Ph.D. Program in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies
*About our Classics Ph.D. Program
From its earliest days, Bryn Mawr has had an international reputation in classical languages. It was among the first institutions to offer doctorates in classical philology to women in the United States. Today, the College is home to a lively community of graduate students, both women and men, who are interested in various aspects of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome; and its name is known to classicists worldwide through the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, the second-oldest electronic book-review journal, which is received by more than 10,000 subscribers around the globe.
Hallmarks of Excellence in the Classics Ph.D. Program
Classes are small, affording close personal contact with faculty. The weekly Classics Colloquium provides an opportunity to mingle informally with faculty and hear talks by prominent scholars from all over the world. Classics graduate students have fully-wired carrels in the beautiful Rhys Carpenter library affording further opportunities for informal contact across the disciplines.
The department is part of the Graduate Group in Archaeology, Classics, and History of Art, which provides a forum for interdisciplinary collaboration and research and promotes a strong scholarly community among the graduate students in the three programs.
In addition to seminars at Bryn Mawr, students may take classes at the nearby University of Pennsylvania through a reciprocal agreement, and, by special arrangement, at Princeton University and other institutions in the area. The department also regularly brings in associated faculty from neighboring institutions to offer seminars in important fields of scholarly specialization outside those of the Bryn Mawr faculty.
The Classics graduate students annually organize the Agnes Michels Lecture, selecting a speaker to give a public lecture and hold a seminar for the students.
*Focus Areas of the Classics Ph.D. Program
Graduate study in Classics at Bryn Mawr spans Greek and Latin literature, ancient history and culture, philosophy, archaeology, and classical reception. Faculty guide students through close textual analysis, historical interpretation, and interdisciplinary methods that deepen their engagement with the ancient world. Through the PhD program in Classical Studies, students receive rigorous training in these core areas as they refine their independent research skills in their Classics doctoral studies and advance within Classics research graduate studies.
Explore Our Weekly Colloquia
Students & Faculty
Resources in the Classics Ph.D. Program
*Study Abroad
The department offers two annual fellowships for summer study in Italy or Greece, typically at the American Academy in Rome or the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. These awards honor Professor Emerita Mabel Lang and support M.A. students preparing for advanced work in Classical Studies.
Advanced graduate students may also apply for the Berthe M. Marti Fellowship, which supports specialized research in Rome in Latin language, textual criticism, and paleography.
*Financial Aid
Financial aid is available through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate Group in Archaeology, Classics, and History of Art. Funding is provided in form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and internships and is usually offered for up to six years, contingent upon satisfactory progress.Senior graduate students of exceptional promise may be given the opportunity to design and teach a course as part of a funding package.
Visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences admissions page to find out more information about how to apply, including important deadlines for those who wish to be considered for financial aid.
Resources
Bryn Mawr’s Classics collection in the Rhys Carpenter Library is one of the strongest in the country, with extensive print holdings and access to key electronic resources such as L’Année Philologique, Brill’s New Pauly, the Loeb Classical Library, and the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae and Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. Additional rare materials are available in the Mariam Coffin Canaday Library, including more than 1,200 incunables. Students also benefit from Tri-College access to Haverford and Swarthmore’s collections through a shared electronic catalog.