Ancient Mediterranean Languages

Students electing this program through participating departments will earn a degree with a dual-title at the M.A. or Ph.D. level, i.e., M.A. or Ph.D. in (graduate program name) and Ancient Mediterranean Languages (AML).

The following graduate program offers a dual-title degree in Ancient Mediterranean Languages: Philosophy.

Dual-title degrees grounded both in AML and a given discipline will acknowledge and foster interdisciplinary scholarship. This dual-title degree program will increase the intellectual rigor, breadth, and depth of graduate work in a participating program through immersion in the disciplinary fields of one or more of the literatures and languages covered by the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies: Greek, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Middle Egyptian, Coptic, Akkadian, Hittite, and Sumerian.

This dual-title program will thus provide a context in which students will learn how to synthesize knowledge within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries. In addition, this dual-title degree program will provide qualified students opportunities for instructional training encouraging an interdisciplinary approach to teaching.

The primary advantages of this dual-title program include the intellectual and academic advantages and benefits of interdisciplinary study, as well as the enhancement of the reputation of the departments concerned through an innovative program, leading to recruitment of highly qualified graduate students, and an improved placement of doctoral graduates in highly competitive humanities fields.

Admission Requirements

Students must apply and be admitted to their primary graduate program and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the AML dual-title degree program. After admission to their primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the AML dual-title program. Doctoral students must apply for enrollment into the dual-title degree program in AML prior to taking the qualifying exam in their home department.

Applicants to this dual-title degree program should have a junior/senior cumulative average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale) and appropriate academic preparation. Preference will be given to those students who have an academic record that demonstrates proficiency at an intermediate level (e.g., 3 semesters of study) in one or more ancient languages. Where applicable, a minimum GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) is requisite for graduate work previously undertaken. Prospective students seeking admission to this dual-title degree program are required to write a statement of purpose that addresses the ways in which their research and professional goals will reflect an interest in interdisciplinary research in the participating program and in the field of Ancient Mediterranean Languages offered by the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies.

Degree Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs.

To qualify for a dual-title degree, students must satisfy the requirements of the primary graduate program in which they are enrolled. In addition, they must satisfy the degree requirements for the dual-title in AML, listed below.

M.A. Degree Requirements

This dual-title master’s degree will require course work in ancient languages.  The dual-title master’s degree will require either a master’s paper or a master’s thesis to be supervised by a member of the AML faculty.  If the student’s primary graduate major requires an oral examination, a member of the AML faculty representing the student’s field of interest will participate in the examination.  Students will be expected to attend and participate actively in the regularly scheduled CAMS colloquia.

Coursework

The dual-title master's degree requires 9 credits of AML-related coursework at the 400 or 500 level or above, as follows:

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

This dual-title doctoral degree will require AML-related course work in ancient languages, additional components to the comprehensive examinations, and the completion of an AML-related doctoral dissertation. An AML graduate supervisory committee, chaired by a CAMS faculty member closely related to the student's field of interest, will supervise the graduate study of each student accepted into this dual-title program until all AML-related coursework is completed. Students will be expected to attend and participate actively in the CAMS regularly scheduled colloquia.

Course work

The dual-title doctoral degree requires 15 credits of AML-related coursework at the 400 or 500 level or above, as follows: 

The remainder may come from AML courses or courses relevant to the student's research interests, as approved by the student's doctoral adviser and the AML program director of graduate studies. Unless exempted by the student’s Ph.D. committee, at least 6 of these credits should be in an ancient language. No more than 6 credits can come from 400-level courses.

Qualifying Exam

Students must meet the Ph.D. qualifying exam requirements specified by the cooperating department. In addition, the student will be required to present a portfolio of work in AML to their committee. Such a portfolio would include a statement of the student's interdisciplinary research interests, a program plan, and samples of writing that indicate the student's work in AML.

The qualifying examination committee for the dual-title Ph.D. degree must include at least one Graduate Faculty member from the AML program. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. Dual-title graduate degree students may require an additional semester to fulfill requirements for both areas of study and, therefore, the qualifying examination may be delayed one semester beyond the normal period allowable.

Ph.D. Committee Composition and Comprehensive Exam

In addition to the general Graduate Council requirements for Ph.D. committees, the Ph.D. committee of an AML dual-title doctoral degree student must include at least one member of the AML Graduate Faculty. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. If the chair of the Ph.D. committee is not also a member of the Graduate Faculty in AML, the member of the committee representing AML must be appointed as co-chair. The AML representative on the student’s Ph.D. committee will develop questions for and participate in the evaluation of the comprehensive examination. 

English Competency Requirements

The student will fulfill the English Competency requirements specified by the participating program.

Modern Language Reading Proficiency Requirements

Students will be expected to acquire and demonstrate reading proficiency in those modern foreign languages (e.g., but not exclusively, French, German, Italian) appropriate to their research interests, as identified in consultation with the student’s Ph.D. committee.

Final Oral Exam and Dissertation

Students in the AML dual-title program are required to write and orally defend a dissertation on a topic that is approved in advance by their Ph.D. committee and reflects their original research and education in both their primary graduate program and AML. Upon completion of the doctoral dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral examination (the dissertation defense) to earn the Ph.D. degree. The dissertation must be accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School. 

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by the Fox Graduate School.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Ancient Mediterranean Languages (AML) Course List

Learning Outcomes

Master of Arts (M.A.)

1. KNOW: Students will demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of the grammar and fundamental vocabulary of least one language offered by the department.
2. KNOW: Students will acquire foundational knowledge in the history, literature, and culture of the relevant ancient society/ societies.
3. THINK: Students will learn how to synthesize knowledge within and across the traditional disciplinary boundaries included within CAMS.
4. APPLY/CREATE: Students will demonstrate, by way of a culminating scholarly paper, the ability to analyze written texts or objects using a particular theoretical or methodological approach.
5. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Students will learn to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest ethical standards, values, and, best practices of the disciplines includes within CAMS.
6. COMMUNICATE: Students will learn how to communicate effectively and professionally about the major issues of the discipline through oral and written formats.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

1. KNOW: Students will demonstrate advanced reading proficiency of at least one language offered by the department.
2. APPLY/CREATE: Students will gain a deeper awareness and understanding of textual issues (manuscripts, transmission, textual criticism, etc.) that accompany the study of ancient literature.
3. THINK: Students will acquire knowledge and comprehension of the major texts and traditions of their specific sub-field as well as their social, historical, and theoretical contexts.
4. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Students will use the professional standards and best practices of the fields included within CAMS to develop and carry out an ambitious, argument-driven research plan that will result in their dissertation.
5. COMMUNICATE: Students will communicate the importance of their dissertation project in spoken and written forms, including the dissertation defense.

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