About PhD Program,
The Department of Classics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill combines strengths in traditional philology, archaeology and art with more recent critical approaches in a way that allows graduate students to gain a broad, rich, and interdisciplinary understanding of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It offers graduate programs leading to the MA in Classics and Classical Archaeology and to the PhD in Classics, Classics with Historical Emphasis, Classical and Medieval Latin, and Classical Archaeology. There is no terminal MA program; the department only admits students who plan to complete the PhD, although all students must complete the MA before being advanced to the PhD program.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
To take full advantage of the department’s program, an applicant ideally should have strong preparation in Latin and Greek, in ancient history and archaeology, and in appropriate modern languages. Although many applicants have not had the opportunity to prepare in all areas, entering students usually have an undergraduate major in Greek, Latin, or archaeology, with supporting courses in other areas such as philosophy, literature, linguistics, art, anthropology, or religion.
A Latin major, for example, might have the equivalent of ten semester-long courses in Latin, six in Greek, and four in history and archaeology; an archaeology major might have six semester-long courses of archaeology, with six of one language, two of the other, and two in ancient history. Applying archaeology PhD candidates without fieldwork experience are rarely successful in gaining admission.
For all applicants it is very good to have at least some acquaintance with German and with French or Italian. The stronger a student’s preparation, the more rapid the progress he or she can make toward the degree. This is especially true with Latin and Greek. In recent years, our most highly ranked applicants for degrees in philology studied an average of ten semester-long courses of Latin and eight semesters of Greek. Similar applicants in archaeology averaged between six and seven semester-long courses in each of the two languages.
PhD Funding Coverage,
It is the policy of the Department of Classics not to admit students to its graduate programs without funding, although exceptions may be made in very particular circumstances. Although the available fellowships and assistantships vary to some extent in the level of support they provide, they all include a stipend, eligibility for full tuition, and health insurance. With only a few exceptions, they all also involve service as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). The cost of living in Chapel Hill is relatively low compared to areas where other major research universities are located, so that funding packages from our department tend to go further, dollar for dollar, that those from other programs; see the Graduate School’s cost-of-living comparison. For general information on graduate funding at UNC-CH, see the Graduate School’s Funding page. For detailed and up-to-date information about tuition and fees, see the University Cashier’s Tuition and Fees page.
Application Requirement,
All prospective students wishing to undertake graduate study at UNC-Chapel Hill should use the online application system. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable fee for each program to which you are applying. For information, requirements, and application forms, please see the Graduate School website.
- Letters of Recommendation
- Transcripts
- Graduate Record Examination Scores (discontinued)
- Personal Statement Section (Statement of Purpose)
- The online application will prompt you to upload a curriculum vitae.
Application Deadline,
Dec 10, 2024
Application Fee,
non-refundable $95.00
