Graduate Degrees and Requirements

Introduction

• Master of Arts in Classics, with concentration in Greek or Latin, Classical Art and Archaeology, Classical Antiquity, or the Teaching of Latin (M.A.T.)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Classics
  

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Program Requirements

1. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Greek or Latin
2. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Classical Art and Archaeology
3. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Classical Antiquity
4. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in the Teaching of Latin
5. M.A. Thesis and Examination Requirements
6. General Rules and Requirements for the M.A. degree
7. Ph.D. in Classics
8. Ph.D. Examination and Dissertation Requirements
9. General Rules and Requirements for the Ph.D. degree

Master of Arts in Classics

I. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Greek or Latin

Plan I

• A minimum of 30 hours of 5000-level credit or above (including thesis), to be distributed as follows:
  • 18 hours in Greek and/or Latin.
  • 6-9 hours of student's choice.
  • 3-6 hours of thesis credit.

• Thesis (to be completed during 4th semester of graduate study)
• Comprehensive Examination  (upon submission of thesis): 3 hours written examination, consisting of two hours of translation and one hour of analysis of texts in the major language. This will be followed by a one-hour oral examination based upon the thesis. The translation examination will consist of two out of three prose passages and two out of three verse passages for a total of c. 100 lines. Four of the passages for translation (two prose and two poetry) will be drawn from the reading list posted on the Department's website; the other two will not.

Plan II

• The Department strongly encourages students to apply to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for the required permission to follow Plan II. The requirements differ from Plan I in eliminating the 3-6 thesis hours and requiring instead 21 hours of Greek and/or Latin (5000-level or above) and 9 hours of the student's choice. The written portion of the Comprehensive Examination is the same as in Plan I; the oral portion of the exam covers the range of Greek or Latin literature represented by the reading list and tests the candidate's general knowledge of the primary sources and literary history.

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II. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Classical Art and Archaeology

Plan I

• A minimum of 30 hours of 5000-level credit or above (including thesis), to be distributed as follows:
  • 6 hours of Greek and/or Latin
  • 15 credit hours of ancient, classical, and/or medieval art and archaeology. At least 3 credit hours must be at the 5000-level or above (not 4000/5000), and at least 3 credit hours must be a pre-approved non-classical graduate-level course.
  • 3-6 hours of student's choice
  • 3-6 hours of thesis credit

• Thesis (to be completed during 4th semester of graduate study)
• Slide Identification Exam: A one-hour slide identification exam, which must be passed in advance of the Comprehensive Examination. The material on which students will be tested in the slide identification exam will be drawn from the general handbooks on the reading list.
• Comprehensive Examination (upon submission of thesis): Candidates must pass written and oral examinations in the fields of Greek art and archaeology and Roman art and archaeology. The three-hour written exam will be based on candidates' course work and the reading lists. The oral exam will explore further aspects of candidates' understanding of theories, methods, and material culture, based primarily on the thesis.

Plan II

• The Department strongly encourages students to apply to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for the required permission to follow Plan II. The requirements differ from Plan I in substituting 3-6 additional hours of ancient, classical, and/or medieval art and archaeology or graduate-level language for the 3-6 thesis hours of Plan I. The Slide Identification Exam and the Comprehensive Examinations are the same as in Plan I (as above), except that the oral examination focuses on understanding of theories, methods, and material culture gained through coursework and the reading lists rather than a thesis.

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III. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in Classical Antiquity

Plan I

• A minimum of 30 hours of 5000-level credit or above (including thesis), to be distributed as follows:
  • 6 hours of Ancient History and/or Classical Archaeology
  • 6 hours of Greek and/or Latin
  • 12-15 hours of student's choice
  • 3-6 hours of thesis credit

• Thesis (to be completed during 4th semester of graduate study)
• Comprehensive Examination (upon submission of thesis): 3 hours of written examination on two of the following special fields: a) Greek History, b) Roman History, c) Roman Art and Archaeology, d) Greek Art and Archaeology, e) Greek Religion and Mythology, f) Roman Religion and Mythology, g) Philosophy and Political Theory, h) Greek translation, or i) Latin translation, and 1 hour oral examination based upon the thesis. The special field examinations of 90 minutes each are based on reading lists, which are set each year by a committee of three faculty appointed for that purpose by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The examination committee serves in an advisory capacity, in addition to setting and grading the written examinations. The reading lists are published each year on the Department's web site. Students electing Greek or Roman archaeology as a special field must pass a thirty-minute slide identification exam before taking the Comprehensive Examination.

