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. 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:
- A minimum of 24 hours at the 500+ level on the graduate program line.
- 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 section of this examination will be drawn from material read in graduate classes. The student will present a reading list of no less than 400 pages, according to pagination in the Oxford Classical Text or its equivalent. This will consist of 50-150 pages from at least four of the eight major ares of Greek and Latin literature that form the four-semester cycle of courses (see below). A second section will be a sight passage from one of the major genres of Greek or Latin literature selected by the student.
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 (Goal 2.1 Written Communication)1 | 3 | Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning2 | 3 |
MATH 101 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning) | 3 | ENGL 102 or CLSX 178 (Goal 2.1 Written Communication)1 | 3 |
CLSX 151, 168, or 177 (Goal 1.1 Critical Thinking) | 3 | Goal 2.2 Oral Communication | 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 |
Goal 3 Humanities | 3 | Goal 3 Natural Science | 3 |
Goal 3 Social Science | 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 | 15-16 | ||
Junior | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
LAT 112 or GRK 301 (Major Requirement)3 | 3 | CLSX 151, 351, 525, 526, 527, 529, 538, or 577 (Classical Ancient Art & Archaeology course Major Requirement) | 3 |
Goal 4.1 US Diversity | 3 | Advanced language course (Major Requirement)3 | 3 |
CLSX 230, 330, 240, 340, HIST 402, CLSX 502, HIST 506, HIST 507, or HIST 508 (Classical History course Major Requirement) | 3 | Goal 4.2 Global Awareness | 3 |
Elective or possible minor course 300+ | 3 | Goal 5 Social Responsibility & Ethics | 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 | Goal 6 Integration and Creativity5 | 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+ | 3 |
15-17 | 15 | ||
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 144-147 |
- 1
The BA requires completion of two courses of collegiate-level writing instruction. Students who test out of Composition will still need to complete ENGL 102 (or equivalent) and one additional Goal 2.1 course.
- 2
Visit this website 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.
- 5
Typically KU Core Goal 6 is fulfilled by a major course. If an approved Classical Languages course is not available to fulfill Goal 6, another course will need to be chosen. A free elective may need to be used to meet Goal 6 course pre-requisites.
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.
The same course cannot be used to fulfill more than one KU Core Goal. However, overlap of a KU Core course with a major or degree-specific requirement is allowed. Overlapping is recommended to allow more opportunities to explore other majors and/or minors.
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.