Instruction in Classics at the UA began in 1892. Since then, the Department of Classics has enjoyed astronomical growth and now offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics with options in Classical Civilization, Greek, or Latin. Our thriving graduate program, widely considered to be the best terminal M.A. program in this country, offers the Master of Arts degree in Classics with emphases in Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, Classical Philology, or Latin Pedagogy. Students may also earn Secondary School Latin Teaching Certification through the College of Education.
The field of Classics examines the languages and literatures, art, cultures, history, and material remains of the ancient Mediterranean world from approximately 3000 B.C.E. to approximately 500 C.E., with particular emphasis on the civilizations of Greece and Rome and their reciprocal relations with the surrounding societies of the Near East, Egypt, North Africa, and Western Europe. This field of study incorporates, and is based upon, the scientific principles of philological and archaeological methodology. Within this context, the Department of Classics at the University of Arizona has a fourfold mission:
- to elucidate the languages and literatures, archaeology, history, and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world through original research and new interpretation;
- to integrate the results of these investigations into a comprehensive picture of the classical world through the publication and presentation of scholarly books, articles, papers, and reports;
- to provide various services to colleagues and academic institutions in endeavors that require training and expertise intrinsic to Classics;
- to disseminate its discoveries in interesting and accessible ways to students, colleagues, and members of the local community through departmental programs in Ancient and Modern Greek, Latin, Classical Archaeology, and Egyptology.
