Top Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Classics

Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Classics – Exploring the Foundations of Western Thinking

Programs that offer an undergraduate degree in Classics range quite a bit in content, but the focus on the foundational Latin and Greek texts that affected Western thinking is constant. Studying Classics means understanding both the social and historic contexts that surround those foundational texts, as well as the history of scholarship behind them. Students who choose a Bachelor’s degree program in Classics will find that the field brings a variety of benefits, but also that it demands rigorous study.

What is a Bachelor’s Degree Program in Classics?

The answer to this question is that it is any program that covers classic Greek and Latin texts, as well as their historic scholarship and modern relevance. There are several focal areas, and top schools tend to offer students the choice of several. Smaller schools often tend to focus on just one or two of these areas, though, with the most common being:

• Classical Studies
• Ancient History
• Greek
• Latin
• Philosophy and Literature

The reason Classical Studies has become the dominant focal area for smaller undergraduate programs is its inclusion of the fundamentals of the other focal areas, making it a useful way to survey the field of Classics in general. The best Bachelor’s degree programs in Classics will offer the more nuanced approaches that lend themselves better to student specialisation.

What Are the Benefits of a Bachelor’s in Classics?

With its rigorous approach to study and its inclusion of both history and the arts, the Bachelor’s in Classics offers students a unique preparation for a variety of future careers.

• According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Classics majors and dual majors have a better chance of admittance to medical school.
• Harvard Magazine also claims that Classics majors have more success in law school than any other major.
• Classics majors also top the list of top-performing majors on the GRE, the entrance exam for most American graduate programs.

These tangible benefits of studying Classics point to the usefulness of a deep understanding of the roots of Western culture.

What Kind of Career Can You Expect With a Bachelor’s in Classics?

As noted above, an undergraduate degree in Classics serves as a solid preparation for graduate studies in a variety of fields, even fields that seem unrelated to the subject. The reason is because the degree teaches students to research, collate information, and analyse it. The methods and skills involved are easily transferred to other topics because they are not unique to understanding Classical texts, but to understanding difficult subjects.

Translating this to the available career choices for graduates of Bachelor’s degree programs in Classics means looking at the ways those skills can be applied to the student’s future career goals. Careers that directly use the skill set developed in Classics courses include:

• Archivists
• Museum workers and directors
• Historic conservation officers
• Historic building inspectors

For students interested in this work, a Bachelor’s in Classics means gaining both the skills needed to be effective in the career and the knowledge needed to excel. Their direct use of the knowledge studied puts the Classics degree to its most focused and direct use, making them excellent choices for those who study Classics out of an interest in the subject matter.

Begin your search today for the best schools that offer Bachelor in Classics degree.