The Department of Classics offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Classics with specializations in Aegean Prehistory and Greek and Roman Archaeology. For the past sixty years, the University of Cincinnati has trained students at the doctoral level, and its Ph.D.s are among the most distinguished archaeologists in the field of Mediterranean archaeology in the U.S. and Europe. Our program emphasizes a comprehensive approach to ancient Greece and Rome facilitated by having ancient History and Greek and Latin Philology in the same department.
Teaching and Research Personnel
Eleven archaeologists are currently associated with the department of Classics at UC:
Barbara Burrell (Roman archaeology) Professor. Caesarea Maritima Excavations.
Jack Davis (Aegean prehistory) Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology. Pylos Excavation.
Steven J.R. Ellis (Roman archaeology) Professor. Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia; Tharros, Sardinia
Florence Gaignerot-Driessen (Aegean prehistory and Greek archaeology) Associate Professor. Anavlochos Project, Crete
Eleni Hatzaki (Aegean prehistory) Associate Professor. Gypsades Excavations, Knossos.
Carol Ruth Hershenson (Aegean prehistory) Junior Research Associate. Editor, Nestor.
Jeff Kramer (Aegean prehistory) Junior Research Associate. Archivist.
Kathleen Lynch (Greek archaeology) Professor. Athenian pottery.
Sharon Stocker (Aegean prehistory and Greek archaeology) Senior Research Associate. Pylos Excavations.
John Wallrodt (DIgital projects) Senior Research Associate.
Susan Allen (Aegean prehistory) Associate Professor of Anthropology
Resources
The Department officially supports archaeological fieldwork and post-fieldwork study at Pylos (Greece), the Athenian Agora (Greece), Knossos (Greece), Pompeii (Italy), Tharros (Sardinia), and Caesarea Maritima (Israel). It also sponsors the publication program of the University of Cincinnati Excavations at Ayia Irini, Keos, Greece, and Troy in Türkiye. Opportunities for students to assist in these publications as well as the bibliographical newsletter Nestor provide experience in the production of scholarly works.
Admission
Students interested in applying for admission to the graduate program should first contact the Graduate Advisor for Archaeology, Kathleen Lynch.
To be considered for entry in the fall of each year, an application must be completed no later than December 15 of each year. The application procedures are outlined here. Select applicants will be invited to campus to participate in a prospective students’ event in late February.
Decisions are generally announced within 60 days of the closing of applications.
Degrees Offered
The Classics department offers an M.A. in Classical Art and Archaeology, and Ph.D.s in Classics with a sub-field of Bronze Age (Aegean prehistory) or Classical (Greek and/or Roman) archaeology.
Should you apply to the M.A. program or the Ph.D. Program?
We encourage all applicants to apply directly to the Ph.D. program in either Aegean Prehistory or Classical Archaeology (Greek and Roman archaeology), even if they only have a B.A. degree. The Ph.D. program requirements include coursework and writing a Master’s thesis in the second year. Students will earn an M.A. after the successful defense of their thesis, and researching and writing an M.A. thesis provides experience that will improve the Ph.D. dissertation.
The Archaeology program rarely admits students for a terminal M.A. in Art and Archaeology. If you have a specific reason to apply to the M.A. program, please contact the Graduate Advisor for Archaeology to discuss it.
I already have an M.A. What does the Ph.D. program entail?
The Ph.D. program requirements for students entering with a M.A. include reduced coursework, and a Master’s thesis is only required if you did not write one in your first program. If you hold an external M.A. degree in archaeology and are asked to write an M.A. thesis here, your funding will increase by one year.
What we are looking for!
The Department receives many applications each year from students interested in studying for a graduate degree in archaeology (Bronze Age or Classical). We admit only a handful of these applicants. In making our decision we consider the following factors among others:
• knowledge of ancient Greek and/or Latin. The more the better, but a minimum of two years coursework in one language.
• ability to read modern foreign languages (preferably two): French, German, Greek (modern), Italian
• a writing sample that demonstrates your research and writing abilities
• letters of recommendations from professors and/or archaeologists with whom you may have worked in the field
• prior field experience in archaeology or museums
• extent of classroom training in relevant fields such as Aegean Prehistory, Greek and Roman archaeology and art
• your undergraduate GPA
• your TOEFL score (if applicable)
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) results are welcome, but not required.
We also want to be convinced that you have thought carefully about our program and its faculty. Above all we want to ensure that Cincinnati is a good place for you to pursue your own interests in archaeology.
There are approximately 20 Ph.D. students in archaeology in the Department coming from Classics or related programs at institutions in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the continent of Australia.
Requirements for the Ph.D. in Bronze Age (Aegean prehistory) and Classical Archeology
This is a summary of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in archaeology; for full details, see the Classics Department Graduate Student Handbook .
The requirements for the degree fall into two main phases of a student’s career: coursework and dissertation.
Coursework requirements include graduate level classes and seminars in either ancient Greek or Latin; ancient history; and archaeology. Students meet with the Graduate Advisor for Archaeology to discuss course selection to ensure that their classes provide instruction in a breadth of periods and topics.
Students who enter the program without an M.A., or students with a non-thesis M.A., will write an M.A. thesis in the second year.
All students must pass two modern foreign language sight examinations.
Each student will take a Special Topic class, which explores a topic in depth with a faculty member, often as a tutorial. Competence is tested in a written examination.
After a student meets the requirements of the coursework phase, they can proceed to Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations. These differ slightly in emphasis between Bronze Age archaeology and Classical archaeology but consist of four written exams on Aegean Prehistory, Greek and Roman Archaeology, and Ancient Greek and Roman history. The written exams are followed by an oral examination on all archaeological subjects.
After a student passes their comprehensive exams, they present a dissertation proposal to the Archaeology faculty. If the faculty pass the proposal, the student transitions to the Dissertation Phase of their career. Students work closely with their dissertation committee until the doctoral thesis is ready to defend.
Financial Support
The Department offers fellowships (with tiers between $ 32,000 total for the first year, going up in two stages to $34,000 per year) for up to seven years for doctoral students entering with a B.A. degree or up to six years for students entering with an external M.A. degree in Classics. $5000 of the fellowship amount is a summer stipend for students making satisfactory progress and participating in a summer project or program.
Archaeology Ph.D. students regularly receive external financial support to study abroad. Many students choose to spend a year at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and a year-long fellowship defers departmental funding, so seven years of support can become eight total. Once in their career, students can enroll in a summer program of study for which the department will pay the tuition up to that of the ASCSA Summer Session.
For more information, contact Kathleen Lynch, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210226, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0226 (513) 556-3050.