School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Classical Studies

Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BA/MA in Classics

The Classical Studies Department offers exceptional Tufts undergraduate Classics majors the option of earning a Fifth-Year Master’s Degree: BA/MA in Classics. This program allows students to finish the BA and the MA in five years. Two of the courses counted toward the BA degree (at the 100 or 200 level) may also count toward the MA degree.

Program Requirements and Policies

  • Students must complete the requirements for their undergraduate Classical Studies major (Greek and Latin, Ancient World Studies, Latin, or Greek and the standard requirements for the MA in Classics.
  • Only two courses may count towards both the undergraduate and MA degrees. (Only 100-level courses in CLS, LAT, and GRK may count towards the MA degree, and LAT 120 and GRK 120 cannot count.)
  • The coursework for the Classical Studies MA consists of ten (10) upper-level Classical Studies courses (courses numbered 100 or above) and culminates in a capstone project, satisfied either by a thesis or two Qualifying Papers, both defended orally.
  • We recommend students take five courses towards the MA degree in their senior year. Of those five courses, only a maximum of two courses may count towards both the bachelor’s and the master’s. This means that the student will need to be proactive in making up three extra undergraduate courses throughout their undergraduate career. Additionally, a maximum of two other 100 level courses taken while an undergrad can be reserved for graduate credit through the Registrar's Office, however, those courses would then not be able to count towards the bachelor's degree.

Proposed Program of Study

First year through junior year: Completion of undergraduate distribution, foundation, and most major requirements. It is recommended that students take three extra courses, or have AP credits, to make up for the three graduate-exclusive courses they will be taking in their senior year.

Senior year: 5 courses towards the MA degree. Choose Thesis advisor and produce initial Thesis proposal by the end of the year.

Summer between Senior Year and MA Year: Field Work, Research, Analysis, or Composition as relevant to the thesis or Qualifying Papers. Students may take up to two 100 level summer courses as part of their tuition if they are being offered.

Plus one MA year: Master's Thesis in the Spring, plus four 100 level Classics courses over the year.

Admission Requirements

Undergraduates should apply to the Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. In exceptional cases we will consider students applying in their senior year. For application deadlines, please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program information.

Tufts undergraduate students must submit an application through the Office of Graduate Admissions. 

  • Competitive applicants will have an overall minimum 3.5 GPA
  • Applicants need only submit 2 letters of recommendation. The Department of Classical Studies recommends that at least one of the two letters of support come from a member of the Department of Classical Studies. 
  • Applicants are exempted from the GRE requirement, and are not required to pay the graduate application fee.
  • Students seeking admission to the graduate program should consult with their undergraduate major advisors, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, and their prospective graduate advisor before applying to the graduate school. Contact with the department's graduate director, prior to application, is also highly advised.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program students are responsible for payment of the undergraduate tuition and the graduate tuition. The graduate degree scholarship committee will take the undergraduate degree scholarship package into consideration when making decisions. Tuition for the graduate program covers the graduate curriculum, starting with up to two Tufts graduate summer courses, if required for the degree, taken after the student’s senior year. For approved shared graduate-level course credit-hours, the graduate tuition will be reduced by the cost of the shared credit-hours up to six credit- hours. Graduate continuation fees are applicable after one year. There is a one year residency requirement for the graduate program. Students are not eligible for graduate teaching assistantships unless the bachelor's degree is completed.