The combined B.A. / M.A. degree allows high-achieving undergraduate majors in Classical Languages at the University of Kansas to move directly into the Master's degree program in Classics, completing it within one year of completing the B.A.

Students take the same courses (and the same number of courses) as those required for the two degrees under the normal sequence, but in a more flexible configuration.  All requirements for the M.A. are the same as for other tracks: the principal focus remains ancient Greek and/or Latin (concluding with a comprehensive exam in both languages), and there remains a thesis and non-thesis option and required reading knowledge of a modern research language. 

Students normally apply for the program in the junior year, and not later than their seventh semester at KU. Admission standards depend not only on academic record but also on the demonstrated ability to continue with accelerated work, as determined by the department's admissions committee (to include the Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, and Undergraduate Director).

Application to the program requires:

• A brief statement of purpose
• A writing sample
• Three letters of recommendation (two of which must be from KU Classics faculty)
• One official transcript
• A 3.5 GPA in the major (slightly lower would be acceptable with especially strong letters of recommendation).

Candidacy will be reviewed in the seventh semester. If the committee decides at that time that the candidate is not suited to continue with the accelerated program, or if the student no longer wishes to pursue the MA, the student will be eligible to earn the BA as soon as those requirements have been met. Should the student not be able to complete the MA in the fifth year, provided he/she is in good standing the student may continue into a sixth year.

Combined B.A./M.A. in Classics

This track allows high-achieving undergraduate majors in Classical Languages at the University of Kansas to move directly into the Master's degree in Classics, completing it within one year of completing the B.A.

Students take the same courses (and the same number of courses) as those required for the two degrees under the normal sequence, but in a more flexible configuration. For especially well prepared students with superior grade-point averages, the M.A. requires 24 graduate hours rather than 30. Students enroll as an undergraduate in six hours of 500-700 level courses that count toward the B.A. but are beyond those required for the Classical Languages major. All other requirements for the M.A. are the same as for other tracks: the principal focus remains ancient Greek and/or Latin (concluding with a comprehensive exam in both languages), and there remains a thesis and coursework option and required reading knowledge of a modern research language. At least 50% of coursework must be taken at the 700 level or above. See department website for details and more information about our course offerings.

Students enroll as an undergraduate in six hours of 500-700 level courses that count toward the B.A. but are beyond those required for the Classical Languages major. All other requirements for the M.A. are the same as for other tracks: the principal focus remains ancient Greek and/or Latin (concluding with a comprehensive translation exam), and there remains a thesis and non-thesis option and required reading knowledge of a modern research language.

The shift of 6 credit hours from the M.A. to pre-requisites for the B.A. allows students greater flexibility and will ease the burden on their final year of study. More precisely, the flexibility allows faculty to advise students on a course of study that distributes courses across the 5 years of study in the most optimal way for language development.

In summary, students will successfully complete the M.A. in Classics from the University of Kansas if the following credit hour and Enroll & Pay career conditions are met:

1. A minimum of 24 hours at the 500+ level on the graduate program line.
2. A minimum of 6 hours at the 500+ level on the undergraduate program line beyond what is required of the Classics undergraduate major.

Students may be eligible to co-enroll in their final semester of undergraduate study.  This should be discussed and planned during the junior year of undergraduate study.

The requirement that students in the program write an undergraduate honors thesis also provides preparation toward the M.A. thesis. Students who choose the non-thesis option are not required to write an undergraduate thesis.

Examinations

All students must write a final translation examination prepared by a committee of three members of the graduate faculty, at least two of whom, including the committee chair, must be members of the Classics Department. The members of the examination committee will be selected by the student, with the approval of the graduate faculty of the Department, and the examination will be prepared by the committee in consultation with the student.

One portion of this examination will be drawn from material read in graduate classes and/or as selected by the candidate. The student will present a reading list of no less than 300 pages, according to pagination in the Oxford Classical Text or its equivalent. This list will consist of 25-150 pages from at least three f the following four categories:

1. Greek Prose
2. Greek Verse
3. Latin Prose
4. Latin Verse

The list must be approved by the candidate's chair and by the Director of Graduate Studies at least five weeks before the date scheduled for the examination. The first three sections of the exam will consist of material drawn from this list. On the fourth section, students will have a choice of one from two sight passages: one Greek and one Latin, taken from a list of standard authors as determined by the department. Students are allowed three hours to complete a written translation; there is no oral component.