Plan II

• The Department strongly encourages students to apply to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for the required permission to follow Plan II. The requirements differ from Plan I in substituting 3-6 additional hours of Ancient History or Classical Archaeology for the 3-6 thesis hours of Plan I. The written portion of the Comprehensive Examination is the same as in Plan I (as above); the oral exam will focus on coursework and the reading lists.

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IV. M.A. in Classics, with Concentration in the Teaching of Latin

Plan II only

• A minimum of 30 hours of 5000-level credit or above, to be distributed as follows:
  • 12 hours of Latin
  • 3 hours of workshop in Latin Teaching Methods.
  • 3 hours of Roman History
  • 9 hours of student's choice
  • 3 hours of Special Teaching Project covering the planning, teaching, and evaluation of a sequence of approximately 10 to 15 lessons.

• Special Teaching Project (to be completed during the 4th semester of graduate study). This may be extended if the student is pursuing teaching certification concurrently.
• Comprehensive Examination (upon submission of Special Project): 3 hours of written examination on translation of Latin, and 1 hour oral examination on teaching methods and special project.

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V. M.A. Thesis and Examination Requirements

1. The M.A. Thesis
   The thesis will usually grow out of the student's work in graduate courses and may be the revised and expanded version of a term or seminar paper. Its topic should be of such a scope (c. 12,000 words) that the work can be completed within one semester. The student will ask the faculty member with whom the student wishes to work to act as Thesis Advisor. With the advice and approval of the Graduate Committee, the Thesis Advisor will select a Second and a Third Reader to complete the Thesis Advisory Committee. The thesis topic must be approved by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Committee by the Drop/Add deadline of the semester in which the student intends to defend the thesis. The student should ordinarily submit the completed thesis to the Advisory Committee at least 45 days before the commencement at which the degree is to be conferred. An earlier deadline may be set by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The Department will accept the thesis upon approval by the Thesis Advisor and at least one of the other Readers. The Graduate School requires that such approval be received at least 30 days before the commencement at which the degree is to be conferred. Two weeks prior to that commencement date, two formally approved copies of the thesis, complete with abstracts and signed by the Thesis Advisor and one other member of the Advisory Committee, must be filed with the Graduate School.
   
   
2. The Written Comprehensive Examinations:
   In the spring semester the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Committee, will appoint the Chairs of the Examination Committees for the following academic year. Students must select the track(s) on which they wish to be examined and submit a reading list to the Graduate Committee by the end of the second semester in the program, normally in the spring of their first year. Each student's reading list must be approved by the Chair of the Examination Committee and the Graduate Committee. The reading list forms the basis for the written Comprehensive Exam, which is normally taken in the spring of the second year.
   
   
3. Oral Comprehensive Examination:
   1. Plan I. After the thesis has been accepted by the Department and the written examination has been passed, the student is required to take an Oral Comprehensive Examination of no more than one hour that will focus on the thesis. The examination is open to members of the Faculty and will be given by a Committee consisting of the Thesis Advisor as Chair and two Readers appointed by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.  
      
   2. Plan II . The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies will select three examiners for a student pursuing Plan II from those faculty involved in the composition and marking of the written exams. The Oral Comprehensive Examination of no more than one hour will cover work done in formal courses and seminars in the major field, as well as the reading list for the exam. The Examination is open to members of the Faculty and will be given by the Committee as constituted above.  
      
      A Comprehensive Examination may be postponed for one semester with the approval of the Graduate Committee and the Chair of the Department. Postponement of the examination for a second time will require the approval of the Faculty. Under Graduate School Rules, a failed M.A. Comprehensive Examination cannot be retaken until at least 3 months have elapsed. M.A. Comprehensive Examinations may only be retaken once.

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VI. General Rules and Requirements for the M.A. Degree

1. A Baccalaureate Degree in Classics or a comparable level of preparation at an accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (=b)
2. Ability to pursue advanced study and research as judged by the student's scholastic record.
3. Adequate preparation to enter graduate study in the chosen field.

