Classics

What Is Classics ?

Classics is the study of the language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Classics majors develop language skills and eventually read Homer, Plato or the New Testament, and Cicero, Virgil or Augustine in the original. They also study such subjects as mythology, philosophy, religion, politics and other areas where the ancient Greeks and Romans made decisive contributions to world civilization.

Success Factors

Classics students possess an eye for detail, curiosity about languages, including their own, and love of reading. Some such students include:

• Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud
• Theodor Mommsen and Toni Morrison (both recipients of the Nobel Prize for literature)
• Oscar Wilde, Eric Segal ("Love Story") and J.K. Rowling ("Harry Potter")
• Garry Wills (Catholic cultural critic) and Archbishop Pilarczyk of Cincinnati
• David Packard (as in Hewlett-Packard) and Charles Geschke (founder of Adobe)
• James Baker (former Secretary of State)

Career Possibilities

Classics students often pursue academic careers. Classics majors go on to graduate school to earn advanced degrees in classics or related fields such as archaeology, history or philosophy. Classics students receive a strong liberal arts education that enables them to pursue a graduate degree in many other fields of study including law, medicine and the ministry, and allows them to move into a great variety of careers in industry, business and public services, as shown under Success Factors. Classics students develop high-level critical thinking, communication, reading and writing skills. Such competence and precision are highly valued in both the private and public spheres.

Classics advanced degree:

• researcher
• teacher

 
Archaeology advanced degree:

• consultant
• museum work

History advanced degree:

• archives
• historical societies

Philosophy advanced degree:

• law
• medicine
• ministry
• industry
• business
• advertising
• public relations
• publishing
• public services
• administration
• foreign service
• journalism
• libraries

Major Details

The major in classics requires 54 credit hours of courses in Latin and Greek. Latin courses below the 300 level do not count toward the major. Majors are required to take the Introduction to Classical Studies (15-CLAS-475; 1 credit hour) in the fall of their senior year and an Independent Study (15-GRK-471 or 15-LATN-471) in their senior year as a capstone experience.

McMicken College's flexible degree requirements allow for and highly encourage students to pursue multiple areas of study. Free electives allow for enough credits for students to pursue a minor, certificate program or even complete a second major. Some of the most common pairings are listed below.

• Anthropology 
• European studies
• French 
• German
• History
• Historic preservation
• Italian
• Judaic studies
• Linguistics
• Philosophy

Minor Details

The minor in classics requires 30 credit hours in Latin and/or Greek. Latin courses below the 300 level do not count.
The classics department, along with the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) offers a program that allows students to earn a teaching certificate in Latin and become secondary school teachers of Latin. More information can be found on the department's website.

Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this major. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.

If you are currently enrolled at UC, you can audit your degree online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the course applicability system (CAS) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here.

*fulfills A&S college requirements as outlined in the A&S checklist.

**Latin 211?12?13 requires two-three years of high school Latin; Latin 301?02?03/301?05?06 requires three-four years of high school Latin. Students with less than this preparation must begin with Latin 104?05?06 (15 credits) and take 301?02?03/304?05?06 as sophomores.

Students who major or minor in the Department of Classics are asked to keep a portfolio of examinations and papers completed in classics courses. The director of undergraduate studies will discuss the portfolio with each student during an annual review. 

Courses that count for major or minor credit may not also be used for distribution requirements. For instance, Greek 101-102-103 may satisfy the A&S language requirement if it is not also used toward the major in classics, or Ancient History 101-102-103 may satisfy the A&S history requirement if it is not also used toward the major in classics civilization.

Sample Course Listing
A complete list of courses with brief descriptions is available on the departmental Web site.

Special Opportunities

The Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati offers a unique and dynamic environment thanks to the generous patronage of the Semple Classics Fund, a bequest of Louise Taft Semple, established "for promoting the study of Classics in an endeavor to make vital and constructive in the civilization of our country the spiritual, intellectual, and esthetic inheritance we have received from Greek and Roman civilizations."

Among other things, the Semple Classics Fund supports:
? the John Miller Burnam Classical Library, the largest such library in the world
? a large number of graduate students
? a world-class faculty

It also awards Semple Scholarships to outstanding undergraduates in Classics or Classical Civilization at the University of Cincinnati and the Semple Traveling Scholarships for a period of undergraduate study abroad, especially in Athens and Rome.

The Department of Classics has an international reputation as a leader in the field of Greek Bronze Age archaeology. It is particularly known for its excavations at Troy and Pylos under the direction of Carl Blegen. This tradition of excellence in archaeology continues today with current field projects at Pylos, Apollonia (Albania), and Episkopi-Bamboula (Cyprus).

Special Programs

Admission Requirements

Admission criteria for this program vary based on the relative strength of test scores, class rank and GPA. Please see the Freshman Class Profile for this major in the Quick Facts sidebar on this page for the range of academic credentials typically accepted into this program. Test scores in the lower range may be acceptable with higher class rank and/or GPA.

Freshmen applying to this program should also have completed the following state of Ohio articulation requirements with no more than two units missing:

• English (4 units)*
• College-preparatory mathematics (3 units)*
• Science (2 units)
• Social science (2 units)
• Foreign language (2 units)*
• Fine arts (1 unit)
• Additional college-prep subjects (2 units)

*McMicken College of Arts & Sciences does not allow units missing from these areas.

Transfer Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was not in any of the UC colleges must apply to the Office of Admissions. Applicants in this category must submit transcripts for all secondary school and college-level work. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all college-level work is required for admission consideration. Admission to A&S is generally available for any off-campus applicants who have received the associate degree from an accredited college or university and whose cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.

Although midyear off-campus transfer students are not able to participate in priority registration in the quarter prior to their enrollment, they are included in the summer registration period prior to their fall quarter enrollment.

Changing Major Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was as a degree student in one of UC’s other colleges can apply directly to the A&S college office. Admission to A&S is generally available for any on-campus students who have:

• at least a 2.0 GPA in all college-level courses (both at UC and at other institutions),
• successfully completed two quarters of English Composition or its equivalent, and
• gained credit for a college-level mathematics course.

A&S students must meet the College residency requirement of 45.0 hours which begins immediately upon matriculation in the College and consists of courses taught by McMicken College of Arts & Sciences.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to meeting the university's General Education requirements, the requirements listed in the McMicken College Core Requirements are common to all potential graduates of the college, whether they are pursuing the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, or bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree.

Application Deadlines

UC operates on a quarter system, with 10-week grading periods beginning in late September, early January, late March and mid-June. While midyear admission is possible, the fall is generally the best time to enter the college, since many course sequences begin in that quarter. Applicants to Arts & Sciences who are enrolled or who were previously enrolled as degree students in A&S or in other UC colleges should apply for admission directly to A&S (in McMicken 102). All other applicants who wish to earn an undergraduate degree from A&S should apply through the Office of Admissions (3rd Floor, University Pavilion).