BA in Classics & Archaeology is recommended for students who hope to pursue graduate education in Archaeology, Ancient History, Art History, or Classics; to move into cognate humanistic fields; or to pursue employment in fields where knowledge of classical and Near Eastern antiquity is valuable, such as museums, heritage management, historic preservation, and tourism. This degree will give students training in ancient Greek and Latin, archaeological methods and practices, and the study of ancient Mediterranean material culture, and will make them competitive to pursue graduate degrees in classics as well as classical archaeology, both in the United States and abroad.

In addition, this program will enable students to continue into the BA/MA in Classics & Archaeology in their fifth year. Please refer to the Course Bulletin for a list of the approved related courses.

A minimum of twelve courses: six from Classics and six from Archaeology, as follows:

Archaeology requirements:

  • CAS AR 190 Introduction to Archaeology (former AR101)
  • CAS AR 230: Introduction to Greek and Roman Archaeology
  • CAS AR 307: Archaeological Science or AR 591: Theory in Archaeology
  • CAS AR 503: Archaeological Field Methods: Survey and Excavation or AR 410 Archaeological Research Design and Materials Analysis or AR 556: Archaeological Field Research

Classics requirements:

  • One course in either Greek Civilization or History: CL 101 or CL 321 OR CAS CG101;
  • One course in either Roman Civilization or History: CL 102 or CL 322;
  • Two courses in either ancient Greek or Latin above the 100 level;
  • Two electives chosen in consultation with an advisor from the offerings under classical civilization and/or classical languages.

Field Research Experience:

Two electives chosen in consultation with an advisor from area-specific offerings in: Archaeology and/or History of Art and Architecture

This major is administered in the Department of Classical Studies. Students in this major must consult advisors in both the Department of Classical Studies and in the Archaeology Program.

Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in Classics & Archaeology will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the history and material culture of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East.
  2. Read with comprehension works of ancient Greek and/or Latin writers either in the original or in English translation, and demonstrate an understanding of genre, style, and cultural context.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the material variety of the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East as well as their influence on peoples and places of subsequent historical periods.
  4. Communicate these understandings clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing.

Honors Requirements

The department encourages work toward graduation with Honors in the Major. For students majoring in Classics & Archaeology, the primary requirement is successful completion of a two-semester program of directed research and writing in their senior year, culminating in an honors thesis and oral defense with a minimum of two examiners. The thesis should exhibit knowledge of primary and secondary sources, with bibliography (if a research paper), or the equivalent at the discretion of the readers, and ordinarily it should not exceed 10,000 words. For students completing a written honors project, the submission of a detailed outline by the end of the fall semester of the junior year is also required.

In order to qualify for any of these honors tracks, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of no less than 3.4 in the major, must submit an application to their faculty project advisor in the spring of their junior year, and must have approval from the director of undergraduate studies and department chair.

Students taking this major must consult both the Archaeology Program, below, and  Department of Classical Studies advisors.

Archaeology Undergraduate Administrators

Robert E. Murowchick

Lecturer of Archaeology, Director, Archaeology Undergraduate Studies

remurow@bu.edu

Maria H. Sousa

Administrator of the Archaeology Program & Journal of Field Archaeology

mhsousa@bu.edu