This program as a whole emphasizes the cultures that utilized the Greek and Latin languages from the classical (at the M.A. level) through the late antique and medieval (at the Ph.D. level) eras.  Our faculty and students are deeply interested in ancient texts and ideas, and also in the reception and transformation of those modes of thought and expression in later periods.

Scholarly context

This later emphasis at the doctoral level reflects the department's reputation as a center for the study of Christian Greek and Latin, and is exemplified by two series of published dissertations it has sponsored over the years, Patristic Studies and Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Latin Language and Literature, and by The Fathers of the Church, a well-known series of English translations published by The Catholic University of America Press and long associated with this department.

This unique heritage in the study of late antiquity and the medieval period, which is shared by other departments and programs at the university, has also been responsible for the development of a number of projects undertaken by the university press, notably Studies in Christian Antiquity, Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide (co-edited by Prof. Frank Mantello, a member of the department's faculty), and the Catalogus translationum et commentariorum, a series devoted to the medieval and Renaissance translations of ancient Greek authors and the Latin commentaries on ancient Greek and Latin authors up to the year 1600. The most recent initiative is The Library of Early Christianity, a new series of texts and facing-page translations, whose editorial director, Dr. John Petruccione, is also a faculty member in the department.

The Department of Greek and Latin also participates enthusiastically in the university's Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies and Center for the Study of Early Christianity.

  • List of Degree Requirements

    Language placement exams

    • Taken upon entry into the program; used for placement purposes only


    M.A. degree (30 cr / 10 courses total

    • The M.A. program in Greek and Latin (30 cr) or an approved M.A. from another institution


    Courses (24 cr / 8 courses total)

    • CLAS 572, Mediterranean World of Late Antiquity (3 cr)
    • 3 approved courses in Greek texts (9 cr total)
    • 3 approved courses in Latin texts (9 cr total)
    • 1 other approved course (3 cr total)


    Examinations

    • Modern language examination in French or German ( + any other relevant languages)
    • Doctoral comprehensive examinations (3 parts)


    Dissertation

    • Dissertation proposal (presented at departmental colloquium)
    • Doctoral dissertation
  • Comprehensive Examinations

    Following the modern language exam(s) required for the Ph.D., the doctoral comprehensive exams include a minor field (essay) and a two-part major field (translation and essay). Both of these are customized to the student's goals and interests.

    Learn More
  • Ph.D. Procedures and Forms

    A number of degree procedures for the Ph.D. in Greek and Latin are department-specific or require particular actions at the university level. We outline these for you here.

    Learn More
  • Graduate and Certificate Handbook

    Our Graduate and Certificate Handbook gathers into one place most of the departmental information that our students will need throughout their careers at Catholic University.

    Learn More