M.A. in Greek or Latin

M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Greek or Latin

tl resgestae

Students who elect this track will pursue intensive training in Greek or Latin language and literature, usually with the goal of advancing to further study in Classics at the Ph.D. level.

The curriculum emphasizes ability to work with primary sources in the original languages, while developing analytical skills in any of the many branches of classical scholarship, including literary studies, ancient history, philosophy, mythology, religion, archaeology, and linguistics. Successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam at the Ph.D. level may be counted as fulfilling one of the Preliminary (Greek or Latin) Translation Exams for the Ph.D.  Also, students interested in pursuing the Ph.D. in Classics will need to be able to read German and at least one other modern foreign language (normally Italian or French).  Candidates in this track who wish to be considered for the Ph.D. at the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ are required to pass an examination in one of these lanugages before completing the M.A.

Plan I

  • A minimum of 30 hours of 5000-level credit or above (including thesis), to be distributed as follows:
    • 18 hours in Greek and/or Latin.
    • 6-9 hours of student's choice (including classes outside of the department, in consultation with the graduate advisor).
    • 4-6 hours of thesis credit.
  • Thesis (to be completed during 4th semester of graduate study)
  • Comprehensive Examination  (upon submission of thesis): 4 hours written examination, consisting of translation and analysis of texts in the major language. This will be followed by a one-hour oral examination based upon the thesis. The translation examination will consist of two out of three prose passages and two out of three verse passages for a total of c. 100 lines. All passages will be drawn from the relevant (Greek or Latin) MA reading list.  Students may fail the exam once.

Plan II

  • For many students Plan II will be more in line with their educational goals.  They are encouraged to discuss this option with the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies.  The requirements differ from Plan I in eliminating the 4-6 thesis hours and requiring instead 21 hours of Greek and/or Latin (5000-level or above) and 9 hours of the student's choice.  The written portion of the Comprehensive Examination is the same as in Plan I; the oral portion of the exam covers the range of Greek or Latin literature represented by the reading list and tests the candidate's general knowledge of the primary sources and literary history.