Classical Philology

Doctor of Philosophy in Classical Philology

Prerequisites. Competence in both Greek and Latin sufficient to allow the student to take courses numbered above 100 ("upper-level courses") upon entering graduate school.

Academic Residence. Minimum of two years of full-time study (16 courses, or 64 credits). Students are not normally permitted to take more than two courses numbered 301 before sitting for their General Examinations.

Program of Study. Such as to foster expertise in:

The methodology covered in the Proseminar, Classic 350 (required). (one course)
Greek and Latin languages and literatures. To this end, candidates must pass the courses Greek 112a, Greek 112b, Latin 112a, and Latin 112b. (four courses)
Advanced research and writing. To this end, candidates must pass three graduate seminars. (three courses)
At least one of the three graduate seminars must be on a Greek topic and one on a Roman topic. Of these:
(a) at least two must be labeled Classical Philology;
(b) the third may be taught by faculty outside the department, with the approval of the graduate committee. Students may count this seminar towards a secondary field, or explore their related interests within or beyond the department.
Ancient history or classical archaeology. To this end, candidates must pass a course in ancient history or classical archaeology. (one course)
Syntax and stylistics. This requirement is normally met by passing Greek 175 or Latin 175, or demonstration of equivalent work. This requirement must be met before the Special Examinations are taken. (one course)
Historical linguistics. This requirement is met by passing Greek 134 or Latin 134, or demonstration of equivalent work. This requirement must normally be met before the Special Examinations are taken. (one course)

Modern Languages. The demonstration of a reading knowledge of (1) French or Italian and of (2) German, to be tested by the department (with the aid of dictionaries). This requirement must be fulfilled before the dissertation prospectus is approved. Tests are normally administered in October and April.

Pedagogy. Students take a practicum course (Classic 360) in the craft of teaching, normally in their third year. Strategies will be applicable to courses taught in translation as well as language courses.

General Examinations (for students who enter the program in and after 2025, or students who entered in 2023 or 2024 and opt into the changes ).

The General Examinations consist of two oral exams and two translation exams.

The oral exams assess students’ knowledge of Greek and Latin literature. The translation exams assess students’ ability to comprehend a broad range of texts across different periods, styles, and genres and to read unseen content in both prose and poetry. Such linguistic competence is necessary both for success in teaching and for conducting innovative research in the field, such as providing exegesis of new corpora or reassessing long-standing interpretations of texts.

There are two reading lists for Greek and Latin literature respectively. The first is a list of texts that must be read in the original language. The translation exams will include passages from these texts. The second is a list of texts that may be read in translation. In their oral exams, students will be expected to be able to talk about texts in both lists. While the reading lists are not exhaustive, they have been carefully designed to prepare students with enough linguistic, chronological, and generic diversity that (1) they have a basis of knowledge of Greek and Latin literature before they pursue more in-depth research for their dissertations; and (2) they are able to teach a wide array of texts in the future.

Students prepare for the translation exams through both independent study and coursework. This preparation entails acquiring close knowledge of the texts on the reading lists and expertise in sight-reading—the latter by stressing the acquisition of morphology, syntax, vocabulary, and metrics. We expect students to read Greek and Latin texts both extensively and intensively throughout their graduate career, including during winter and summer recesses and outside of the readings assigned in class. Such careful reading solidifies not just basic linguistic competence but also familiarity with philological tools such as commentaries, dictionaries, and reference works, which is essential for conducting advanced original research. Students also prepare for these exams through the year-long survey courses (Greek and Latin 112a and 112b) in addition to other required courses in the first two years, including those on syntax and stylistics (Latin or Greek 175) and historical linguistics (Greek or Latin 134).

The oral examinations, on the history of Greek and Latin literature, will normally be taken at the end of each of the year-long survey courses (Greek and Latin 112a and 112b). These courses draw from the lists for Greek and Latin literature respectively, i.e., they cover texts in the original language and integrate readings in translation. Together, the survey courses and the oral exams prepare students for advanced research and teaching by equipping them with a broad grasp of major texts, genres, periodizations, and themes, and by introducing them to a generous sampling of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of Greco-Roman literature.

All students will take General Examinations comprising four parts, namely:

Two written examinations of three hours each in the translation of Greek and Latin authors; each examination will consist of six passages from the reading list (half prose and half verse). Students must translate four (two prose and two poetry). In addition, they must translate two sight passages (i.e., not from the reading list): one prose and one poetry. The Greek and Latin exams may be taken separately and both must be passed by the fall of the third year.
Two oral examinations of forty-five minutes each, on the history of Greek and Latin literature respectively. These will normally be taken at the end of the survey courses (Greek and Latin 112a/b). The contents of the exam will be based on the material covered in those courses. The examining committee will normally consist of the instructors from the 112 courses along with an additional faculty member to moderate the proceedings and to intervene at their discretion.

Note: These examinations may only be repeated once in the event of failure. If a student fails only one part of the examination, then they need only repeat that part.

General Examinations (for students who entered the program before 2025 and did not opt into the changes). All students will take General Examinations comprising four parts, namely:

Two written examinations of three hours each in the translation of Greek and Latin authors; each examination will consist of six passages (half prose and half verse) of which four will be from the reading list and two will be at sight (i.e., not from the reading list). Each component may be taken separately and both must be passed by the fall of the third year.
Two oral examinations of forty-five minutes each, on the history of Greek and Latin literature respectively. These will normally be taken at the end of the survey courses (Greek and Latin 112a/b). The contents of the exam will be based on the material covered in those courses. The examining committee will normally consist of the instructors from the 112 courses along with an additional faculty member to moderate the proceedings and to intervene at their discretion.

Note: These examinations may only be repeated once in the event of failure. If a student fails only one part of the examination, then they need only repeat that part.

Special Examinations. Normally by the end of their third year, the candidate must take a two-hour oral examination in three special fields, of which at least one should be a Greek-centered topic and at least one a Roman-centered topic. Students must submit a proposal for the three special areas to the graduate committee, normally by the end of second year of graduate study. These fields may be Greek or Latin authors (e.g., Sophocles), or collections (e.g., the Anthologia Latina) or a combination of an author or genre and a driving research question (e.g., religion in Cicero). Alternatively, they can be based on fields such as the following: a period of Greek or Roman history, philosophy, science, religion, mythology, law, archaeology, topography, epigraphy, palaeography, papyrology, grammar or linguistics, metrics, the history of classical studies, Medieval Latin literature, patristics, Byzantine studies, Modern Greek studies, the special problems of a literary genre (e.g., epic, historiography), or a topic in classical reception.

Dissertation Regulations. See the Dissertation Regulations page.