Adrian Russian November 16, 2020 9 Academic Tips and Info,College Lists

List of All U.S. Colleges with a Classics Major

Over the course of the seven years I studied Latin, I was asked the question “What is that useful for?” too many times to count. Well, where to start? My Latin classes taught me far more about grammar and vocabulary than my English classes, which took my writing to the next level. I learned about the history of Ancient Rome, and how much of modern Western society is rooted in the Classical World. And I had the opportunity to read some of the most famous texts in the Western canon, such as the Iliad, in their original language.

A Classics major will equip you with an interdisciplinary set of skills that will help you with much more than just the reading section of the SAT. This post will provide you with a list of schools that offer the major, and what to look for in a Classics program.

Overview of the Classics Major

Many schools offer a few variations of the Classics major, so that students have the flexibility to focus on either Latin or Greek, or both if they want. While some Latin or Greek will be required regardless of which direction you take the major in, you can also choose to take courses on classical history, archaeology, religion, and philosophy.

Students who succeed in classics courses are generally detail-oriented, interested in history, and drawn to interdisciplinary work. Reading Ancient Greek or Latin requires a keen eye to identify particular grammatical structures and see how each sentence fits together. A love for history will also help you enjoy your classes more, as many discussions will center on how various authors fit into the broader landscape of the Classical World. You will also be doing work with literature, linguistics, and potentially even engineering if you choose to take a Classical Architecture course, so having a wide range of interests is essential for a Classics Major.

As a Classics major, your courses will also likely be relatively small, so you will have the opportunity to engage directly with your classmates and professors. Many students enjoy this kind of classroom environment, but if you find seminar-style classes stressful, a Classics major probably isn’t for you.

While not every Classics major goes to grad school, those who want to go into academia, whether as a professor or a researcher, typically pursue a Masters or PhD. You may also choose to go to grad school in a different field, such as Law. The close reading skills you learn as a Classics major prepare you well to analyze complex legal documents.

Alternatively, you may choose to enter the workforce after graduation. As a Classics major, you might decide to do something directly related to your undergraduate studies, such as work at a museum, or apply your skills to something totally new, like consulting. While you must be prepared to explain in an interview how Classics has prepared you for the job you are applying for, the analytic and interdisciplinary skills you learn as a Classics major are applicable to a whole host of fields.

What to Look for in a College as a Classics Major

Focused Study Abroad Programs

Regardless of how you decide to focus your Classics major, spending a term or a year in Greece or Italy is an invaluable opportunity to physically connect with the material you have been studying. If you are especially interested in archaeology, some schools offer programs that allow you to participate in ongoing digs. Others focus more on literature, and on connecting with the places in which classical authors were writing. 

You may not yet know which direction you want to take your Classics major, which is completely fine. If you do have some sense of what you’re most interested in, however, look at the study abroad programs offered at the schools you’re considering to see if they align with your more specific interest in Classics.

Extracurricular Lectures

The top Classics programs in the country host events that enrich what students are learning in the classroom and expose them to current research in the field. Some of these events are lectures, given by either professors at the college or guest speakers, which are on topics such as “Troubling the Classical Commonplace: Reading Ancient Athenian Legal Speeches After Frederick Douglass” (given at Stanford by Yale Professor Emily Greenwood) and “Lucan on the Beginnings and Ends of Latin Epic” (given at Harvard by Holy Cross Professor Tim Joseph).

Research Funding

If you identify an area of study within Classics that you are especially drawn to and would like to investigate outside the classroom, or potentially even as a career, your college may be able to write you a research grant to get you started. 

You can usually use the funding in a variety of ways: to conduct research for your thesis, join an archaeological dig, or participate in an intensive language program. Keep in mind that you do have to apply, so that the school can ensure you will be spending the money to enhance your studies.

If you already think research is something you will be interested in, see what sorts of Classics grant programs are offered at the schools you’re applying to.

List of All U.S. Colleges With a Classics Major

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

As you decide which schools to apply to, keep in mind that you are most likely to be accepted at schools where you are academically comparable to previously accepted students. This is because many schools use the Academic Index as an initial filter of the tens of thousands of applications they receive each year.

Once you get past the initial academic screening, the qualitative parts of your application, such as your activities list and your essays, become much more important. Academics will be considered at every stage, but as admissions officers make their final decisions, they will also be thinking about factors like what kind of roommate you would be and what you would add to their school beyond academics.

If you are wondering what your chance of acceptance is at a particular school, we recommend using our free Chancing Engine. Unlike many other calculators, it evaluates your personal profile comprehensively, and includes both academic stats and more qualitative factors like extracurriculars.