Want to Major in Classics in College? Here's How to Start in High School

By Amy E. Barr of The Lukeion Project

Becoming a Classics major is exciting stuff. Several instructors at The Lukeion Project studied a variety of Classics-linked fields including Latin, Greek, ancient history, archaeology, art, architecture, plus anthropology, field excavation, osteology, museum studies, artifact illustration, artifact conservation, and more. Our broad experiences prompted our enthusiasm for our interdisciplinary approach. Add the perks of travel abroad plus the benefits of several foreign languages! If you are like us, a Classics degree is perfect for anyone who has more interests than they can count. How does one get started?

Going down the Classics rabbit hole means you may have to run around a bit until you find your preferred path. Most will choose either a Classics major (often a second major in Classics makes sense) or a minor in college. Even after finishing a degree in Classics, many find themselves in fields that seem distant to Classics but are actually closely linked: law, medicine, science, business, writing, teaching. A Classics degree need not limit one to a Classics career.

When shopping for college Classics programs, look at the various interdisciplinary opportunities available in various departments. In addition to Latin and or Greek, you can find ways to follow personal interests like museum internships, excavation volunteer posts, College Year in Athens, language immersion in Rome, etc. Interview various faculty after you shop programs to find a department that feels right. Now your first job is to be a good candidate when you find the program of your choice.  

What’s a good high school path for a future Classics major/minor?

Start with Classical languages and plan to do as much Greek and Latin as possible. Pick Greek or Latin as your primary (it doesn’t really matter except to your personal tastes) but plan on doing both languages sooner rather than later. Want to make your future college professors swoon? When it comes to Latin and Greek, complete at least four years of one and at least two years of the other before graduating from high school. Classics majors tend to add French, Italian, or German at college or graduate school so fear not, you'll add modern languages eventually.

Many students prefer to do four (or more years) in Latin with The Lukeion Project since a nice fat score on the AP Latin Exam (year four) can pave the path to scholarship money or, at certainly multiple college credits. Other students prefer Greek but will complete the SAT Special Latin Exam (an easier exam compared to the AP Latin exam) after the second or third year of Latin.

My second bit of advice is to travel. Any student who is interested in Classics will be taken more seriously if he or she has traveled to destinations that not only represent the literary aspects of Classics, but also the culture, history, art, and archaeology. A "study" trip to Greece and Italy will make you a strong college applicant. Adding Spain, France, Turkey (etc.) will make you a shining star in a sea of applicants all the way through graduate school. Plan to major in Classics? Plan to travel. This is not optional.

In addition to language studies and travel, I make several complementary recommendations below. Many of these courses require you to read, think, and write broadly. These courses will support your mastery of Classics which is, by definition, an interdisciplinary field. First, let me tackle a couple more issues:

Should Classics majors expect to go to graduate school?

With few exceptions (like teaching high school Latin at a public school) the answer is a firm yes, graduate school is normal for those who want a career in Classics. Your undergraduate program should give you a broad introduction to all things Classical while your graduate program(s) will help you refine your particular focus: language (philology), history, archaeology, anthropology, etc., may all be on the table depending on the graduate program you pursue. You must complete some graduate work (at least an M.A. but normally a Ph.D.) to teach at the college level, work as an archaeologist, or work at a museum (just for example).

Get started during your high school years

Conventional programs will offer few chances to broaden Classical studies before college starts but the more you tackle now, the more interesting you will be to the admissions committee at the college programs of your choice. Love Classics but plan to major in something different? If you have time and interest you can complete the equivalent of a Classics "degree" while still in high school at the Lukeion Project. Here's how a person could get the most of our program:

7^th/8^th/9^th grade

• Witty Wordsmith
• Barbarian Diagrammarian
• Lester’s Logic Lounge

8^th/9^th grade

• Latin 1 or Greek 1·
• Muse on the Loose (Survey of Greek Literature in Translation) and
• Muse Reloosed (Survey of Latin Literature in Translation)

9^th/10^th grade

• Latin II or Greek II plus start the second language (Latin or Greek)
• Mythology Alpha (includes Iliad, Odyssey) and
• Mythology Beta (including Aeneid, Metamorphoses)

10^th/11^th grade

• Latin III or Greek III
• Latin II or Greek II
• Classical History: will cover Greeks and then Romans

11^th/12^th grade

• AP Latin or Greek IV (we offer Latin VII and Greek VII)
• Optional 3rd year of the second language
• Rhetoric
• College Composition and College Research Writing (perfect English credit for students in final year(s) of high school)

12^th grade

• The Classical Bard: Shakespeare
• Classical Philosophy
• AP English Lit.