BA in Latin

The Latin major focuses on the Romans and on the continuing tradition of the Latin language in the medieval and modern world. It requires 10 courses of at least 30 semester hours.

Course Requirements

Specific Requirements (7 courses total)

  • Six Latin courses beyond LAT 3, including at least three at 100 level.
  • One course in Roman history, either in Latin or in English.

General Requirements, Including Double-counting

  • At least four 100-level courses, which will include courses taken to satisfy the specific requirements.
  • As many other courses as are necessary to reach 10 courses and 30 semester hours. These may be in English (CLS listings) or in Latin beyond LAT 3, or in Greek, Sanskrit, or other ancient languages at any level. They may also include up to 2 courses in related fields given in English. The department must approve any related fields courses.
  • It is recommended that students take the Latin literature survey courses, LAT 132 or CLS 32.
  • It is recommended that students take at least one comparative course (as described under the “Ancient World Studies” major).
  • Courses in Greek are also strongly recommended for students considering careers in secondary school education. The Massachusetts educator licensure in Latin and Classical Humanities, for example, requires at least a basic command of ancient Greek.

Course Requirements for Declared Majors before September 2023

For students who declared this major before September 2023, the requirements are:

  • CLS 32: Roman Literature: Texts and Contexts orLAT 132: Survey of Latin Literature
  • CLS 38: History of Ancient Rome
  • Five courses in Latin above LAT 3, including at least three at the 100-level; not including LAT 132 if taken in place of CLS 32, but if a student takes both CLS 32 and LAT 132, then LAT 132 can be counted here.
  • Three other courses in the department (CLS, LAT, GRK, SKT), of which two must be at the 100-level.