Classics (MA)

Program Description

The Department of Classics offers graduate programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. In addition to the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (for which see the Admission section of this bulletin), the department participates in a consortial agreement with the City University of New York and Fordham University, which makes course offerings in classics at all three institutions available to all NYU classics graduate students.

Within New York University, the Department of Classics has close ties to the Center for Ancient Studies, the Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, the Institute of Fine Arts, the Program in Museum Studies, the Program in Religious Studies, the Department of Comparative Literature, the Program in Poetics and Theory, and the Medieval and Renaissance Center. The Aquila Theatre Company, London/New York, is in permanent residence at the Center for Ancient Studies.

The University sponsors excavations at Abydos (Egypt), Aphrodisias (Turkey), Yeronisos Island (Cyprus), and Samothrace (Greece). The department owns collections of coins, inscriptions, and papyri; it maintains a small museum of ancient artifacts and a small library with computing resources. Students also have access to the extraordinary collections of such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Numismatic Society, the Morgan Library, and the New York Public Library.

The Classics Department at NYU offers a wide range of courses in Greek and Latin literature, history, archaeology and material culture, and ancient philosophy, and offers the possibility of interdisciplinary study in a variety of areas in which the Department has particular strengths.  These can be areas of focus leading to the doctorate.  Here are some of the interdisciplinary research fields, with the names of participating faculty (prospective students are encouraged to examine their individual web pages for information on their research and teaching).

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See Classics for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

The Classics Master of Arts program is 32 credits, chosen from the 1000 - 2000 series of courses, including either the Latin survey sequence or the Greek survey sequence, and one course from two of the following three areas: 1) Prose Composition, 2) Greek or Roman History, and 3) Archaeology or Ancient Art History. Of the remaining four courses, at least three must be in Greek or Latin authors. On arrival, each student takes diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin, which a faculty adviser evaluates and discusses with the student. Before qualifying for the MA degree, a student must pass either a Greek or Latin translation examination based on reading lists, and a translation examination in German, French, or Italian.

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The department participates in a consortial agreement with the City University of New York and Fordham University, which makes course offerings in classics at all three institutions readily available to all NYU Classics graduate students.

Sample Plan of Study

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have achieved:

1. Proficiency in the Latin and Greek languages is basic, beyond which the student must learn the subtle differences of vocabulary choices, sentence structure, and overall rhetorical style, which must then in turn be appreciated in their wider historical, philosophical, literary, and cultural contexts.
2. Research skills necessary to access and utilize both the original texts and the scholarly literature on the subject, which begins in antiquity itself. Both traditional library skills and familiarity with online databases are developed. Students work closely with the NYU Classics librarian to hone these skills. (At present, this person is himself a classicist.)
3. Critical thinking about the Greek and Roman cultures and the wider Mediterranean region, which includes Africa, the Near and Middle East, the Black Sea coast and Europe.  Oral reports in our seminars sharpen students’ critical facilities in the presentations of current scholarly ideas. In addition, as with our PhD students, MA students are encouraged to present papers at the various meetings of our regional classical associations.
4. Preparedness to proceed to the next academic level, the PhD. In either case, we train for the latter, knowing that it will have the best results for the former as well. Since we require no MA thesis, any significant contribution to the field will necessarily come later, whether as teacher or scholar.

The Master of Arts in Classics is of high value in the teaching profession and has applicability in arts and cultural fields beyond academia.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.