Program Requirements for Classics (Classics), 2022-2023

Classics

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Classics offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Greek, the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Latin, and the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Classics.

Please note: Students will not be admitted for terminal M.A. degrees. 

Master’s Degree

Admissions Requirements

Advising

During the first two years, all students in the program are supervised by the department’s Graduate Advisor, a member of the regular departmental faculty. Students are required to consult the Graduate Advisor (or the Department Chair when the Graduate Advisor is unavailable) at the beginning of each quarter to plan their programs, and as needed to discuss changes in programs, and are required to notify the Graduate Advisor of plans for examinations. Students also should consult with the Advisor about problems they are experiencing in the program. Twice during each academic year, the Graduate Advisor conducts a review of all graduate students at a full departmental faculty meeting. The results of the review are recorded in the departmental minutes. Students with serious problems noted at the midyear meeting are sent a warning letter within 30 days. At the end of each academic year, the substance of the evaluation of each individual student is communicated in writing to the student by the Graduate Advisor within 30 days.

Areas of Study

The department offers the M.A. degree in Classics as a preliminary to the Ph.D. degree. An incoming student may petition the department to use equivalent coursework completed at other institutions to meet the language requirement.

Foreign Language Requirement

In addition to taking courses in Greek and/or Latin, students must demonstrate proficiency in one of the following three languages: German, French or Italian during the first two years. Students must consult with the Graduate Advisor to determine their choice of languages. In addition, students may petition to substitute one of the above languages with a different modern language, depending on its relevance to the student’s research and on departmental expertise. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by passing German 3, French 3, or Italian 3 at UCLA with a minimum grade of B, or by passing a one-hour written translation examination administered by the department. Students may petition, with departmental approval, to use equivalent coursework completed at other institutions to meet this requirement.

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Course Requirements

Students must complete nine courses (36 units) of graduate level coursework (200 series) for the M.A. degree in Classics during the first two years in the program. The nine courses must include (1) four units of Classics 287 (Proseminar), (2) two courses from Greek 200A-200B-200C and two courses from Latin 200A-200B-200C, (3) three four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted). Students must receive a grade of B or better in each of the above courses. The four-unit 200A-200B-200C courses test the appropriate part of the departmental reading lists. The remaining courses are to be selected in consultation with the Graduate Advisor.

Teaching Experience

Consult the department.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The Capstone requirement has two components: (1) the composition of an original research paper (7-12k words) under the supervision of two faculty members, to be submitted at the end of Winter Quarter in their second year; (2) the oral presentation of the paper (20 mins) to the department at the end of Spring Quarter in their second year. The Capstone Paper must be a development of research undertaken at UCLA (i.e., not a development of a prior M.A. thesis undertaken at another institution), and will most likely emerge out of graduate seminars taken during the first two years.

In addition to focused mentorship from the two faculty members overseeing the project, students will be supported in structuring their research and writing time by the Graduate Advisor in Classics 287 (Proseminar).

Essay Requirement

For the individual project portion of this plan, students submit a research paper in winter quarter of their second year. In consultation with a faculty mentor, the student has revised this paper, which may be one previously submitted in a seminar in the M.A. program. The mentor and a second faculty member evaluate the revised paper, which is due on the last day of classes of winter quarter. Students must receive a grade of at least A- on this revised paper in order to complete the capstone and be admitted to the Ph.D. program. Shortly after submitting this paper, in winter or spring quarter of the second year, the student presents it to the department as a lecture and takes questions from the audience.

