Ph.D. Requirements

For Ph.D. in Classics:

  1. A minimum of three academic years of graduate study, of which at least two must be at the University of Washington and one, in full-time residence at the University for three out of four consecutive quarters.
  2. Ninety credits in courses approved by the Department as applicable toward an advanced degree. At least half of these credits (which include dissertation credits) must be at the 500-level or above.
  3. Competence in reading German and French or German and Italian, demonstrated by passing Departmental examinations.
  4. Graduate courses (or the equivalent) in Greek and Latin composition.
  5. Written preliminary examinations:
    1. Translation exams on Greek and Latin literature. Reading lists in each language guide the student’s preparation for these exams.
    2. Two written examinations on focused topics in Classical studies, one primarily Greek and the other primarily Roman. Such topics might include a specific author or genre; or, e.g., a literary theme or cultural institution; a historical period, or an area of social or intellectual history; an area of art history or archaeology; Athenian or Roman topography; a technical skill such as epigraphy, linguistics, metrics, or palaeography. These examinations will assume a deep familiarity with the relevant texts and/or material evidence, together with important secondary works and trends in scholarship. They must be taken before the doctoral orals, but normally may be taken only after the translation examination in the corresponding language has been passed.
  6. An oral general examination on Greek and Roman history, literature, and related subjects. This examination may be taken only after completion of requirements 2-5; upon passing it, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.
  7. A dissertation approved by the student’s Supervisory Committee, and an oral examination on the dissertation.
  8. Fulfillment of all Graduate School requirements (see the University’s General Catalog).

Graduate students are expected to have teaching experience before completing their terminal degrees.

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