Students may also pursue individual interests by taking courses offered outside the Department, and in special circumstances may arrange for independent study. In choosing their courses, the students are guided by a pair of faculty who serve as graduate student advisers. The Ph.D. program prepares students for careers in teaching and research. Students normally take a year or two of course-work after the Master's degree to expand their knowledge of Classics and to explore areas of research, and then devote one or more years to the writing of a dissertation. At this stage students are encouraged to direct course work toward the development of possible dissertation topics.
Departmental seminars offer an opportunity to explore particular texts or problems in depth.
Workshops provide a forum in which students may try out their own research ideas and become acquainted with research strategies of faculty and other graduate students, both inside and outside the Classics Department. There are also translation examinations in both Greek and Latin prose. When these examinations have been completed, students prepare a written dissertation proposal with the guidance of a three-person faculty advisory committee and present the proposal to the Department. After the proposal is approved, students write the dissertation with the advice of their committee and present the completed dissertaton to the Department. Students are encouraged not to let this phase of their work draw them completely away from participation in the workshop and lecture programs of the University.