Greek vase

Overview

The University of California, Berkeley, is regarded by many as the premier public university in the world, and its Department of Ancient Greek & Roman Studies has been for some time recognized as one of the outstanding departments in the field, known for its distinctive blend of philological rigor and theoretical adventurousness.  We offer two graduate programs, in Classics and Classical Archaeology:

  • The Graduate Program in Classics provides a thorough preparation in the fundamentals of classical scholarship while encouraging intellectual inquiry and the development of original research.  
  • The Graduate Program in Classical Archaeology is intended to ensure that students are fully competent in Greek and Latin and have a good understanding of historical method as well as a thorough training, including experience in fieldwork, in Greek and Roman archaeology.

The department is committed to developing students as teachers as well as scholars. There is a departmental pedagogy course for first-time Graduate Student Instructors and students receive ample guidance and advice all along the way, both from the faculty GSI supervisor and from more experienced graduate students.  We are also committed to ensuring that all members of our community feel supported and included; more information on our efforts in this connection may be found here.

The training our programs offer has value far beyond the university and we are proud of our students who have gone on to rewarding careers in (e.g.) technology, educational policy, and the law.