A complete application consists of the following documentation:
Statement of intent (1 – 1.5 pages; 12 Times New Roman; 1 or 1.5 spacing)
Curriculum vitae (2 pages max.; 12 Times New Roman)
Writing sample (8 – 15 pages; 12 Times New Roman, 1.5 or 2 spacing)
Three letters of recommendation
Exams transcripts
Program Upload
Program Upload: Please include the following
A list of the Greek and Latin texts you read in the original language. Be as specific as possible. E.g., Plutarch’s Life of Anthony, Chapters 1-13. Do not include texts from which you read only a small portion.
A list of the courses you took to fulfill the requirements for Language 1 and Language 2 (see “Language Prerequisites").
E.g. Language 1, Greek: Beginning Greek I, Beginning Greek II, Intermediate Greek, Greek Oratory. Language 2, Latin: Beginning Latin I, Beginning Latin, II, Intermediate Latin.
When listing these courses, please use the exact titles and information as they appear on your transcript.
If you are interested in the M.A. Track in Classical Archaeology, explain how you fulfill the specific requirements of the track as indicated on the appropriate page.
TOEFL or IELTS for non-native speakers of English
GRE is not required
Application fee (or fee waiver) ($75)
The M.A. in Classics admissions committee will consider your application holistically, considering all aspects of your profile. We encourage students from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Each fall, the director of graduate studies offers online presentations about the program, followed by a Q&A session. To receive details about the next session, email the director of graduate studies.
Stipend
The department fully funds M.A. students who remain in good academic standing for two years. The following is covered:
Annual tuition, in full
Annual stipend ($18,375 for the 2025-26 academic year)
Graduate student health insurance (including dependents)
Please note:
Summer teaching assignments, which are typically given to our graduate students once during the program, will increase the annual stipend to approximately $24,500 for that year.
Notre Dame is very generous with grants to support graduate students’ research and conference trips. Your director of graduate studies will inform you of all the available opportunities.
Language Prerequisites
Students must fulfill specific language requirements before being admitted to the program:
Language 1 (Greek or Latin): Complete at least one advanced course beyond the intermediate level.
Language 2 (Greek or Latin): Ideally, be ready to begin advanced-level coursework. However, we are open to considering applicants who have completed only the beginning sequence and still need to take intermediate courses.
Conditional Admission: If a student did not have any prior exposure to Language 2, they may be admitted conditionally. In such cases, they must complete Latin I and II or Greek I and II through our summer courses before starting the program in the fall.
Early March: Admitted students’ campus visit (Optional)
April 15: Final decision deadline
Eligibility
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, domestic or international, to be eligible for admission to a graduate program at the University of Notre Dame. Previous graduate work is not required.
“When I decided to pursue a MA Classics after a career in the technology industry, I exclusively considered fully-funded programs which would both give me the opportunity to explore my interests and offer the best support for pursuing a PhD. The financial support of a stipend and the teaching responsibilities that came with it meant that I would be able to continue to build on my professional skills, even as I embarked on a new path of learning and developing my own research. Notre Dame’s Classics MA delivered on every front: I took fantastic courses to solidify my Greek and Latin language skills, worked with highly respected professors on my MA thesis, gained valuable experience assisting and teaching in courses, and received generous financial support to pursue research abroad. All of this was crucial in helping me to successfully apply for doctoral programs, and I am now pursuing my Ph.D. in Classics at Princeton University."
