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

  Majoring in Classics

The major in classics requires 55 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.

UC's McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) offers flexible degree requirements allowing for 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

  Minoring in Classics

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.

The department also offers a certificate in Ancient Greek. More information can be found the department's website.

  Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this program. 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 confirmed or enrolled, you can check your degree requirements online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school, use u.select to see how credits you have earned will transfer to UC. See course descriptions by college.

*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.

[1] Latin Language Sequences

Students' initial placement varies based upon previous instruction in Latin.

• Intensive Elementary Latin - LATN 104, 105, 106 (15 credits). Does not require previous background.
• Intermediate Latin - LATN 211, 212, 213 (9 credits). Requires two to three years of high school Latin.

The following 300-level Latin courses require three to four years of high school Latin.

• Latin Prose - LATN 301 (3 credits)
• Roman Rhetoric Cicero - LATN 302 (3 credits)
• Roman Lyric and Horace - LATN 303 (3 credits)
• Latin Elegy - LATN 305 (3 credits)
• Virgil: Aeneid - LATN 306 (3 credits)

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 also be used for A&S College Core Requirements. For instance, Greek 101-102-103 may satisfy the A&S Foreign Language requirement and also count toward the major in Classics, or Ancient History 101-102-103 may satisfy the A&S Historical Perspectives (HP) requirements and also be used toward the major.

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

  UC Advantages and 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).

  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)*
• Additional college-prep subjects (3 units)

*A&S does not allow units missing from these areas.

  Transferring to UC Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was not in any of the UC colleges must apply through 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 an associate degree from an accredited college or university and whose cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.

University transfer scholarships are available to those who meet specific requirements and ANY admitted A&S transfer student might qualify for an A&S transfer scholarship. Deadlines and eligibility criteria are online via the previous links.

  Changing Majors within UC 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 within the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

  Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, students must:

• Earn at least 180 credits. This can include transfer credit, AP credit, and free electives, but does not include preparatory coursework. Students who have met all other degree requirements must continue earning credit until the total number of their earned hours comes to at least 180.
• Attain a 2.0 grade point average for all courses taken at the University of Cincinnati.
• Be in good academic standing, that is, not on either academic probation or disciplinary probation or suspension.
• Complete the residency requirement by earning at least 45 credits after matriculating into the college. These minimum 45 credits must be taught within A&S (15), and also must be completed after gaining admission to the college.
• Complete all of the requirements of at least one major (see major requirements above).
• Complete the College Core Requirements.
• Submit an application for graduation to the registrar's office by their posted deadline.

  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, fall quarter is generally the best time to enter the college, since many course sequences begin in that quarter. Applicants to the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences who are enrolled or who were previously enrolled as degree-seeking students in A&S or in other UC colleges should apply for admission directly to A&S (in French West, 2nd Floor). All other applicants who wish to earn an undergraduate degree from A&S should apply through the Office of Admissions (3rd Floor, University Pavilion).

  Accreditation