Classics, M.A.

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Admission

Applicants for the M.A. Program in Classics may be admitted as Regular Students if they are graduates with at least B+ standing of any Honours program taken at McMaster or other university, which includes:

At least 12 units of Greek and at least 12 units of Latin with an average of at least B in each language.
At least 30 additional units of Classical Civilization, Greek, Latin, Ancient History, or other courses approved by the Department of Classics, at least 12 of these units to be in upper-level courses.

Graduates without sufficient specialization may be admitted with the requirement that they complete extra prerequisite courses with a grade of at least B+.

Candidates will not be allowed to take a graduate course in a language or area in which the Department feels they do not have sufficient background. For graduate courses in Latin or Greek, the minimum requirement is 24 units of the language.

In exceptional cases, students who have less than two years of undergraduate coursework in the ancient languages may be accepted into the program, providing they are well qualified and have an undergraduate record of superior academic achievement; they will, however, have to do extra language courses beyond the required minimum while in the M.A. program.

Program Requirements

The general requirements for the M.A. degree appear earlier in the Calendar. With the approval of the Department of Classics, candidates may take the degree either with or without thesis. A grade of at least B- is required in all courses.

Requirements for the M.A. degree with thesis are:

Eight half courses (one-term courses) offered by the Department, of which no more than two may be at the undergraduate level, and of which at least four must be graduate or undergraduate Latin or Greek (permission of the Graduate Adviser is required to take a course at undergraduate level). Six courses are completed in the first year of study and two additional language courses are taken in year two. A grade of at least B- is required in all courses.

Students who are admitted without the minimum entrance requirements in the ancient languages must take nine half courses to make up the deficiencies in their language preparation.
A comprehension test in French or German or Italian; exemption from this test may be granted to candidates who have completed an equivalent test at this or other universities.
A satisfactory thesis of approximately 80 pages on an approved topic.
An oral examination to defend the thesis.

Requirements for the M.A. degree without thesis are:

Six half courses offered by the Department, of which no more than two may be at the undergraduate level, and of which at least two must be graduate or undergraduate Latin or Greek (permission of the Graduate Adviser is required to take a course at undergraduate level). Students who are admitted without the minimum entrance requirements in the ancient languages must take seven half courses to make up the deficiencies in their language preparation.
A project consisting of a major research paper to be written during the summer, under the supervision of a faculty member;
A comprehension test in French or German or Italian; exemption from this test may be granted to candidates who have completed an equivalent test at this or other universities.