UMass Boston

Classical Languages BA

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Develop advanced language skills and emerge career-ready.

As a student in the Classical Languages BA program, you will find yourself in supportive seminar-sized classes that will help you learn Latin and Greek. No prior knowledge of the languages is expected. After a year of introductory coursework, you will proceed to reading authentic texts by Greek and Roman authors, setting you on the path to an understanding of the literature, philosophy, and history of the classical world. The language skills that you gain can be applied to a variety of academic and professional pursuits. Students who are interested in continuing on to graduate study in Classics are strongly recommended to choose the Classical Language BA track.

As a Classical Languages major, you will:

  • Master the intricacies of linguistics through the study of the vocabulary and grammar of ancient Greek and Latin, and come to a deeper understanding of several important modern languages as well.
  • Read and interpret sophisticated literary texts, in the original languages, by dramatists, philosophers, historians, novelists, orators, and epic and lyric poets.
  • Learn field-specific research methods that include use of relevant secondary sources to analyze and interpret primary sources.
  • Explore ideas about love, war, politics, society, religion and gender, and develop your own perspectives on the relevance of Greek and Roman literature to contemporary life.

Career Possibilities

Some students who majored in classical languages have gone on to teach Latin and/or Greek at the secondary or college level. Most, however, have entered other careers. Some have combined classics with work in anthropology or archaeology and have prepared for work as museum curators or cultural heritage preservationists. Others have gone to law school, where their skills in methodical textual analysis and critical thinking give them an edge in legal research. Yet others are working as software engineers, librarians, editors, counselors, epidemiologists, in marketing research and in financial services. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and long the richest man in the world, studied both Greek and Latin. Whatever career path they take, classics students have found their undergraduate study to have been rewarding.

Become a(n):

  • Professor
  • Lawyer
  • Archaeologist/ Museum Curator
  • Business Person/ Financial Advisor
  • Journalist
  • Publisher

Plan Your Education

How to Apply

Apply for Admission

Please review the first-year and transfer apply pages for important information about application requirements, deadlines, and application status check.

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

 

Curriculum

Greek and Latin Courses (30 Credits): Take ten courses in Greek and/or Latin

Additional Course (3 Credits): Take one classical studies course or an additional classical languages course.

Capstone (3 Credits): Take one of the following (the research paper from either of these two courses may serve as the capstone paper).

  • CLSICS 387 - The Golden Age of Athens 3 Credit(s)
    or
  • CLSICS 388 - The Golden Age of Rome 3 Credit(s)

Note that five of the courses must be at or above the 300 level or above. (You can count the capstone course.) At least eight of the courses taken for the major must be taken in residency at UMass Boston. With prior departmental permission, courses taken in semester-abroad programs may count toward the residency requirement. No grade below a C- will count in the major. Courses taken P/F will not count in the major with the exception of one 100-level language course.

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the BA, students will:

  • be able to read primary sources in their original languages (Greek and Latin)
  • have acquired broad and expansive comprehension of primary sources from Greek and Roman antiquity
  • have acquired knowledge of the ancient cultures/histories/societies in the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world
  • have learned field-specific research methods that include use of relevant secondary sources to analyze and interpret primary sources.

Deadlines & Cost

Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process 

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

Related Minors

Classical Languages Minor
Students majoring in another discipline may wish to deepen and enrich their understanding by minoring in a classical language (Latin or Greek). These students must take a total of six courses to complete the minor program of study.

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Classics and Religious Studies Department

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