Master's Degree in Classics

Who is this program for?

A master's degree in Classics is ideal for individuals passionate about exploring ancient Greek and Roman languages, literature, and cultures, preparing for careers in education, historical research, or cultural preservation. This program is also valuable for those pursuing roles as classical scholars, museum professionals, or translators, where expertise in ancient texts and civilizations is essential for advancing knowledge and appreciation of classical antiquity.

Program Overview

The M.A. program in Classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures offers a degree with courses in Greek and Latin languages, literatures and cultures, as well as allied offerings in ancient and medieval history, ancient and medieval philosophy, archaeology, and Greek and Roman art. The mission of the M.A. Program is to train classicists who would become Latin teachers, or who, having obtained a solid knowledge of the classical languages, would pursue a Ph.D. degree in Classics, History, Philosophy, Divinity, or other related fields.

A distinctive feature of UK Classics is the opportunity to study the Latin patrimony from antiquity until modern times. The Neo-Latin patrimony, in particular, immensely vast, multicultural and interdisciplinary in its very nature, provides infinite opportunities for study and research of the classical tradition in many fields and pertaining to many regions and populations.

Students approach Latin as a living language of teaching, scholarly work, and communication with the classical authors and among themselves. This fosters a personal connection to the language and is invaluable preparation for the classroom. At the University of Kentucky, there is a vibrant community, in which students not only study Latin, they live Latin.

In line with the communicative approach adopted in Latin, the study of ancient Greek lays emphasis on the written production in the language through composition courses in both prose and verse. Seminars in Greek papyrology and paleography feature significant components focused on digital humanities and digital restoration of texts. Seminars in Greek historiography, epigraphy and poetry round out our offerings.

Options

• Option A-thesis requires completion of 30 semester credit hours of graduate work, six of which in CLA 768 (Residence Credit for Master’s Degree), the defense of a Master’s thesis, and an exit exam.
• Option B-non-thesis requires completion of 30 semester credit hours of graduate work and an exit exam.