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 (for students who entered the program in or after 2023). Such as to foster expertise in:

1. The methodology covered in the Proseminar, Classic 350 (required). (one course)
2. 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)
3. 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 one 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.
4. Ancient history or classical archaeology. To this end, candidates must pass a course in ancient history or classical archaeology. (one course)
5. 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)
6. 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)

Program of Study (for students who entered the program in or after 2021). Such as to foster expertise in:

1. The methodology covered in the Proseminar, Classic 350 (required).
2. Greek and Latin languages and literatures. To this end, candidates must pass the courses Greek 112a, Greek 112b, Latin 112a, and Latin 112b.
3. Advanced research and writing. To this end candidates must pass four graduate seminars. Of these:
   (a) at least two must be in classical philology;
   (b) one must be in either ancient history or archaeology. At least one of the four graduate seminars must be on a Greek topic and one on a Roman topic. Seminars taught by faculty outside the department may be used to fulfill this requirement with the permission of the graduate committee.
4. Syntax and stylistics. This requirement is normally met by passing Greek 175 and Latin 175, or demonstration of equivalent work. This requirement must be met before the Special Examinations are taken (see below).
5. Historical linguistics. This requirement is met by passing Greek 134 and Latin 134 or demonstration of equivalent work. This requirement must normally be met before the dissertation prospectus is approved.

Students who entered the program before 2021 can view requirements upon request: classicsDGS@fas.harvard.edu.

Modern Languages. The demonstration of a reading knowledge of French or Italian and of 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 entered the program in or after 2021). All students will take General Examinations comprising four parts, namely:

1. 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.
2. 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 his or her 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 he or she need only repeat that part.

General Examinations (for students who entered the program before 2021). All students will, normally by the end of April of the second year, take General Examinations comprising four parts, namely:

1. 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 two will be at sight (i.e., not from the reading list).
2. An oral examination of one-and-one-half hours, divided into two parts, on the history of Greek and Latin literature respectively. This examination will include, but will not be confined to, the material contained in the reading list. The examining committee will consist of one faculty member chiefly responsible for Greek literature; one chiefly responsible for Latin literature; and an additional one to moderate the proceedings and to intervene at his or her 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 he or she need only repeat that part.

Special Examinations (for students who entered the program in or after 2021). By the end of the third, or, at the latest, the fourth graduate 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), 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.

Special Examinations (for students who entered the program before 2021). By the end of the third, or, at the latest, the fourth graduate year, the candidate must take a two-hour oral examination in two special authors, one Greek and one Latin, and one special field. The candidate will be expected to know the historical background and manuscript tradition of these authors. The special field should be selected from fields such as the following: a period of Greek or Roman history, philosophy, religion, mythology, archaeology, topography, epigraphy, palaeography, papyrology, grammar or linguistics, metrics, history of classical studies, Medieval Latin literature, patristics, Byzantine studies, or the special problems of a literary genre (e.g., epic, historiography). The choice of authors and field should be submitted for approval by the graduate committee at the time of the General Examinations or within a month following them. Preparation for this examination will be by independent study, with regular supervision by a faculty member for each part of the examination (Classic 302). These examinations may be repeated only once in the event of failure.

Dissertation Regulations. See the Dissertation Regulations page.