VII. Doctor of Philosophy in Classics

1. A minimum of 42 hours of coursework at the 5000-level or above (excluding thesis and accelerated courses). Course work completed in the M.A. program at the University of Colorado, or up to 21 hours of graduate credit transferred from another institution, may be applied toward this requirement. Courses should be distributed as follows:
   1. 4 7000-level graduate seminars (at least one each in Greek and Latin).
   2. 2 courses in Ancient History and/or Classical Archaeology.
   3. 1 course in either Greek or Latin Prose Composition.
   4. 2 courses in special fields such as Epigraphy, Law, Linguistics, Literary Theory, Medieval Studies, Palaeography, Papyrology, Philosophy, or Religion, as approved by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
2. A minimum of 30 hours of doctoral dissertation credit with no more than 10 of these hours in any one semester. No more than 10 dissertation hours may be taken preceding the semester of taking the Oral Comprehensive Examination. Up to 10 hours may be taken during the semester in which the student passes the comprehensive examination.
3. A reading knowledge of German and one other modern foreign language (normally Italian or French) is required. Proficiency is tested by a one-hour written translation test using a dictionary. Students may take a Foreign Language Exam at any time by arrangement with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. Students are encouraged to pass both modern language exams by the end of the third semester and required to do so before the end of the fourth semester in the Ph.D. program.
4. Preliminary Examinations in Greek and Latin. Two written examinations of 3 hours each, each consisting of two hours of translation and one hour of analysis of texts. The translation portion of each exam will consist of two out of three prose passages and two out of three verse passages for a total of c. 100 lines. On each exam, four of the passages for translation (two prose and two poetry) will be drawn from the relevant reading list posted on the Department's website; the other two will not. Each written examination will be followed by a one-hour oral examination that covers the range of Greek or Latin literature represented by the reading list and tests the candidate's general knowledge of the primary sources and literary history. There will be two adminstrations of each exam per year, in the fall and spring. Students are required to pass both exams by the end of the second semester in the Ph.D. program (or the second semester beyond the M.A.). Successful completion of the M.A. in Track I or the equivalent at another university, as determined by the Graduate Committee, will satisfy one of these examination requirements.
5. Comprehensive Examination. Two written examinations of three hours each on two topics or authors chosen in consultation with faculty members selected by the student and approved by the Graduate Committee, to be chosen from the following broad areas: language and literature, ancient history, archaeology, philosophy, or religion. In selecting the topics for these examinations, students are required to demonstrate balance in the fields of Greek and Roman culture, as determined by the Graduate Committee. The written Comprehensive Examinations will be administered twice per year, typically during the last two weeks of the term. Successful completion of the written examination is followed by a two-hour oral exam on Greek and Roman culture within the area of the student's chosen specialization, which should coincide with the student's intended dissertation topic. Students are required to complete these exams by the end of their fourth semester in the Ph.D. program.
6. Dissertation Prospectus: To be approved, as described below, by the end of the fifth semester in the Ph.D. program.
7. Dissertation: To be completed by the end of the eighth semester in the Ph.D. program.
8. Final Examination (upon submission of dissertation): 2 hours of oral defense of the Dissertation.

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VIII. Ph.D. Examination and Dissertation Requirements

1. Examination Schedule
   1. Preliminary exams: Students must have passed both of their preliminary examinations in Greek and Latin by the end of their second semester in the Ph.D. program. Students who fail an examination in an ancient language may retake it once in the following semester. Students may only fail an exam in ancient language once, and in such a case must have passed all language exams by the end of the third semester in the Ph.D. program.
   2. The Comprehensive Examination may not be taken until all preliminary examinations have been successfully completed.
   3. Under exceptional circumstances, students may petition for an additional semester to complete an exam or other requirement; such petitions must be approved by the full Faculty.
   4. Students who fall behind this schedule will be required to leave the program, unless they petition successfully for an extension.
      
      
2. Comprehensive Exam
   The topics, one each in the fields of Greek and Roman cultures, are to be selected with the approval of the Graduate Committee, which will designate an Examination Committee in each field. Students are expected to demonstrate specialized knowledge of primary materials, which they will be asked to translate and discuss in detail. The examinations will cover the secondary literature on the topic, including, where relevant, the manuscript and editorial traditions. Students should circulate to the Exam Committee a syllabus of their own design for a future graduate seminar on each special topic at least one week before the exam. The oral portion of the examination will cover the student's broad area of specialization in language and literature, ancient history, archaeology, philosophy, or religion. Students are expected to demonstrate familiarity with primary and secondary sources as well as related issues such as social and historical context, and current theoretical trends in the field. Students should be able to discuss the authors represented on the Ph.D. translation exam reading lists, demonstrating not only a fundamental understanding of those authors but also awareness of current scholarship about them. The Examining Board for the oral portion of the Exam shall consist of the student's Advisory Committee and additional members appointed by the Graduate Committee, to a minimum total of five with the Chair of the Advisory Committee as Chair of the Examining Board. Students should consult with their examining committees at least two months before the exam date and should plan to meet with committee members again before the exam.
   
