PhD Admissions Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All graduate students, whether domestic or international, receive the same comprehensive financial aid package through the Harvard Griffin GSAS.

The sample should be a piece of original scholarly work, such as an excerpt from a senior thesis, term paper, or master’s essay. While a length of roughly 15 pages is a target guide, please use your judgment as you submit a complete and coherent piece. Double-spacing is preferred. Bibliographical citations, references, and images do not count toward this page guideline.

No. Harvard Griffin GSAS policy does not allow edits to applications once submitted. If you have a critical correction to supplemental materials, you may email it to classicsDGS@fas.harvard.edu, and the department will do its best to include it in its deliberations. 

The Department of the Classics does not manage English proficiency testing. All inquiries regarding these requirements must be directed to the central Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions Office at admiss@fas.harvard.edu. Please see the GSAS website for the English proficiency requirements.

Fee waivers are administered centrally by Harvard Griffin GSAS. You can determine your eligibility by responding to the specific questions you will find in the online application portal.

The recommendation portal remains open after the application deadline, and incoming letters will automatically attach to your file. However, because our review committees begin evaluating dossiers immediately, we are unable to guarantee consideration of late letters.

No. Deadlines are strictly managed by the central Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions Office and cannot be extended by the department.

Faculty of interest should be tenured and tenure-track faculty whose research interests you and with whom you would like to study. Most faculty should be from Classics, but you may add faculty from other departments.

No. The program has a strict two-year academic residency requirement, and students typically spend several years on campus gaining teaching experience. Our curriculum emphasizes community engagement, hands-on seminars, and professional skills acquisition.

Students share a graduate lounge for collaboration and have access to dedicated Teaching Fellow office spaces. Graduate students can apply to secure individual library carrels conveniently situated within the stacks of Widener Library.

Graduate students gain pedagogical skills and instructional experience by serving as Teaching Fellows starting in year three of the program, under close faculty supervision. Graduate students in years one and two do not teach. Appointments as a Teaching Fellow may consist of either assisting faculty in language or lecture courses (in Classics, General Education, or other departments), conducting an undergraduate tutorial under the supervision of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, or teaching an undergraduate language course under the guidance of a preceptor.

No. We do not admit students for a terminal master’s degree. All applicants must apply only for the PhD. Enrolled students earn a Master of Arts "in passing" during the first two years on the way to the doctoral degree.

Not necessarily. The committee evaluates applications holistically. We regularly admit candidates holding only a bachelor’s degree alongside those who have completed graduate coursework elsewhere. Admission is based on your overall preparation and potential along with research fit.

No. A prior MA does not reduce your coursework load or fast-track the PhD. All students must complete sixteen courses across their first two years to fulfill residency requirements. However, a student may petition to waive specific requirements for greater course selection flexibility.

In our department, 100-level courses represent advanced instruction focusing on the close, critical reading of unadapted Greek or Latin texts in the original language. These courses assume that all basic grammar instruction has been successfully completed. They typically see enrollment from graduate students as well as undergraduates.

Prerequisites ensure that incoming students are prepared to take advanced seminars during their time in the program. Please see the web page for each track for specific prerequisites. Applicants with specific questions about their training are welcome to email classicsDGS@fas.harvard.edu.

The committee considers how well your skills and research interests align with your declared track, but we are mostly interested in your potential to complete the doctorate at a high level, regardless of the track to which you are best suited.

Yes. Beyond your core track requirements, there is room for elective coursework. In fact, we are supportive of students who focus on these electives to work towards completing a secondary field, which becomes a recognized component of your diploma.

Prior training is highly recommended, but it is not a requirement for admission. However, you must pass proficiency exams in two modern languages early in your program, which may require dedicating summers or elective time to language study. Most tracks require German, along with French or Italian, and other languages as appropriate to your track and area of research.

No. We do not expect applicants to have a dissertation topic at the time of application. In fact, given that the program comprises three years of courses and exams (two years of regular coursework and one of special exam preparation) before engaging the dissertation, we encourage applicants to keep an open mind about their eventual choice of dissertation topic.