The Department admits students to the one-year and two-year MA programs and to the PhD program. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree, or who will soon do so, may apply to any of the three programs. Admission to our program is competitive and we encourage you to carefully read over the information provided.
Master of Arts (2 Year Program)
Year 1
- GRK and LAT 1000 (prose composition): students who have already taken an equivalent course or who pass the diagnostic exams with a grade of at least B+ may be exempt.
- Two additional courses per semester, chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator from among the Reading Seminars (1800-level courses) and upper-level undergraduate courses in Greek and Latin, depending on the student’s language background. Students might also enrol in a research seminar.
Year 2
- Three research seminars (5000-level courses)
- Additional reading seminars (1800-level series)
- CLA 2000Y (Graduate Research Paper)
- Qualifying exams in both Greek and Latin must be passed with at least a B- by the end of the year; students in the Ancient History stream may choose to satisfy this requirement by completing either the Greek or the Latin Qualifying Exam with a grade of at least B- and by completing one language course in the other language with a grade of at least B+. Either the Greek or the Latin Sight Translation Examination with a grade of at least B- is required for successful completion of the MA program.
Master of Arts (1 Year Program)
Year 1
- GRK and/or LAT 1000, unless exempt (see above)
- 3 Research seminars (5000-level) and, possibly, reading seminars from the 1800-series.
- CLA 2000Y (Graduate Research Paper)
- Qualifying exams in both Greek and Latin must be passed with at least a B- by the end of the year; students in the Ancient History stream may choose to satisfy this requirement by completing either the Greek or the Latin Qualifying Exam with a grade of at least B- and by completing one language course in the other language with a grade of at least B+. Either the Greek or the Latin Sight Translation Examination with a grade of at least B- is required for successful completion of the MA program.
PhD Program
The PhD program at the University of Toronto is a five-year program to which students are admitted either from an MA program (at Toronto or elsewhere) or directly from a strong undergraduate degree (the “direct-entry” PhD). Students who already possess the MA normally enter with advanced standing and complete the PhD in four years. The first year of the direct-entry PhD is spent refining language skills and preparing for the Qualifying Exams; subsequent years follow the normal progression of seminars in the second year, the Major Field in the third, and the dissertation in the fourth and fifth years.
Year 1
- GRK and LAT 1000, unless exempt (see above)
- Reading seminars (1800-level), as needed, and Research seminars (5000-level)
- CLA 2000Y (Graduate Research Paper)
- AMP2000Y or SRD4444Y (Proseminar series)
Year 2
- Research Seminars (usually 3 per semester), chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator.
- AMP2000Y or SRD4444Y
- Qualifying examinations in one language must be passed with a grade of at least B+ by end of Year 2.
Year 3
- Finish up research seminar requirements (if needed).
- Sight translations and modern language examinations must be passed before taking the Major Field. Students must pass both sight exams with a grade of at least B+; students whose Field is Greek and Roman History only may satisfy this requirement with a grade of at least B+ on the Sight Translation Examination in one language and a grade of at least B on the Sight Translation Examination in the other language.
- Qualifying examinations in the other language must be passed with a grade of at least B+ by the End of Year 3.
- Stream-specific qualifying examinations.
- Major Field preparation. Major Field exam taken in Spring. Prepare dissertation prospectus.
Year 4-5
- Dissertation. The dissertation should be defended in Spring of the 5th year.
To Which Program Should I Apply?
The decision about which program to apply to depends upon your academic background and training as well as your personal goals. Your first consideration should be whether you want to obtain a Doctoral degree or a Masters degree. This is a personal decision, based upon your level of commitment, your future professional goals, and the amount of time you wish to devote to the academic study of Classics. If you are uncertain about your further plans but wish to explore graduate study of Classics, the MA programs are ideal inasmuch as they make doctoral-level study possible but do not commit you to it.
Your second consideration should be the level of your academic preparation for graduate study, relative to the minimum admission standards detailed above. Our competitive admissions process and our rigorous degree programs make preparation above the minimum standards desirable.
If you meet or only slightly exceed the standards above, the two-year MA program is probably your best option. The first year is spent refining your language skills in a combination of graduate-level and advanced undergraduate-level courses in Greek and Latin, including prose composition. The second year is equivalent to the one-year MA program or the first year of the PhD program. Although funding for the first year of the two-year MA program is not guaranteed, the Department does its best to support students beginning this MA program; further information on funding can be found under Tuition, Funding, & Financial Support.
The one-year MA program is demanding: students follow the same program as students in the first year of the direct-entry PhD program. It is therefore ideal for students with a strong background in Classics who want rigorous training in our field but do not yet wish to commit themselves to a PhD program.
The PhD program at the University of Toronto is a five-year program to which students are admitted either from an MA program (at Toronto or elsewhere) or directly from a strong undergraduate degree (the “direct-entry” PhD). Students who already possess the MA normally enter with advanced standing and complete the PhD in four years. The first year of the direct-entry PhD is spent refining language skills and preparing for the Qualifying Exams; subsequent years follow the normal progression of seminars in the second year, the Major Field in the third, and the dissertation in the fourth and fifth years.
You should consider all of these factors in deciding which program to apply to. Note, however, that applying to the “wrong” program will not invalidate your application. The Admissions Committee may admit you into a program other than the one to which you applied, if it judges that it is more appropriate for your level of preparation. Applicants for the two-year MA program may therefore be admitted to the one-year program, and vice versa; similarly, applicants for the PhD program whose applications are unsuccessful will be considered for admission to the MA programs.
Students who do well in our MA programs have a good rate of success in winning admission to our own PhD program and to leading PhD programs at major universities around the world. Admission to our MA programs does not guarantee admission to the PhD program, however, and students who decide that they wish to pursue a doctoral degree must reapply to the PhD program in their final year of the MA program.
University-wide policies and procedures can be found in the School of Graduate Studies calendar.
For academic matters and further information on programs of study contact:
Professor Seth Bernard, Graduate Coordinator
(416) 978-5477
grad.classics@utoronto.ca
For applications and procedural matters contact:
Ms. Coral Gavrilovic, Graduate Administrator
(416) 978-5513
k.gavrilovic@utoronto.ca