There are several ways to earn recognition for the study of Classics without concentrating. If you have taken General Education courses in the field or classes in Latin or Greek to satisfy the language requirement, you may already be well on your way.

The Department of the Classics offers a secondary field in Classical Civilizations for students wishing to explore an interest in Greco-Roman antiquity and its reception in the medieval and modern periods. The secondary field does not require knowledge of a classical language, although some courses in the languages may count toward the secondary field requirements. See also the Handbook for Students.

Secondary field requirements

• 5 courses, comprising:
  • One semester of either Classical Studies 97a or Classical Studies 97b.
  • Four additional courses from among those listed under Classics in the FAS Registrar's Course Catalog (including cross-listed courses). Other courses may be counted with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

No more than two courses or one full course from the introductory language sequence in Modern Greek may count toward the Secondary Field in Classical Civilizations. One course may be taken Pass/Fail.

Those who have studied languages offered by the Department can receive a language citation in Latin, ancient Greek, and/or modern Greek.

A secondary field or language citation need only be declared shortly before to graduation (see the College Handbook for deadlines), but students intending to add one to their program are encouraged to contact the DUS (Professor Naomi Weiss, classicsDUS@fas.harvard.edu) as early as possible, so that they can make informed choices about their courses and become fully integrated into the life of the Department.

Classics can also form part of a joint concentration. Please see Joint concentrations in the Classics.