Four-Semester Cycle of Courses

Headings indicate areas from which instructors may draw material for author or genre courses. Author listings are representative, not exclusive.

Greek

• Epic and Lyric Poetry: From Homer to the Hellenistic poets
• Drama: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
• History and Oratory: Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Attic Orators
• Philosophy: Pre-Socratics, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle

Latin

• Epic Poetry: Lucretius, Ovid, Vergil, post-Augustan epic poets
• Lyric and Elegy: Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid
• History, Oratory, Philosophy: Caesar, Sallust, Cicero, Livy, Seneca, Tacitus, Augustine, Boethius
• Drama, Satire, and Novel: Plautus, Terence, Horace, Petronius, Seneca, Juvenal, Apuleius

Freshman
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
ENGL 101 (Core 34: English (SGE))010	3	Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050	3
MATH 101 (Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE))030	3	ENGL 102 (Core 34: English (SGE))010	3
CLSX 151, 105, 106, 168, or 177	3	Core 34: Communications (SGE)020	3
GRK 104 (Major Pre-requisite)	5	GRK 108 (Major Pre-requisite)	5
	14		14
Sophomore
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
LAT 104 (Major Pre-requisite)	5	LAT 108 (Major Pre-requisite)	5
Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060	3	Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE)040	4-5
Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050	3	Elective or possible minor course	3
Elective or possible minor course	3	Elective or possible minor course 300+	3
Elective or possible minor course	3	Lab Science	1-2
	17		16-18
Junior
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
LAT 112, 113, GRK 301, GRK 302, or GRK 303 (Major Requirement)3	3	CLSX 151, 351, 525, 526, 527, 529, 538, or 577 (Classical Ancient Art & Archaeology course Major Requirement)	3
Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070	3	Advanced language course (Major Requirement)3	3
CLSX 330, 340, HIST 402, CLSX 502, HIST 506, HIST 507, or HIST 508 (Classical History course Major Requirement)	3	Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070	3
Elective or possible minor course 300+	3	Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060	3
Elective or possible minor course 300+	3	Elective or possible minor course 300+	3
	15		15
Senior
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
Advanced Language Course (Major Requirement)3	3	Capstone Requirement1	3
Classics Elective (Major Requirement)4	3	Advanced Language Course (Major Requirement)3	3
Classics Elective (Major Requirement)4	3	Advanced Language Course (Major Requirement)3	3
LA&S 490 (Recommended, or elective)	3-5	Elective or possible minor course 300+	3
Elective or possible minor course 300+	3	Elective or possible minor course 300+	2
	15-17		14
Year 5
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
CLSX course 500+	3	LAT 899 or GRK 899	3
LAT course 700+	3	CLSX course 500+	3
GRK course 700+	3	LAT course 700+	3
LAT 899 or GRK 899	3	GRK course 700+	3
	12		12
Total Hours 144-148

¹

Typically the capstone requirement is fulfilled by a major course. If an approved Classical Languages course is not available to fulfill the capstone requirement, another course will need to be chosen. A free elective may need to be used to meet the capstone requirement course pre-requisites.

²

 Visit this page for a list of courses that fulfill the BA Quantitative Reasoning requirement. 

³

 The Classical Languages major requires 15 hours of advanced language study beyond GRK 108 and LAT 108, beginning with LAT 112 or GRK 301. The student must complete at least 3 semesters in LAT or GRK, and one semester in the other in order to fulfill the B.A. Language Requirement. 

⁴

 Majors must complete 2 courses (6 hours) of electives. Elective courses may include any Classics, Greek, or Latin courses (but not used to satisfy other major requirements), and PHIL 384, PHIL 508, PHIL 605, PHIL 607, PHIL 608, HUM 380, ENGL 308 or other courses in allied fields as approved by the department chair.

All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to completed 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.

In Spring of the Senior Year, the student needs to take 6 hours at the 500-700 level beyond what is required for the major (this could be in CLSX, GRK, or LAT). These credit hours are applied to the M.A. once the student begins Year 5.

In the Spring of the Senior Year, it is strongly encouraged for the student to write an Honors Essay (CLSX 496/LAT 496/GRK 496).

During Year 5 (the M.A. year), the student will also take the M.A. comprehensive exam.  Additionally, unless the student has taken 2 years of a modern language or GERM 100/GERM 101 as a B.A. student, the modern language requirement will need to be satisfied during the M.A. year.