oral presentation of the thesis prospectus is required before the writing of the thesis. The student’s committee of at least two faculty members must approve the prospectus before the student files the Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement form with the Graduate Division.
Written M.A. Examinations
Upon completion of course work, students must pass two of the following exams:
- Greek Translation
- Latin Translation
- Classical Archaeology
Modern Language Requirement
Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one modern language (French, German, or Italian) by passing a two-hour translation examination (with dictionary), set by the department; or by obtaining a minimum grade of B in one upper division foreign language course or course for reading knowledge taken at SF State or elsewhere. This requirement must be satisfied by the end of the student’s third semester in the program.