   
3. Dissertation Director and Committee
   As soon as an area of specialization has been determined, the student will request the faculty member with whom the student wishes to work to act as Dissertation Director and Chair of the Advisory Committee. With the advice and approval of the Graduate Committee and the Dissertation Director, the student will select two additional Advisory Members of the Dissertation Committee, one of whom may be chosen from another Department.
   
   
4. Dissertation Prospectus
   The Dissertation Prospectus should provide a clear written outline of the dissertation, including major themes to be explored and a chapter-by-chapter outline, as well as an extensive bibliography. Students are expected to demonstrate familiarity with their field, a thorough knowledge of primary and secondary sources, current trends in scholarship, and a clearly articulated sense of their novel contributions to the field. The prospectus should be roughly four to five thousand words long, plus bibliography, and will be circulated to the Dissertation Advisory Committee; the Dissertation Advisory Committee will decide if a prospectus is acceptable.
   
   
5. Dissertation
   The dissertation must be finished and submitted in typewritten form at least 45 days before the date of the Final Examination. It must be formally approved by the Dissertation Advisory Committee and made available to the Faculty for inspection at least one week before the date of the Final Examination. The dissertation must meet the format requirements of the Graduate School. Students should consult the University Catalog and confer with the Graduate School for specifications and deadlines.
   
   
6. Final Examination
   The Final Examination is the oral defense of the dissertation before a Committee appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The Committee will consist of at least five members, three of whom must be Boulder Campus faculty and one of whom must be from outside the Department. More than one dissenting vote will disqualify the candidate in the Final Examination. Upon the recommendation of the Examining Committee, a candidate who fails the Final Examination may retake it once. The examination is open to anyone.
   

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IX. General Rules and Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

1. Quality of Graduate Work
   Students are required to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 (=B). No grade below B- may be counted toward the Ph.D.
   
   
2. Course Load
   1. All full-time students in the first year of the Ph.D. program are strongly encouraged to carry a full course load of 3 courses (9 hours) per semester. First-year Ph.D. students who do not have teaching obligations and are supported either by a fellowship or a research assistantship are expected to carry this load.
   2. Advanced full-time students in the Ph.D. program would typically carry a reduced load of 2 courses (6 hours) per semester, provided they are making adequate progress toward the degree. With the permission of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, 1-3 hours of dissertation credit or 2-3 hours of Independent Study may be substituted for one classroom course; however, no more than 10 hours of dissertation credit may be accumulated prior to the semester of taking the Oral Comprehensive Examination.
   3. Ph.D. Candidates (i.e., students having passed the Oral Comprehensive Examination) must be registered for 5-10 hours of dissertation credit per semester.
      
      
3. Part-Time Students
   Students wishing to pursue a degree on a part-time basis (i.e., carrying less than the minimum number of courses per semester required by the University) must so indicate when applying for admission to the Department. Part-time students will arrange with their advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for their individual course of study and examination schedule; however, examinations for part-time students will normally be given only at the time of regularly scheduled examinations of the same kind. Part-time students will not normally be considered for graduate teaching appointments.
   
   
4. Independent Study
   All independent study courses must be approved by a faculty sponsor, the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, and the Chair of the Department.
   
   
5. Termination
   A student who fails any Preliminary Examination three times will automatically be dropped from the program, unless an additional attempt is authorized, upon the student's petition, by a majority vote of the Faculty. Under Department rules, a Preliminary Examination in Greek or Latin translation may only be retaken once. Under Graduate School rules, a Comprehensive Examination may be retaken only once.
   
   
6. Progress Toward the Degree
   Students are expected to make reasonable progress toward their degrees. They will be required by the Department to take their written or oral examinations at specified regular examination times. Four years is considered a reasonable period for the Ph.D. Successful progress toward the degree is a determining factor in the award of financial support to students in the graduate program. All work for the Ph.D. must be completed within six years from the date course work was started in the Ph.D. program. For possible extensions, students should consult with the Graduate School.

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