Applicants for the MA 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 any other university, which includes:

1. At least 12 units of either Ancient Greek or Latin and at least six units of the other language with an average of at least B in each language.
2. At least 36 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.

In addition to the online application and two referee reports required by the School of Graduate Studies, applicants are asked to submit the following application documents:

• Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended**
• Statement of interest
• Writing sample of 5-10 pages

**Unofficial transcripts can be accepted for the application review process. If an offer of admission is received and accepted, the applicant will then be required to submit official, printed copies of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.

Timeline for the MA degree with thesis:

Year 1: 

• Six half-courses (one-term courses) offered by the Department, of which at least two must be graduate or undergraduate Latin or Greek (permission of the Graduate Advisor is required to take a course at the undergraduate level). 
• A thesis proposal of approximately 5-6 pages (including bibliography), approved by the supervisory committee in June; thesis writing commences thereafter and is ongoing.
• Modern language exam in French or German or Italian.

Year 2:

• Four half-courses (one-term courses) offered by the Department, of which at least two must be graduate or undergraduate Latin or Greek (permission of the Graduate Advisor is required to take a course at the undergraduate level). 
• Ongoing thesis research and writing to produce a thesis of approximately 80 pages.
• An oral examination to defend the thesis.

Notes: Courses will be selected in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. Students must pass at least one language class at the graduate level in each ancient language. A grade of at least B- is required in all courses. Upon entry into the program all students will take diagnostic exams in Ancient Greek and Latin to determine appropriate language level placement.

Timeline for the MA degree without thesis (by special permission of the Department):

1. 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 Advisor is required to take a course at undergraduate level). Courses will be selected in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. Upon entry into the program all students will take diagnostic exams in Ancient Greek and Latin to determine appropriate language level placement.
2. A project consisting of a major research paper to be written during the summer, under the supervision of a faculty member.
3. Modern language exam in French, German or Italian; exemption from this test may be granted to candidates who have completed an equivalent test at this or other universities.

Visit McMaster Graduate Studies to learn more about tuition, supplementary fees and everything else you need to know about being paid as a Teaching or Research Assistant. Tuition fees are assessed on a term by term basis, depending on the number of courses a student takes or if they are paying by term.

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The McMaster Graduate Scholarship (MGS) is the most common form of scholarship support available to graduate students in our program. The MGS ensures that students receive a guaranteed minimum level of scholarship support. Adjustments to the MGS will depend on other available scholarships.

The Faculty of Humanities Adjustments guidelines policy is available for review.

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