Founded as America’s first research university, with its first professorial appointment in Greek, Johns Hopkins has been training scholars of Greco-Roman antiquity since 1876.

Throughout its history, the graduate program in Classics has combined intensive study of Greek and Latin language and literature with the latest approaches to research on the classical world. Beyond classical philology, the program offers opportunities for rigorous work in such fields as ancient history, art, archaeology, and philosophy, while allowing considerable flexibility to accommodate individual interests. The program aims to produce broad, versatile scholars who have a holistic view of ancient cultures and of the evidence by which those cultures are comprehended.

Faculty research covers a wide range of periods and topics, approached from a rich variety of theoretical perspectives, many of which have been developed or refined at Johns Hopkins. The department is also celebrated for its rare strength in the study of classical reception, Neo-Latin, and the history of classical scholarship.

Specific interests of departmental faculty can best be appreciated by reviewing their individual profiles, as well as the faculty book feed.

The department enjoys close ties with other departments across the humanities. The university’s distinguished archeological museum is housed in the department’s midst. Students and scholars at Hopkins enjoy one of the nation’s leading research libraries, which includes a rare book division that collects energetically in Classics and intellectual history.

Applications to pursue the PhD are welcomed from talented students with the requisite prior training. Five-year financial packages are available for students accepted to the PhD program, regardless of their national origin. Continuation of the funding from year to year is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress, and students must remain in good standing with the department. The support includes full tuition, health insurance coverage, and an annual stipend for living expenses.