CAS: Classical Civilization
Sample Pathway
Below is an example of a four-year plan of a College of General Studies student pursuing a degree in classical civilization. Students will work with their CGS academic advisors and the CAS classical studies department to plan their own pathway to a classical civilization degree.
| Semester I | Semester II | |
| Freshman Year | CGS Required Courses Second Language (if needed) |
CGS Required Courses (London or Boston-New England semester) |
| Sophomore Year | CGS Required Courses CAS CL 200- or 300-level course Second Language (if needed) |
CGS Required Courses Elective* Second Language (if needed) |
| Junior Year | CAS CL 101 or CAS CL 321 CAS CL 200- or 300-level course focusing on literature Elective* Second Language (if needed) |
CAS CL 102 or CAS CL 322 CAS CL 200- or 300-level course focusing on literature CAS CL 200- or 300-level course Elective* |
| Senior Year | CAS CL upper level or related course CAS CL upper level course Elective* Elective* |
CAS CL upper level or related course CAS CL 400-level course Elective* Elective* |
*Choose your electives carefully to fulfill any remaining BU Hub requirements. You will find a list of all of the courses that carry Hub units on the University’s BU Hub website. External courses are not eligible for Hub general education credit. Classical Studies courses by Hub unit can be found here.
College of General Studies Program Requirements
- Two rhetoric courses: CGS RH 103 and CGS RH 104
- CGS RH 104 is taken during the London semester
- Two natural science courses: CGS NS 201 and CGS NS 202
- Three social science courses:
- CGS SS 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
- Students select at least two additional SS courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection
- Three humanities courses:
- CGS HU 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
- Students select at least two additional HU courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection
Major Requirements
The major in classical civilization requires a minimum of 10 courses with a grade of ‘C’ or higher. For required courses, please see the CAS Bulletin.
Ancient Greek, Latin, and Modern Greek may be used to satisfy the CAS language requirement. All courses in Ancient Greek and Latin count towards the concentration in classical civilization if they are not also being used to satisfy the CAS language requirement. If they are being used to satisfy the requirement, only Ancient Greek and Latin courses above the 2nd semester level also count towards the concentration.
Students are allowed to pick, with academic advisor approval, up to two “related courses” from other departments, which may be counted towards the 10-course concentration in classical civilization. The list of related courses is available at the Classical Studies Department webpage. Please contact James Uden (uden@bu.edu), Director of Undergraduate Studies, with any questions.
Continuation Requirements
- Completion of the CGS required courses and appropriate electives
- Cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00
Graduation Requirements
Boston University students completing a degree in CAS must also complete the following requirements.
- BU Hub requirements
- CAS requirements:
- Classical studies major requirements
- CAS requires a minimum of 128 credits, excluding PDP, ROTC, and CAS FY and SY courses.
This is a sample pathway to be used in consultation with your CGS Academic Advisor.
It is subject to change according to course availability and individual circumstances.
Last revised: 02/07/2025