Bachelors in Classics

The undergraduate Classics major gives students an understanding of the cultures, languages, and literatures of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Mediterranean world. Classics is a broadly interdisciplinary field. Most courses focus on ancient Greece and Rome, but students in the department also study the impact of classical cultures on later societies and the interactions among various ancient cultures. USC is a member of the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies and the College Year in Athens program. Undergraduate students specialize in one of four tracks: civilization and society; literature and mythology; Greek language, literature and culture; or Latin language, literature and culture. Students complete a language requirement in Latin or Greek, and study texts that have been central to Western scholarship for thousands of years. To supplement classroom instruction, students are encouraged to spend a semester studying in Athens or Rome. Classics majors are encouraged to explore courses in allied fields such as ancient Philosophy, History, Comparative Literature, Art History, and Archaeology. A major in Classics can also be very successfully paired with degrees in a range of other fields. Our students have been known to combine their study of Classics with a number of other pre-professional emphases, majors, and minors, including pre-med, Religion, Cinematic Arts, and Political Science.