Fields
Students declare three fields: a First field, a Second field, and a Special field. The First and Second fields are chosen from the following four options: North Africa; Greek world; West and/or Central Asia; and Roman world. All four First/Second fields embrace both history and archaeology/material culture. A third, Special field, is tailored to the student’s specific interests.
Coursework
Pre-MA students are required to take at least 12 courses (see below for distribution requirements). They are also required to write no fewer than 8 seminar papers in those 12 courses.
Post-MA students are required to take at least 8 courses (see below for distribution requirements). They are also required to write no fewer than 5 seminar papers in these 8 courses.
Languages
Students satisfy program requirements in four languages, two ancient and two modern. One ancient language is designated as primary, the other as secondary.
Fieldwork
Students are required to participate in either (a) at least one season of excavation or survey, or (b) one summer program in archaeology, material culture, or a relevant technical discipline, or (c) a summer internship, usually in a museum.
Petition to Proceed
Every student must submit a Petition to Proceed to Stage II of the program. This occurs for pre-MA students no later than the beginning of the fifth semester, and for post-MA students no later than the beginning of the third semester.
Exams
In order to advance to PhD candidacy, students must pass a written exam covering the First field and an oral Qualifying Examination (QE) covering all three fields.
Dissertation
After passing their QE, students must compose a prospectus of the intended dissertation, present it at a colloquium for approval, and then, under the supervision of a Dissertation Committee, complete a dissertation that makes an original contribution to the subject.