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Program of Study

A weathered, painted wooden icon depicting two figures with halos against an orange background. The figure on the right, possibly Christ, has long dark hair and holds a jeweled book. The figure on the left has a short beard and light-colored robes. Greek inscriptions are visible on the wood.

The program is multidisciplinary in its course offerings but interdisciplinary in its basic orientation. It provides training in philology, theology, history, liturgy, art history/material culture, and philosophy. In addition, students pursue advanced studies in at least two ancient languages relevant for early Christianity (typically Latin and Greek, but sometimes Syriac, Hebrew, and Arabic).

Each student develops a curriculum to meet his or her individual needs in consultation with the director of the ECS program and other faculty advisers.

Applicants must have taken intermediate coursework in at least one ancient language important for the study of early Christianity (usually Greek, Latin, but perhaps Syriac, Hebrew,or Arabic), and have begun their study of another, but ideally they will have at least intermediate ability in both ancient languages.

Degree Requirements

Required courses (42 credit hours)

  • The Proseminar (3 credits)

  • Ancient Language A (2 courses beyond introductory level) (6 credits)

  • Ancient Language B (2 courses beyond introductory level) (6 credits)

  • Theology and Liturgy (4 courses) (12 credits)

  • History and Ancient Religion (2 courses) (6 credits)

  • Electives (3 courses) (9 credits)

N.B. Students who enter with less than intermediate ability in one ancient language, will have to use electives for their initial study of that language

M.A. thesis

From its inception, the ECS program was designed to emphasize course work. In their second year, students are eligible to take doctoral seminars in the Theology Department, for which they are required to write an extended research paper. Writing a thesis in the ECS program is therefore not required. If a student has a well-developed idea, and wishes to write a thesis, six credits of their degree requirements can be replaced by a thesis-writing course. These credits may not replace the Proseminar or courses in their ancient languages A and B.

Other requirements

  1. French or German competency examination (at any time in the two years).

  2. Final field exams are based on an individually tailored set of readings and often (but not necessarily) include some translation of ancient texts.