Every major within the Department of Classical Studies must have an advisor. Majors can either choose a member of the classics faculty or the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies to be their advisor.
Advising Process
- About one month prior to registration in the fall and in the spring, students receive an email informing them of advising dates and advising information.
- Students contact their advisors to schedule an advising appointment.
- During the appointment complete the Course Registration Form.
- Email the completed from to classics@bu.edu to receive your academic advising code.*Majors must attend these advising appointments to receive their advising codes, which enables them to register for classes.
Advising Forms
Below are some frequently-asked questions regarding classics majors and their concentrations. If a student has other questions, they should first check the Course Bulletin or CAS Website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What courses count for course credit?
Courses may be credited toward concentration only if a grade of C or higher is earned. Required courses may be exchanged for others in the curriculum with the approval of the Department Chair or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
What courses count for CAS Divisional Studies Credit?
Courses in Classical Studies that may be taken to fulfill Divisional Studies Humanities (HU) requirements include:
CL101: The World of Greece
CL102: The World of Rome
CL121: The Good Life
CL206: Women in Antiquity
CL213: Greek and Roman Mythology
CL216: Greek and Roman Religion
CL224: Greek Drama in Translation
CL229: Roman Comedy in Translation
CL302: Age of Augustus
CL303: Warfare in Antiquity
CL305: Topics in Mythology
CL321: Greek History
CL322: Roman History
CL325: Greek Tragedy and Film
Expanded list
With advisor’s approval and with the exception of Directed Studies, any CL or CG course may be taken for Divisional Studies credit except CL 111, 112, 161, 162, 211, 212, 261, 262, and CG 111, 112, 211, and 212.
Do the Core Curriculum courses apply to my major?
Students who complete both of the following courses may, with advisor approval, receive credit for one course toward concentrations in classics:
- CAS CC101 Core Humanities I: The Ancient World
- CAS CC102 Core Humanities II: Late Antiquity and the Medieval World
Which related courses apply to my major?
The following list of related courses may be used toward a major or minor in classics with advisor approval. Refer to the respective sections of this Bulletin for course information. All courses from related departments must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Classical Civilization and Languages Majors
- CAS AR100 Great Discoveries in Archaeology
- CAS AR101 Introduction to Archaeology
- CAS AR208 Lost Languages and Decipherments
- CAS AR230 Archaeology of Classical Civilizations
- CAS AR232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
- CAS AR330 Greek Archaeology
- CAS AR331 Etruscan and Roman Archaeology
- CAS AH111 Introduction to Art History I: Antiquity to Middle Ages
- CAS AH233 The Arts of Greece
- CAS AH234 The Art of Rome
- CAS AH240 Medieval Art
- CAS AH331 Arts of Archaic Greece
- CAS AH333 Arts of Classical Greece
- CAS AH433 Seminar: Greek Art
- CAS AH434 Seminar: Roman Art
- CAS AH436 Seminar: Greek and Roman Art
- CAS AH444 Seminar: Medieval Art
- CAS EN221 Major Authors I
- CAS LX532 Romance Linguistics
- CAS HI201 History of Medieval Europe
- CAS PH110 Great Philosophers
- CAS PH300 History of Ancient Philosophy
- CAS PH403 Plato I
- CAS PH404 Plato II
- CAS PH405 Aristotle I
- CAS PH406 Aristotle II
- CAS PH407 Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics
- CAS RN202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
- CAS RN301 Varieties of Early Christianity
- CAS RN442 Approaches to the Study of Myth
Classics & Religion Majors and Myth Studies Minors
- CAS AN 384 Anthropological Study of Religion
- CAS AN 568 Symbol, Myth, and Rite
- CAS AH 111 Introduction to Art History I: Antiquity to Middle Ages
- CAS AH 233 The Arts of Greece
- CAS AH 240 Medieval Art
- CAS AH 242 Christian Imagery in the Visual Arts, ca. 300–1350
- CAS AH 331 Arts of Archaic Greece
- CAS AH 333 Arts of Classical Greece
- CAS AH 433 Seminar: Greek Art
- CAS AH 434 Seminar: Roman Art
- CAS AH 436 Seminar: Greek and Roman Art
- CAS AH 444 Seminar: Medieval Art
- CAS RN 202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
- CAS RN 301 Varieties of Early Christianity
- CAS RN 442 Approaches to the Study of Myth
These lists are by no means exhaustive to the courses that may cross-apply — courses are added and removed all the time, and course designations may shift semester to semester. Contact the DUS with any questions.
Will my credits from another school transfer?
To receive approval for transfer credits, students must fill out a Transfer Credit Course Approval Form in STH 414. Appropriate documentation must accompany this form for consideration of approval. Appropriate documentation includes a valid transcript showing proof this course was taken, a course description, and a syllabus. Without a syllabus, we cannot give appropriate course credit.
If you are a transfer student, please see the information here.
How can I use Classics to fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement?
Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, and Latin may be used to fulfill the CAS Foreign Language Requirement. Students who choose to complete the foreign language requirement using a classical language or modern Greek may not count 100-level courses in that language toward a major or minor in classics.
In short, CAS students must complete the equivalent of the fourth semester or above of a language. This may be by completing the four-semester introductory sequence, or may be abbreviated by testing into a higher level. Placement into upper-level courses in ancient Greek, modern Greek, and Latin will be determined by your performance on the relevant placement exam. For additional information on placement exams, please contact us at classics@bu.edu or 617-353-2427.
How can I receive Honors in the Major?
The department encourages work toward graduation with honors in the major. For students majoring in classical civilization, the primary requirement is successful completion of a two-semester program of directed research and writing in their senior year, culminating in an honors thesis and oral defense. For students majoring in Latin, Ancient Greek, or Ancient Greek & Latin, the primary requirement is different: two specifically designated honors reading courses, including at least one seminar course and one course with a substantial research component.
In order to qualify for either of these honors tracks, students must have a cumulative BU GPA of 3.0 and a departmental GPA of no less than 3.4, must submit an application to the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies by the spring semester of their junior year, and must have approval from the Director of Graduate Studies (where relevant) and Department Chair.
For more general information, please refer to CAS’s page on Honors in the Major or email the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
What is a Directed Study?
A Directed Study is a CAS course in which a student pursues independent research under the guidance of a full-time faculty member. A student may choose to undertake a Directed Study for the following reasons:
- to pursue in depth an area covered more generally in a course,
- to explore a topic not normally covered in the curriculum.
In either case, it is the student’s responsibility to identify the topic fully and to acquire enough information to ensure its worthiness for independent research. A student can pick up an application from STH 414. The section code may also be obtained in STH 414.
