Undergraduate Program
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B.A. Requirements | Honors Program in Classics | Study Abroad | Minor in Classics |
B.A./M.A. Degree | Additional Information
The Department of Classics regularly offers undergraduate courses in Ancient Greek and Latin language and literature at all levels, as well as a variety of courses (on a rotating basis) in the history, civilization, religion, art, archaeology, philosophy, law, and mythology of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. These courses are open to all students in the University, regardless of their academic year or major field of interest.
Learn more about the interdepartmental major in Archaeology
Requirements for the B.A. Degree
The B.A. program in classics is highly flexible, accommodating a variety of interests in and approaches to the ancient world. Twelve courses (36 credits) are required for a major in classics. All majors take a minimum of four language courses (Greek and/or Latin), two of which must be at the 200 (intermediate) level or above. Majors must also take at least two history courses, for example the introductory Greek and Roman Civilization courses (040.111 and 040.112). The other six courses are chosen from among the department's offerings, in consultation with the student’s adviser in the Classics Department, so as to build an intellectually substantial and coherent curriculum that fits the student's interests. Certain courses taken outside the Classics Department may count toward the major, with the adviser's approval. Advanced undergraduates may be eligible to participate in graduate seminars, with the approval of the student’s adviser and the professor. The major also requires a reading knowledge (i.e., second-year proficiency) in French or German or Italian.
Students planning to pursue graduate study in classics will need to do substantially more work in Greek and Latin than the minimum requirements listed above: most Ph.D. programs expect successful applicants to have studied one ancient language for at least three years and the other for at least two. Therefore, students interested in graduate work should be engaged in a language-intensive curriculum by the end of the sophomore year.
Honors Program in Classics
Under this program senior classics majors have the opportunity to write an honors thesis in close consultation with a faculty member. This work of guided research and writing counts for three credits and is outside the requirements of the major. This program awards a B.A. with honors.
Study Abroad
The Department of Classics is a member of the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome and can provide information on other yearlong, semesterlong, or summer programs in Greece and Italy (e.g. the College Year in Athens and the summer session of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens). Interested students, especially classics majors and minors, are encouraged to consider these options for studying overseas.
Minor in Classics
The requirements for the minor in classics are extremely flexible: six courses (18 credits) from among the department's offerings. These courses are selected, in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Classics, to meet the needs and interests of the student. Minors may wish to pursue the study of one ancient language, or create a curriculum that meshes with their other academic pursuits. Interested students should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Classics.
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B.A./M.A. Degree
Students are expected to declare their interest in the B.A./M.A. program during the fall semester of their junior year and will be admitted on the basis of outstanding performance in previous Classics courses. The application deadline is January 15.
In the student's senior year, they are to devise a program that would best prepare them to do advanced work in their final year, in particular addressing any weakness in one or the other classical language. The student is to complete the requirements for the B.A. in their fourth year. For the M.A. the following additional work is required:
- Four semesters (12 credits) of Latin and/or Greek, six credits of which must be above the intermediate level (Latin 040.207, Greek 040.205),
- Two graduate seminars in the Classics Department,
- A thesis of 20,000 to 25,000 words representing original research. The thesis will be supervised by a member of the Classics Department faculty and graded by the supervisor and a second reader from Classics or an outside department.
The B.A. and M.A. degrees are conferred concurrently at the end of the M.A. year.
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Additional Information
For a listing of courses offered through the Department of Classics, see the JHU Online Academic Catalog. For current course offerings and archived listings from recent semesters, see the current course schedule for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and click on “Classics.”
For additional information on undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, including information on departments and programs of study, calendars, and admissions information, please see the main pages for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
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