Terminal M.A. Degree

The terminal M.A. degree is offered only to students leaving the program if they have completed the necessary requirements. The courses required for the terminal M.A. degree in Classics must include: (1) four units of Classics 287; (2) Greek or Latin 210; (3) two courses from Greek 200A-200B-200C and two courses from Latin 200A-200B-200C; and (4) three four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted). Students must receive a grade of B or better in each of the above courses. Students presenting (1) four units of Classics 287, (2) Greek 210, (3) Greek 200A-200B-200C, and (4) four four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted) may apply for a Greek M.A. degree. Students presenting (1) four units of Classics 287; (2) Latin 210; (3) Latin 200A-200B-200C; and (4) four four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted) may apply for a Latin M.A. degree. Other requirements include: completing the foreign language requirements in one language, as described above; earning a grade of B or better in all courses presented for the 200A-200B-200C sequence; completion of the essay requirement as described above.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Adequately prepared students taking a normal course load of three courses per quarter are expected to complete the requirements for the M.A in Classics degree. degree in six quarters. As noted above, the M.A. in Greek and the M.A. in Latin degrees are only offered to students leaving the program without completing the Ph.D. requirements. Entering students whose initial level of preparation is not fully adequate may be allowed one year to remedy deficiencies before beginning the regular M.A. program. Students whose diagnostic examination upon entry indicates need may be required to take additional courses.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Students in the doctoral program are required, at the beginning of each quarter, to consult the department’s Graduate Advisor who assists in planning their programs of study. After the written qualifying examinations are completed, the student’s individual Advisor shares responsibility for guidance. However, students must continue to submit each quarter’s study list for the Graduate Advisor’s approval.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

None.

Foreign Language Requirement

In addition to demonstrating proficiency in French, German, or Italian as described in the M.A. Foreign Language Requirement section above, students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language not used to satisfy M.A. requirements during years three and four. Students may choose from German, French or Italian to satisfy this requirement or petition to substitute one of theseslanguages with a different modern language, depending on its relevance to the student’s research and on departmental expertise. The students must consult with the Graduate Advisor to determine their choice of languages. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by passing German 3, French 3, or Italian 3 at UCLA (or an equivalent course) with a minimum grade of B, or by passing a one-hour written translation examination administered by the department. Students may petition, with departmental approval, to use equivalent coursework completed at other institutions to meet this requirement.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 32 units of 200-series courses is required during years three and four. These may include courses taken in this department during years one and two in excess of M.A. course requirements, and may include courses in other departments. The choices of courses are subject to the Graduate Advisor’s approval. At least 20 units must be full seminars, and the 32 units must include: one graduate seminar on the history or material culture of Greece, Rome or a related ancient culture (students will be notified of the courses that satisfy this requirement at the start of each academic year by the Graduate Advisor).

Most Classics, Greek, and Latin seminars may be taken in one of two ways: (1) as full seminars, with the requirement of a final paper (or an equivalent workload, such as a final examination, as designated by the instructor) to be presented to the instructor and assessed as part of the final grade; full seminars carry four units, with a regular letter grade; or (2) as half seminars, requiring full participation in the course but no paper (or equivalent as described above). Half seminars carry two units and must be taken for S/U grading only. Prior to completion of the 32-unit requirement, no more than four units per quarter in the 500 series normally may be taken.

Teaching Experience

Consult the department.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

During years three and four, students complete following pre-candidacy requirements for the doctoral degree (1) One three-hour translation examination in Greek and one in Latin consisting respectively of passages from the Greek or Latin reading lists and unseen passages from the relevant language. These examinations are normally offered two times a year, and are usually taken in the third year, although may be taken as early as the Spring of the second year.

(2) A Special Field Examination (SFE) in the form of a written three-hour examination in the general area of the student’s prospective dissertation topic. This examination is most often taken in the third year, but may be taken in the fourth. Each qualifying examination (PhD language examination and special field examination) may normally be retaken once, with the option of a third opportunity by petition.

(3) Following the Special Field Examination, the student writes a Dissertation Prospectus and, after review and revision, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the Doctoral committee. The Prospectus, along with the Committee Nomination Form, is due at least three weeks before the examination date. This examination includes a discussion of the revised Dissertation Prospectus.

Each qualifying examination (PhD language examination and special field examination) may normally be retaken once, Within one quarter of the special field examination, the student writes a dissertation prospectus and, after review and revision, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the doctoral committee. The prospectus, along with the committee nomination form, is due at least three weeks before the examination date. This examination includes a discussion of the revised dissertation prospectus.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations. The Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree is awarded for the quarter the student is advanced to candidacy.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students are expected to complete the Ph.D. degree within 12 quarters after entry into the doctoral program. Students who, in the seventh year in the doctoral program, not counting time spent on leave of absence, have ceased to make acceptable progress toward the degree, following warning, will be recommended for academic disqualification from the program.

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy