Graduate Program in Classical Studies

Introduction

The Graduate Group in Classical Studies trains students in the languages, literatures, cultures, and history of the Greek and Roman Classical world. Students are encouraged to combine this work with the investigation of such related fields as Art History and Archaeology, Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies.

Penn offers superb resources for the study of classical antiquity.  We have a world-class faculty, who specialize in a wide range of sub-fields within the discipline, and who take seriously the responsibility of training graduate students for the profession and beyond. An overview of the outcomes of students who have matriculated at Penn in the last two decades is available here.

We run a weekly colloquium series during the academic year, which features distinguished visiting scholars and departmental faculty; this event is followed by a lively discussion, and preceded by coffee in the Department Lounge. We often host and fund conferences, in collaboration with Penn's Center for Ancient Studies, including the biennial Penn-Leiden Colloquium on Ancient Values.

Facilities

The University has excellent research library facilities, including Van Pelt Library with its open stacks and Classics Seminar Room, the Henry C. Lea Library of Byzantine and Medieval History, the Rare Book Collection, the Fine Arts Library, and the Museum Library. The Department of Classical Studies has its own small book collection, in which graduate students can read and work.  The University Museum houses one of the finest archaeological collections in the country and provides opportunities for students to participate in excavations. Penn also enjoys cooperative relations with the many other colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area, and is an institutional member of the American Academy in Rome, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.