Undergraduate Majors

With more than 40 majors to choose from, our curriculum offers you unparalleled opportunity to pick your path and find the right fit for you, whether you’re interested in Natural Sciences and Mathematics or Social Sciences, or Humanities like History and English are more your style. 

Many of our majors also offer opportunities for internships and co-ops both locally and nationally, study abroad and service learning, where you make real-world impact on your community.

If you’re not sure which major is right for you, you’re not alone. Many incoming students aren’t sure with path is the right one—which may be why many of our first-year students choose our Exploratory Studies Program. Through Exploratory Studies, you’ll learn more about what each major has to offer, and whether it’s right for you. 

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Why study Classics?

Classics is the study of the language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Students in classics develop language skills and eventually read Homer, Plato or the New Testament, and Cicero, Virgil or Augustine in the original. They also study such subjects as mythology, philosophy, religion, politics and other areas where the ancient Greeks and Romans made decisive contributions to world civilization.

Classics students possess an eye for detail, curiosity about languages (including their own) and love of reading. Some such students include:

  • Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Theodor Mommsen and Toni Morrison (both recipients of the Nobel Prize for literature)
  • Oscar Wilde, Eric Segal ("Love Story") and J.K. Rowling ("Harry Potter")
  • Garry Wills (Catholic cultural critic) and Archbishop Pilarczyk of Cincinnati
  • David Packard (as in Hewlett-Packard) and Charles Geschke (founder of Adobe)
  • James Baker (former Secretary of State)

UC Advantages and Special Opportunities

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences enjoy many benefits afforded through study at a research-intensive institution ranked among the nation's top 25 public research universities. UC's urban, Tristate location offers exciting opportunities for global education, research and service learning, while its student-centered focus includes an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, a nationally recognized Center for Exploratory Studies and a highly successful First Year Experience program that teaches critical skills for first-year students and provides connections with important campus resources.

Special Programs

The Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati offers a unique and dynamic environment thanks to the generous patronage of the Semple Classics Fund, a bequest of Louise Taft Semple, established "for promoting the study of Classics in an endeavor to make vital and constructive in the civilization of our country the spiritual, intellectual, and esthetic inheritance we have received from Greek and Roman civilizations."

Among other things, the Semple Classics Fund supports:

  • the John Miller Burnam Classical Library, the largest such library in the world
  • a large number of graduate students
  • a world-class faculty

It also awards Semple Scholarships to outstanding undergraduates in classics or classical civilization at the University of Cincinnati and the Semple Traveling Scholarships for a period of undergraduate study abroad, especially in Athens and Rome.

The Department of Classics has an international reputation as a leader in the field of Greek Bronze Age archaeology. It is particularly known for its excavations at Troy and Pylos under the direction of Carl Blegen. This tradition of excellence in archaeology continues today with current field projects at Pylos, Apollonia (Albania), and Episkopi-Bamboula (Cyprus).

Admission Requirements

Students already pursuing a degree in any college at UC can add the minor to their program. Be sure to submit a declaration of the minor using our online form.

In addition, you must meet with the program director so that the department is aware that you are pursuing the minor and can advise you appropriately. Do this early enough to avoid delay in obtaining your minor.

Graduation Requirements

If you have declared the minor, then it will appear on your application for graduation. Apply for graduation as you normally would for your bachelor’s degree.

Accreditation

The University of Cincinnati and all regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Quick Facts

MIN in Classics

Full-Time Program Duration

1.5 Years

Location

West Campus

Interest Areas:

Behavioral & Social Science

Culture & Languages

Humanities

Contact

599B Blegen Library
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0026
Phone: (513) 556-2695
Susan Prince
classics@uc.edu