Classical Studies focuses on understanding the world of the ancient Mediterranean—including Greece, Rome, and surrounding cultures—by studying its languages, history, art, and archaeology. Our program focuses on developing skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing, and our students find that exploring the past invites new perspectives on the modern world while opening doors to the future.
Tulane's M.A. program in Classical Studies prepares students for further academic work in Ph.D. programs, for teaching in secondary schools, and for other types of careers. We emphasize building our graduate students' skills in Latin and Greek, while encouraging them to explore the ancient world through archaeology and ancient history. Our small, selective, and highly personalized program makes Tulane an excellent choice for those who are ready to engage deeply with the ancient Mediterranean in all its complexity.
For more information about the Department of Classical Studies please visit our website.
The Department of Classical Studies at Tulane offers two types of post-undergraduate work:
M.A. Program
Our M.A. program emphasizes preparation in Latin and Greek and can include coursework in ancient history, archaeology, philosophy, and ancient religion. The program typically requires two years for completion. In the first year, most students take three courses within the department per semester. In the second year, students might either take two courses per semester and work on the M.A. thesis or take three courses while substantially revising two earlier seminar papers into M.A. qualifying papers.
We offer our best qualified applicants a full tuition fellowship and annual stipend.
The requirements for the M.A. degree are:
- A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level credit (typically 10 courses) completed with a minimum grade of B. Typically, students complete 12 – 16 courses during the two-year program.
- Two qualifying papers or an M.A. thesis, either of which must be defended before a committee of three faculty members.
- Satisfactory completion of a reading exam in a modern language (German, French, or Italian). We expect students without preparation in a modern language (excluding English) to enroll in undergraduate language courses as part of their M.A. coursework.
Traditionally, for each semester during their first year, students will take one Latin course, one Greek course, one classics course, and if required one modern language course. In their second year for each semester, students will take one Latin course, one Greek course, one classics course or thesis research, and if required one modern language course.
We encourage our students to travel abroad between the first and second years, either to academic programs like those led by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens or the American Academy in Rome, or to archaeological field projects. Funding is available for such travel to all graduate students in good standing.
4+1 M.A. Program in Classics
Majors in the department who are pursuing the B.A. degree in Greek, Latin, or Classical Studies may wish to earn the M.A. degree through an additional, fifth year at Tulane. Entry into the 4+1 program must occur no later than the first semester of the senior undergraduate year. Students interested in teaching Latin might pursue the 4+1 as part of their pathway toward that goal.
The requirements for the 4+1 M.A. are the same as those for the post-baccalaureate M.A. program described above. Note: a maximum of two (2) graduate-level courses of the minimum ten graduate-level courses needed for the M.A may be taken as part of the undergraduate major. Students can take up to 12 graduate credit hours (4 courses) beyond the courses needed for the undergraduate degree, if they have completed all undergraduate degree requirements; however, a minimum of two graduate-level courses must be completed by the end of the fourth (senior) undergraduate year.
HOW TO APPLY to the graduate programs (M.A. and 4+1):
Undergraduate majors in Classics, History, Art History, Archaeology, and related fields are invited to apply. We particularly welcome applications from students with backgrounds historically underrepresented in Classical Studies. If you have questions about expectations and/or your preparation, please contact the Director of Graduate studies.
- All applicants must complete the graduate studies application form and submit the application fee. The application form is available at the School of Liberal Arts website.
- Applicants to the regular two-year M.A. program must submit:
- a statement of purpose (c. 500 words)
- three (3) letters of recommendation
- a writing sample of no more than 20 pages
- Applicants to the 4+1 program must submit
- a statement of purpose (c. 500 words)
- two (2) letters of recommendation
- a writing sample of no more than 20 pages
- NOTE: applicants to the 4+1 do not need to submit GRE scores, but they must have an overall minimum GPA of 3.0, and a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major (Classical Studies, Latin, and/or Greek).
Full consideration will be given to applications completed by February 1.