Graduate Program

Director of Graduate Studies: Prof. Allison Emmerson | email
The Department of Classical Studies at Tulane offers two types of post-undergraduate work:

M.A. Program

The department is not requiring GRE scores for applications submitted during the 2020-21 academic year.

Our M.A. program emphasizes preparation in Latin and Greek and can include coursework in ancient history, archaeology, philosophy, and ancient religion. The program generally requires two years for completion. In the first year, students normally take three courses within the department each semester. In addition, each student who is receiving a stipend serves as a teaching assistant to help a professor with course materials and grading. In the second year, students normally take two courses each semester and work on the M.A. thesis or qualifying papers under the direction of a professor.

We offer our best qualified applicants a full tuition fellowship and, in addition, an annual stipend.  We can also offer a few tuition fellowships without a stipend. Students seeking to enroll in the M.A. program of the Department of Classical Studies must apply for admission to the School of Liberal Arts. This may be done online by following the link at the end of this page.

The requirements for the M.A. degree are:

• A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level credit (typically 10 courses) completed with a minimum grade of B. Typically, students complete 12 – 16 courses during the two-year program.
• Two qualifying papers or an M.A. thesis, either of which must be defended before a committee of three faculty members.
• Satisfactory completion of a reading exam in a modern language (German, French, or Italian). We expect students without preparation in a modern language (excluding English) to enroll in undergraduate language courses as part of their M.A. coursework.

Sample Plan of Study for the MA Program

We encourage graduate students to participate in summer programs offered by other institutions such the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the American Academy in Rome or in archaeological field work opportunities. Funding for summer programs is usually available on a competitive basis.

Graduate students may also apply to the School of Liberal Arts for the Freie Universität of Berlin Exchange Scholarship. For more on this program, see the study abroad section of our website or speak with the Graduate Advisor. On our study abroad page, you will also find information about programs at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the American Academy in Rome.

4+1 M.A. Program in Classics

Majors in the department who are pursuing the B.A. degree in Greek, Latin, or Classical Studies may wish to earn the M.A. degree through an additional, fifth year at Tulane. Entry into the 4+1 program must occur no later than the first semester of the senior undergraduate year. Students interested in teaching Latin might pursue the 4+1 as part of their pathway toward that goal.

The requirements for the 4+1 M.A. are the same as those for the post-baccalaureate M.A. program described above. Note: a maximum of four graduate-level courses of the minimum ten graduate-level courses needed for the M.A may be taken as part of the undergraduate major, and a minimum of two graduate-level courses must be completed by the end of the fourth (senior) undergraduate year.

HOW TO APPLY to the graduate programs (M.A. and 4+1):

We normally expect all applicants to have had, at a minimum, the equivalent of three college-level years of one ancient language (Greek or Latin) and one college-level year of the other. However, we will consider applicants who have advanced preparation in one ancient language but no experience in the second.

• All applicants must complete the graduate studies application form and submit the application fee. The application form is available at the School of Liberal Arts website or via the link above.
• All applicants, both M.A. and 4+1, must submit the following:
  • a statement of purpose (c. 500 words)
  • three letters of recommendation
  • a writing sample of no more than 20 pages.
• Applicants to the two-year M.A. program must submit GRE scores.
• Applicants to the 4+1 do not need to submit GRE scores, but they must have an overall minimum GPA of 3.0, and a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major (Classical Studies, Latin, and/or Greek).

DEADLINES for application to the programs: 

The School of Liberal Arts has standard deadlines for applying to graduate programs, and all applicants are expected to adhere to these.

• February 1 for Fall admission with consideration for financial aid
• December 1 for Spring admission without financial aid consideration