Program of Study

Notre Dame Ph.D. candidates in Theology, Ancient Philosophy, the Medieval Institute, and English can also obtain an M.A. in Classics. Earning an additional degree focused on ancient Latin and/or Greek is very valuable to a Ph.D. student’s portfolio, enhancing your prospects of securing a high-ranking position.

Because students cannot double-count more than six credits toward two master's programs, they will typically need to forgo the M.A. in their primary discipline to pursue the M.A. in Classics.

Ph.D. students will take two years or more to complete the M.A. in Classics. There is no time constraint, provided that they are still enrolled in their Ph.D. program at Notre Dame.

Courses

To earn an M.A. in Classics as a Notre Dame Ph.D. candidate, students will choose five Advanced Greek/Latin Courses according to four different tracks. Please note that the department offers two types of advanced Greek/Latin courses — the surveys of Latin/Greek literature and other advanced courses.

Greek Track Latin Track Greek and Latin Track Latin and Greek Track

Greek Track

Requirements: Survey of Greek Literature and Greek Literature Seminar (6 credits); a minimum of three Advanced Greek Courses (9 credits); and a maximum of seven Disciplinary Courses (no more than 21 credits)

Latin Track

Requirements: Survey of Latin Literature I and II or Latin Literature Seminar (6 credits); a minimum of three Advanced Latin Courses (9 credits); and a maximum of seven Disciplinary Courses (no more than 21 credits)

Greek and Latin Track

Requirements: Survey of Greek Literature (6 credits) and Greek Literature Seminar; Survey of Latin Literature I or II or Latin Literature Seminar (3 credits); a minimum of one Advanced Greek Course and one Advanced Latin Course (6 credits); and a maximum of seven Disciplinary Courses (no more than 21 credits)

Latin and Greek Track

Requirements: Survey of Latin Literature I and II or Latin Literature Seminar (6 credits); Survey of Greek Literature or Greek Literature Seminar (3 credits); a minimum of one Advanced Latin Course and one Advanced Greek Course (6 credits); and a maximum of seven Disciplinary Courses (no more than 21 credits)

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Some additional clarifications:

• Because the Department offers one survey or literature seminar each semester, students should plan carefully to fit them into their schedules.
• If a student receives a grade lower than a B (3.0) in a Greek or Latin survey or in the Greek or Latin Literature Seminar, the Classics DGS will meet with the Graduate Committee to discuss their standing in the program. The Committee can bring the case before the department faculty for a formal vote to decide whether the student should remain in the program.
• In all the survey and literature seminar courses, final examinations must be comprehensive (i.e. they should cover the whole of the course’s readings). At the discretion of the instructor, the examination may cover additional texts of the student’s choice.
• Greek or Latin Advanced Courses include all Greek and Latin language classes except for Beginning I, Beginning II, and Intermediate (both for Greek and Latin). Students will enroll in each of these advanced courses via the 600XX option, as is typical of graduate students.
• Both Reading and Writing Greek Prose and Reading and Writing Latin Prose count as advanced courses. Similarly, the Medieval Latin Survey and Introduction to Christian Latin Texts count as Advanced Courses (not as Surveys). Greek Paleography, Latin Paleography, and Codicology do not count as advanced courses but as disciplinary courses.