Graduate Program

Requirements for 2006 and Later

The Program in the Ancient Mediterranean World does not offer a terminal A.M. Degree. However, all candidates wishing to pursue the degree of Ph.D. in the Ancient Mediterranean World, including those coming to the Department with a Master’s Degree from another university, are required to take the degree of A.M. in the Ancient Mediterranean World.

A.M. Degree in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Candidates must:

  1. Take nine courses for quality grades (B or higher).
  2. Complete, with an average grade no lower than B, the two-quarter Ancient Mediterranean World seminar. This will normally be taken in the first year of scholastic residence. However, candidates may petition to take this seminar in the second year of scholastic residence if (i) they choose to enroll in the Language and Literature survey offered by the Department of Classics in their first year of study and (ii) they are enrolled in a three-quarter sequence in an ancient language other than Greek or Latin during their first year of study.
  3. Complete, with an average grade no lower than B, TWO additional courses distributed across two of the following disciplinary fields: literature; philosophy/religion; art/archaeology; social sciences (e.g. anthropology, sociology, political science).
  4. Attend a series of Methods workshops, held throughout the year.
  5. Pass the University Examination in one modern language (French or German, except by approval of the chair).

Ph.D. Degree in the Ancient Mediterranean World

To be advanced to the Ph.D. program candidates must have completed all requirements as specified for the A.M. in the Ancient Mediterranean World, above.

Once advanced to the Ph.D. program, candidates must satisfy the following requirements to be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy:

  1. Take nine courses for quality grades (B or higher). At least two of these courses must be chosen from the remaining two of the four disciplinary fields (literature; philosophy/religion; art/archaeology; social sciences) NOT selected for the A.M. requirements.
  2. Take and pass competency examinations in TWO ancient languages. The first examination must be taken no later than the spring quarter of the second year of scholastic residence. The second examination must be taken no later than the spring quarter of the fourth year of scholastic residence. Candidates who fail either examination will be given a further chance to take each in the week prior to the commencement of the subsequent Autumn Quarter. Failure to pass either examination a second time will result in the termination of the student’s enrollment at the end of the following Spring Quarter.
  3. Take and pass written examinations in three fields (one major and two minors) and a two-hour oral examination based on the written examinations. Candidates will normally be expected to pass these field examinations before the end of their third year of study. For a description of fields, see below.
  4. Pass the University Examination in a second modern language (French or German, except by approval of the chair).
  5. Prepare a written thesis proposal consisting of a sample chapter and a detailed outline of the dissertation to be distributed to the Faculty. The proposal should be submitted within one year of passing all examinations and will not be accepted if the candidate has not already passed the language and history examinations. The faculty will vote electronically whether to approve the proposal within two weeks of submission. Once approved, the candidate will be considered as advanced to Ph.D. candidacy but will be required to schedule a workshop talk based on the proposal before the end of the quarter subsequent to that in which the proposal is submitted. A candidate who does not schedule a workshop within this period of time will not be considered to be in good academic standing for the purpose of awards, prizes, and fellowships. In no case will a candidate be allowed to schedule a final dissertation defense if s/he has not already presented a workshop based on the dissertation proposal.

After completing these requirements, the candidate is formally admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

To graduate with the degree of Ph.D. in the Ancient Mediterranean World, a candidate must:

  1. Be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.
  2. Complete the dissertation and defend it before the gathered members of the Department and interested faculty from other Departments. Candidates will not be able to schedule defenses until the dissertation is approved by all members of their dissertation committee. A final, clean copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Departmental office at least one month prior to the scheduled date of the defense. Dissertations should not exceed 100,000 words (including references but excluding bibliography and appendices) and candidates should append a signed letter declaring the word-count.
  3. Satisfy any other Divisional or University requirements.

Field Examinations

The Field Examinations, normally taken throughout, but before the end of, the third year of Scholastic Residence, comprise both a written and an oral component.

Candidates are required to sit two-hour written examinations in one major field and two minor fields and will select a Field Committee of three Faculty members (of whom at least two must be affiliated with the Classics Department), each of whom will be responsible for setting and grading one of the three written examinations. The examination in the major field is designed to certify broad competence. Major fields must be selected from ONE of the following four culture areas: Egyptian History and Culture; Near Eastern History and Culture; Greek History and Culture; Roman History and Culture. Each major field examination is based on an extensive reading-list that normally remains the same from year to year, though candidates may, with the consent of the examiner of their major field, substitute some readings on the list with others that are of particular interest to them. The minor fields, which are designed to test more specialized methods with a view to dissertation research, are more narrowly defined (e.g. Roman provincial coinage; Egyptian priests; Roman Stoicism; etc.) and are based on shorter reading-lists devised in consultation with the examiners of the minor fields. Possible combinations of major and minor fields are listed below.

At least two different culture areas need to be covered in the Field Examinations. A candidate may take minors in two culture areas that are different from the culture area covered by the major but may also elect to take one minor in the same culture area as the major or two minors in the same culture area provided that this is not the same as that examined for the major. The Program in the Ancient Mediterranean World Executive Committee will advise on the viability and appropriateness of the specific combination of major and minor fields and is required to give its approval to the choice no later than the end of the Autumn Quarter of the candidate’s third year of study.

A two-hour oral examination, based on the responses to the written examinations, must be held within two weeks of the last written examination and will be attended by the candidate and the three members of his or her Field Committee.

Possible Combinations of Major and Minor Fields

Major: Egyptian History and Culture
Minor: Ptolemaic Egypt
Minor: Hellenistic Greek Coinage

Major: Near Eastern History and Culture
Minor: Bronze Age Greece
Minor: Early Rome

Major: Greek History and Culture
Minor: Greek Sanctuaries
Minor: The Eastern Roman Provinces

Major: Roman History and Culture
Minor: Greeks, Romans and Celts
Minor: The Arab Conquests