Satisfactory Progress

PhD students in Classics need to fulfill the satisfactory academic progress requirement of the graduate school and the program in order to remain enrolled and therefore be eligible for financial aid and teaching. Students must be checked in, registered, and enrolled (or have applied for non-resident status) at the beginning of each semester by published deadlines, achieve a minimum grade point average of B (3.0), and work towards the completion of their requirements. The department uses the following provisions as definitions of satisfactory progress towards the completion of departmental requirements:

1. During the first four semesters of graduate study, any student who is registered full-time, working towards fulfilling their program requirements and has achieved a minimum grade-point average of B (3.0) (see Grade and Examination Requirements in the Academics and Enrollment section of the Handbook for Students) is considered to be making satisfactory progress.
2. If a student receives an INC, the student must complete the work of the course before the end of the next regular term. For example, if a student receives an INC during the fall term, the student must complete the coursework during the subsequent spring term by submitting work before the final day of the spring term (see Grade and Examination Requirements in the Academics and Enrollment section of the Handbook for Students). Students who do not resolve an INC grade within the expected timeframe are not considered to be making satisfactory progress. In exceptional circumstances, an INC is acceptable for a course that is not needed to meet a program requirement. Please contact the DGS for clarification (classicsDGS@fas.harvard.edu).
3. By the end of the fifth semester, a student should ordinarily have passed general examinations.
4. Special examinations should ordinarily be completed by the start of the seventh semester.
5. Before the end of the semester following the special examinations, a student should ordinarily have passed the dissertation prospectus.
6. By the end of the ninth and tenth semesters, and each subsequent year during which a student is allowed to register, they must have produced at least one acceptable chapter of the dissertation or equivalent thereof as detailed in the yearly written summary of the dissertation committee annual meeting prepared by the dissertation director and shared with the student and the DGS. (See dissertation regulations.)

Students are guaranteed financial support in the form of tuition and health fees coverage for at least five years. When students have completed a minimum of two dissertation chapters, they are eligible for funding through Harvard Griffin GSAS' Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Students who are making academic progress but cannot apply for the Dissertation Completion Fellowship in their G6 year and who require support to cover tuition and health fees may petition the graduate committee for an extension (see below).

Further details on the Harvard Griffin GSAS Satisfactory Progress Requirement can be found in the Academics and Enrollment section of the Handbook for Students. For further details about program milestones please see below.

Petitions for Extension

If a student anticipates being unable to fulfill any of these steps within the specified or expected time period, they must submit a written petition for an extension accompanied by a letter of support from the student's advisor (dissertation director or the Director of Graduate Studies for pre-dissertation students). The petition should lay out the reasons for the delay, recent progress, and a plan for completion with detailed timeline and departmental support structures.

In making decisions about extensions, the graduate committee, in consultation with the student and their dissertation director, will consider the student's progress, extenuating circumstances, and in the case of extension of funding beyond the G6 year, any efforts to secure external or internal fellowships.

In case of unsatisfactory progress (that is, if one of the conditions above is not met), students, with the endorsement of the department, may enter a status of “grace” for one year, in which they work to attain satisfactory progress. Students' funding and teaching may be affected by grace status.

Program Milestones

Due to Financial Aid Office policy change starting in the 2024–25 academic year, students’ tuition and health fees will be funded for the length of the anticipated time to degree for their individual program. At present, the anticipated time to degree for students in Classics is seven years. Please check with the DGS office as changes and clarifications to this policy are forthcoming.

Years 1 & 2 (semesters one through four): coursework, languages, & general examinations

• Full time study on campus is required during years one and two, which means 4 courses each term (16 credits) with a minimum of a "B" grade average.
• All students take the proseminar (Classic 350).
• Students generally pass exams in two modern languages according to their programmatic requirements.
• General Examinations occur at the end of the second year or at the end of the summer before the third year.

Summers after G1 and G2 year: preparation towards general examinations, modern languages work, fieldwork, and specialized summer schools

Year 3 (semesters five and six): special examinations & student teaching

• Student teaching is guaranteed for two standard sections per term (four terms of guaranteed teaching in total).
• Note that wages for teaching are paid August–May, and the teaching supplement is disbursed September–June.
• Special Examinations are to be completed by the start of the seventh term.
• All students take the Teaching Colloquium (Classic 360) in their fifth and sixth term (2 credits each).

Summer after G3 year: preparation towards the dissertation prospectus

Year 4 (semesters seven and eight): dissertation prospectus and student teaching

• Student teaching is guaranteed for two standard sections per term (four terms of guaranteed teaching in total).
• Note that wages for teaching are paid August–May, and the teaching supplement is disbursed September–June.
• The prospectus is to be completed in the fourth year, ideally by the end of the seventh term and at the latest by the end of the eighth term.

Summer after G4 year: dissertation work, including fieldwork

Year 5 (semesters nine and ten) and potentially Year 6 (semesters eleven and twelve): dissertation work, and fellowship or student teaching

• After the approval of the prospectus, at least one chapter per year must be submitted to the dissertation committee. Ideally, students submit one chapter per semester.
• It is recommended that students apply for fellowships or study abroad opportunities for their fifth year (see Funding for Graduate Students). Those who remain on campus can likely find teaching in Classics or other departments.
• Student meets with their doctoral committee at least once in the year.
• Professional development in consultation with the placement committee.

Summer after G5 year and G6 year: dissertation work, professional development continues

Year 6 (semesters eleven and twelve) or Year 7 (semesters thirteen and fourteen): Dissertation Completion Fellowship

• Dissertation completion year. Ideally, the fall is reserved for revisions or at most the writing of the last chapter and job market applications.
• Dissertation defense.