College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Classical Studies

Programs Requirements Courses Advising
association Scholarships awards Classics House


Every major within the Department of Classical Studies must have an advisor. Majors can either choose one of their professors, who must be a part of the classics faculty, or the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, to be their advisor.

About one month prior to registration in the fall and in the spring, students will receive a letter informing them of advising dates and advising information. The student must sign up for an advising time. Sign-up sheets will be posted outside the faculty's doors. Majors must attend these advising appointments to receive their advising codes, which enables them to register for classes.

Below are some frequently-asked questions regarding classics majors and their concentrations. If a student has other questions, he or she should first check the Course Bulletin or CAS Web Site. If questions are still unanswered, please contact Professor Stephen Esposito, Director of Undergraduate Studies, (617-353-4540).

Course Credit
Courses may be credited toward concentration only if a grade of C or higher is earned. Required courses may be exchanged for others in the curriculum with the approval of the department Chairman or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Core Curriculum Courses
Students who complete both of the following courses may, with advisor
approval, receive credit for one course toward concentrations in classics:
CAS CC 101 Core Humanities I: The Ancient World
CAS CC 102 Core Humanities II: Late Antiquity and the Medieval World

Transfer Credits
To receive approval for transfer credits, students must fill out a Transfer Credit Course Approval Form in STH 414. Appropriate documentation must accompany this form for consideration of approval. Appropriate documentation includes a valid transcript showing proof this course was taken, a course description, and a syllabus. Credits from accredited 2-year community colleges will now be allowed with a grade of C or above (if taken before Fall 2001 a C- will be accepted).

Foreign Language Requirement
Ancient Greek, modern Greek, and Latin may be used to fulfill the CAS
foreign language requirement. Students who choose to complete the foreign language requirement using a classical language or modern Greek may not count 100-level courses in that language toward a major or minor
concentration in classical civilization, classical languages, modern Greek,
classics and religion, or classics and philosophy. Placement into upper-level courses in ancient Greek, modern Greek, and Latin may be achieved by satisfactorily completing a written proficiency examination administered by the Department of Classical Studies. For additional information on placement exams, please contact Ms. Melissa Joseph at josephmv@bu.edu or 617-353-2427.

Work for Distinction
The department encourages work for distinction in classical studies, ancient Greek, Latin, and the classical languages. A demanding independent study project, work for distinction is undertaken in the final two semesters of an undergraduate program and culminates in a thesis, an oral presentation, and, ultimately, graduation with distinction. Students should discuss plans for this project with a faculty advisor no later than their junior year. Applications include a project proposal and must be completed and approved by the department and the CAS Honors Committee by the end of the junior year.

Directed Study
A Directed Study is a CAS course in which a student pursues independent research under the guidance of a full-time faculty member. A student may choose to undertake a Directed Study for the following reasons: 1) to pursue in depth an area covered more generally in a course, or 2) to explore a topic not normally covered in the curriculum. In either case, it is the student's responsibility to identify the topic fully and to acquire enough information to ensure its worthiness for independent research. A student can pick up an application from STH 414. The section code may also be obtained in STH 414.


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BU Classical Studies Dept.

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