Accelerated Master of Arts in Classics
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. As with the 2-year M.A, the principal focus remains ancient Greek and/or Latin (concluding with a comprehensive exam in both languages). Students are required to submit a thesis to complete their degree.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
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 program option 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. focus principally on 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.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students choose from graduate level courses in CLSX, GRK, and LAT in consultation with their faculty advisor | 18 | |
| The Age of Heroes: Early Greece | ||
| Rise of Athens and Sparta | ||
| Roman Republic | ||
| Early Roman Empire | ||
| Late Roman Empire (284-527) | ||
| Love, Lust, and Laughter in Ancient Literature | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Greek Culture | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Roman Culture | ||
| Aegean Archaeology and Art | ||
| Greek Archaeology and Art | ||
| Roman Archaeology and Art | ||
| Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt and the Near East | ||
| Pompeii and Herculaneum | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in Greek and Roman Culture: _____ | ||
| Topics in: _____ | ||
| Topics in the Archaeology and Art of the Ancient Mediterranean: _____ | ||
| Studies in: _____ | ||
| Archaic Poetry | ||
| Drama | ||
| Prose Authors | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Readings in Classical Greek | ||
| Independent Study in: _____ | ||
| Hexameter Poetry | ||
| Lyric and Elegy Poetry | ||
| History, Oratory, Philosophy | ||
| Drama, Satire, and Novel | ||
| Readings in Classical Latin | ||
| Independent Study in: _____ | ||
| Master's Thesis | 6 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
In summary, students will successfully complete the M.A. in Classics from the University of Kansas if the following credit hour conditions are both met:
- A minimum of 24 hours at the 500+ level taken as a graduate student, at least 50% of which must be at the 700 level or above.
- A minimum of 6 hours at the 500+ level taken as an undergraduate student beyond what is required of the Classics undergraduate major
Students may be eligible for undergraduate and graduate co-enrollment 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.
Degree Completion
Final Translation Examination
All students must write a final translation examination prepared by a committee, selected by the student, of three members of the graduate faculty; the committee chair and at least one other member must be from the Classics Department. The examination will be prepared by the committee in consultation with the student.
The student will present a reading list of no less than 300 pages, according to pagination in the Oxford Classical Text or its equivalent. Students are encouraged to draw from course readings to create their examination reading list. This list will consist of 25-150 pages from at least three of the following four categories:
- Greek Prose
- Greek Verse
- Latin Prose
- Latin Verse
The exam is normally taken in the second year of enrollment in the program and is administered in the week before classes begin of the fall and winter terms. Unsuccessful exams may be re-taken once, in whole or in part, as determined by the student's committee in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Under certain circumstances, a student may be allowed to retake one portion of the exam a second time.
Thesis
Students select a thesis committee of three members of the graduate faculty; the committee chair and at least one other member must be from the Classics Department. Students typically choose a chair for their thesis at the end of the second semester in the program, and begin research during the following summer. The thesis advisor will develop a schedule of writing to ensure timely completion. Students are expected to file their approved thesis in the spring of their fourth semester.
| 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 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 704/ GERM 101 as a B.A. student, the modern language requirement will need to be satisfied during the M.A. year.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Engage closely with and analyze primary sources (whether text or artifact) from Greek and Roman antiquity.
- Integrate, quote, and cite primary sources (whether text or artifact).
- Integrate, quote, and cite secondary sources.
- Understand the significance of ancient texts, artifacts, and ideas in terms of their ancient cultural and social contexts and/or their later reception.
- Learn and apply important methodologies from Classics.
- Demonstrate proficiency in reading and translating ancient Greek and Latin texts.
- Communicate knowledge of the field in writing.
- Communicate knowledge of the field to other members of the field through oral presentation.
- Develop a broad understanding of the field that includes History, Material Culture, and Reception in addition to the core language seminars.
- Acquire, improve, and reflect upon skills in classics pedagogy.