The Classics are for everyone, and students who major in Classics find themselves in a personable Department that offers them 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 their 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 interdisciplinarity 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 doctoral programs. Others will become teachers in the schools or specialists in museum work. 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 and to business schools. The Department’s alumni include professionals in journalism, in advertising, in publishing, in drama, as well as attorneys and jurists.

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.

Students are encouraged to study the particulars of each program with care and to consult with the Director of Graduate Studies when making decisions about which program to enter. Students in some programs may also prepare themselves for a career teaching Latin in the schools, and the Department cooperates with the Foreign Language Education Program in the University in order to help future teachers to meet state certification requirements. 

All graduate students are required, during their first fall semester in residence, to take CLA 5936 (proseminar). All students must also demonstrate competence in a modern foreign language (French, German or Italian): this is accomplished (i) by completing 12 semester hours of college level work with a grade point average of 3.0 or above, (ii) by earning a 480 or above on the appropriate examination in the Graduate School Foreign Language Tests administered by ETS, or (iii) by successfully completing FRE 5060, GER 5060 or ITA 5060. Graduate students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average in all graduate work, and no course in Classics for which a student receives a grade of C or below may count toward any graduate degree in the Department. No more than three hours at the 4000 level will count toward any MA degree.