Degrees

Degree Structure

All graduate degrees offered by the Department of Classics have the following requirements:

For the MA

a minimum of six seminars
reading proficiency in Greek or Latin at MA level
- Greek and Latin language exams for the MA and PhD are set three times in each year, on uniform dates: the Friday before classes start in each semester; and the Friday after spring break. For the academic year 2007-2008, the dates will be:

Friday, August 31, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008

We strongly recommend that new students take a diagnostic examination in at least one language as soon as they arrive at Bryn Mawr.

reading proficiency in either German, French or Italian (Department offers regular tutoring in German)
- Every exam is read by two faculty members in the student’s department or a related discipline. If these two faculty members find the examination satisfactory, it is submitted to the Graduate Office for distribution to a third reader in the appropriate language department. Language faculty read these examinations twice in each academic year.

In 2007-2008 the distribution dates will be:

Friday, October 5, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008

Students and departments will be notified promptly of the results.

MA paper
- This should represent independent research, and will normally be of 40-60 pages in length. The MA paper is the most demanding of the requirements for the degree and provides the best introduction to sustained scholarly work. It differs from those written for seminars in that it is entirely on a topic of the student's own choosing and is an opportunity to move from first thoughts to a finished piece of scholarship through expansion, refinement and revision of ideas and materials. Some M.A. paper topics are "discovered" during seminars; others come independently. Some may prepare the way for the dissertation; others are self-contained. To arrive at either result the student works closely with an advisor, who oversees the project and offers advice and encouragement.
oral examination of one hour in the field of the MA paper

For the PhD

qualifying exams

At present, these take the form of two written examinations, each of three hours, on seminars which the student has taken. Topics must be agreed beforehand with the graduate advisor. The student is expected to show that she/he has consolidated and developed the knowledge imparted in the seminar. She/he should show evidence of wider reading in primary and secondary materials as appropriate.

minimum of 12 seminars [which includes those taken at MA level]. These must include at least one Gsem.
reading proficiency in Greek and Latin at PhD level
- Greek and Latin language exams for the MA and PhD are set three times in each year, on uniform dates: the Friday before classes start in each semester; and the Friday after spring break. For the academic year 2007/08, the dates will be:
  We strongly recommend that new students take a diagnostic examination in at least one language as soon as they arrive at Bryn Mawr.
reading proficiency in German (Department offers regular tutoring in German)
reading proficiency in Italian or French
- Every exam is read by two faculty members in the student’s department or a related discipline. If these two faculty members find the examination satisfactory, it is submitted to the Graduate Office for distribution to a third reader in the appropriate language department. Language faculty read these examinations twice in each academic year.
  In 2007-2008 the distribution dates will be:

Friday, October 5, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008

Students and departments will be notified promptly of the results.

preliminary examinations consisting of four written papers followed by an oral examination
completion of the PhD dissertation
oral defense of the PhD dissertation

Details for specific degrees are available under the following headings: