Department of Classics

Return to: Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

The Department of Classics focuses on the interpretation of the culture and society of Greco-Roman antiquity in the widest sense of those terms. Our Doctor of Philosophy is integrated into the Joint Graduate Program in Classics, Philosophy and Ancient Science, http://cpas.pitt.edu/. The program is primarily designed to train professional scholars and teachers of the Classics with a specialization in ancient philosophy, and/ or ancient science. Students receive intensive training in methodologies appropriate to their special areas of concentration, reading and analysis of Greek and Roman texts, and in the secondary literature. While the students’ primary association is with the Department of Classics, they will work closely with graduate students and faculty drawn from the Departments of Philosophy and the History and Philosophy of Science.

Contact Information

Director of Graduate Studies:

Admissions

Applicants must hold a Master of Arts (MA), or an equivalent qualification, in Classics or Classical Studies upon admission to the degree program, and be prepared to transfer at least 30 credits of relevant coursework. Transfer credit will not be accepted for courses in which a grade lower than B or its equivalent has been received (For more information on transfer credits, please see the Graduate and Professional Bulletin at http://www.bulletins.pitt.edu/graduate/regulations.htm.

Applicants should have a broad exposure to the cultural history of ancient Greece and Rome, and will have demonstrated knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin appropriate for graduate work. All applicants will also have demonstrated reading knowledge of at least one modern foreign research language besides English (German, French, or Italian) before beginning the program. Applicants from outside the U.S. must show evidence of having completed a program of study equivalent to a Master of Arts degree and be prepared to present certification of the degree or license at the time of registration. If the credentials are incomplete or not familiar, please send a copy of the application to Office of International Services for evaluation. For applicants whose first language is not English, please refer to http://www.asgraduate.pitt.edu/node/315 to ensure fulfillment of the University’s language requirements.

Required Application Materials:

• University of Pittsburgh’s on-line Application for Admission (note the $50.00 application fee)
• A personal statement indicating your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh and your academic and professional goals. You may submit your Statement of Purpose and writing sample in the “Additional Information” section of the online Application for Admission, which allows you to upload your document. Alternatively, you can mail it to the Department of Classics.
• Official or Unofficial College Transcripts. Admitted students will need to send official transcript copies before they can be matriculated.
• Current, official GRE scores
• 3 Letters of Recommendation. You must submit the names of three referees with your online Application for Admission. The recommendation form to be included with each letter of recommendation is available for download as a .pdf file once you begin your online application process. Referees may submit their recommendations either electronically or by mail directly to the Department of Classics.
• 2 samples of academic writing.
• Non-US citizens: TOEFL or IELTS scores. This process must be completed by January 15.

Financial Assistance

The Department of Classics expects to admit one graduate student every other year. Students admitted to the program receive a teaching fellowship during years 1-4. During the first year of teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, students receive a teaching assistantship (TA). If a student’s teaching is deemed satisfactory by the graduate faculty based on OMETS and teaching observations, he or she will receive a teaching fellowship (TF) during their remaining years teaching in the department. The expected time to degree in the Department of Classics is 4 years. If additional time is required to complete the degree, students are expected to apply for dissertation funding (both internally and externally). Assistantships include full tuition remission, health benefits at no additional cost, and a stipend. For information on current stipend rates, see http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/stipends.html . See listing of available fellowships for all graduate students at the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences http://www.asgraduate.pitt.edu/financial-assistance.

Faculty

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Faculty  

Programs

• Classics, PhD

• Classics, MA

Courses

• CLASS 2019 - GLOBAL ISSUES THROUGH CLASSICS 1
• CLASS 2020 - GLOBAL ISSUES THROUGH CLASSICS 2
• CLASS 2090 - TOPICS IN CLASSICS
• CLASS 2140 - ANCIENT POETRY AND RECEPTION
• CLASS 2301 - ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
• CLASS 2319 - FROM PHILO TO PHILOPONUS: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY IN LATE ANTIQUITY
• CLASS 2320 - CLASSICS, PHILOSOPHY, AND ANCIENT SCIENCE GREEK AND LATIN SEMINAR 1
• CLASS 2321 - CLASSICS, PHILOSOPHY, AND ANCIENT SCIENCE GREEK AND LATIN SEMINAR 2
• CLASS 2390 - TOPICS IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
• CLASS 2392 - ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF NATURAL SCIENCE
• CLASS 2547 - ARISTOTLE’S PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
• CLASS 2990 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
• CLASS 2992 - DIRECTED STUDY
• CLASS 2995 - DIRECTED STUDY

• GREEK 2250 - GREEK SEMINAR: EPISTOLOGRAPHY
• GREEK 2902 - DIRECTED STUDY FOR M.A. STUDENTS
• GREEK 2990 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
• GREEK 2992 - PHD READING EXAMINATION
• GREEK 2995 - DIRECTED STUDY

• LATIN 2218 - LATIN SEMINAR: RHETORIC
• LATIN 2902 - DIRECTED STUDY FOR M.A. STUDENTS
• LATIN 2990 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
• LATIN 2992 - GRADUATE READING EXAMINATION
• LATIN 2995 - DIRECTED STUDY

Return to: Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences