![](https://www.grad.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/styles/card_vertical_767/public/alumni/knight_jayne-1.jpg?itok=4LxJf_N6&c=1ea2ce77afaff94525746c7e189ec72b)
Jayne Knight
Job Title
Lecturer in Classics
Employer
University of Tasmania
Classicists study the languages, literature, material culture, and history of Ancient Greece and Rome. The Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies offers a PhD Classics with the option of three streams: Classics (language-based program), Ancient History, or Classical Archaeology. Classics students develop competence to the highest level in Greek and Latin; Ancient History students master as least one of Greek or Latin and undertake additional coursework outside of the Department to develop marketable expertise in a second field; Classical Archaeology students become experts in archaeological practice and theory. Students in all streams attain advanced reading skills in Latin, Greek, and relevant modern languages.
Students develop range and breadth through coursework and comprehensive examinations in Years 1 and 2 of the program; after that, students will be encouraged and enabled to narrow their focus so that they become world experts in their chosen dissertation topic.
The PhD in Classics is the only program in Canada to offer students the opportunity to expand their perspective beyond Greece and Rome to the broader cultural, material, and religious contexts of interconnected ancient Mediterranean and Near East through multi-disciplinary coursework and research. We have ten full-time faculty specializing in Greek literature and philosophy, Latin literature and translation, Greek and Roman history, Roman law, Greek and Roman theatre, Greek mythology, Bronze Age archaeology, Greek material culture, Roman provincial archaeology. Our other faculty in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies are interdisciplinary researchers whose work regularly engages with classical literature, art, and culture.
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
Overall score requirement: 100
Reading
22
Writing
21
Speaking
21
Listening
22
Overall score requirement: 7.0
Reading
6.5
Writing
6.5
Speaking
6.5
Listening
6.5
Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:
The GRE is not required.
Applicants to the Classical Archaeology stream must have completed the equivalent of at least two years' of study (intermediate level) in Ancient Greek or Latin prior to beginning the program. Training in both languages at an intermediate to advanced level is recommend. The Classics and Ancient History streams require graduate-level coursework in both Greek and Latin.
Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.
Transcript DeadlineDeadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.
Referee DeadlineDeadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.
All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.
A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.
Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.
All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.
Our strengths in Classics include ancient Greek and Roman material culture, drama and performance, philosophy, reception studies, social history, and translation. Our faculty employ a range of perspectives to the interpretation of ancient texts, including gender, performance, and reception.
PhD students complete coursework and a dissertation. In addition, PhD Classics-steam and Ancient History-stream students complete a sight translation exam in Greek and Latin and comprehensive translation exams from set reading lists in Greek and Latin. Classics students write both Greek and Latin; Ancient History students write one of Greek or Latin and complete additional coursework in a second field (e.g. Canadian History, Asian Studies, etc.) in lieu of a second exam. Students in the Classical Archaeology stream write two essay-based comprehensive exams from a choice of four set reading lists. All doctoral students must demonstrate reading knowledge of two of French, German, Italian, or Spanish, usually through a translation exam or additional coursework.
Our students have access to work space in the Graduate Reading Room with exclusive access to a library of ancient texts and seminal scholarship relating to Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies and a computer lab for research and teaching equipped with eight powerful desktop PC computers with dual monitors and a variety of software packages (including ArcGIS, Adobe Creative Suite and Agisoft Photoscan) as well as a 3D printer.
Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
---|---|---|
Application Fee | $114.00 | $168.25 |
Tuition * | ||
Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
Tuition per installment | $1,838.57 | $3,230.06 |
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,515.71 | $9,690.18 |
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
Other Fees and Costs | ||
Student Fees (yearly) | $1,116.60 (approx.) | |
Costs of living | Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies. |
Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
All of our PhD students are funded beyond UBC's minimum funding guarantee of $24,000 per year for four years. Well qualified PhD applicants receive a minimum funding package of about $25,000 per year over four years (including scholarships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships). Students who are successful in major external scholarship competitions may receive upwards of $40,000 per year. Continued funding into a fifth year is usually offered to students maintaining good progress. In addition, the Department provides support for student travel and research abroad.
All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.
Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.
Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.
Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.
Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.
All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.
Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.
The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.
International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.
A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.
Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.
Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.
Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.
Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.
9 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 7 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):
Our aim is to equip our graduating PhD students with all the professional skills they may need to attain a tenure-track teaching position and to carry out the varied responsibilities which such a position brings. Graduates may also pursue career opportunities in government, higher education, business, not-for-profit, and more.
These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Classics (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Applications | 11 | 20 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
Offers | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
New Registrations | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Total Enrolment | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
Year | Citation |
---|---|
2009 | Dr. Deline investigated the political and legal roles of women in criminal trials in the Julio-Claudian era of the Roman Empire. She concluded that women were politically threatening and legally active in ways that show they were much more than merely extensions of their husbands and brothers. |
2009 | Dr. Lane examined the cults of founders in the ancient Greek colonies of Italy. Her work reveals that the god Apollo was a symbolic founding-figure, while later re-founders of these cities, especially the tyrants, received cults for political purposes. Her work increases our understanding of ancient Greek colonial religion. |
2008 | Dr. Reid researched the role that Roman medicine played in the life and thought of Saint Augustine of Hippo. She showed that Augustine made extensive, even unique, uses of metaphors taken from contemporary medicine. Her research also suggests that Augustine's personal medical experiences contributed to his writing of the "Confessions". |
Classics offers a core program in Latin and Greek language and literature, and also less language-intensive options in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History.
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.
Here, you can choose from more than 300 graduate degree program options and 2000+ research supervisors. You can even design your own program.