All students entering the Ph.D. program, with the exception of those granted advanced standing because they hold the M.A. degree from another institution, will be concurrently enrolled in the M.A. program. The normative time for completion of the M.A. degree is two years. Students will be required to pass a departmentally administered reading examination in German, or otherwise demonstrate proficiency in German in a manner acceptable to the Department, by the beginning of the second year of course work. Upon completion of the requirements for the M.A. degree, a student will be permitted to continue in the Ph.D. program only upon a positive vote of a majority of the Classics faculty. In addition to course work, students are required to read extensively in the general field of Classics, under faculty guidance.
Students take written examinations, and their progress is assessed periodically.
Students are required to pass a reading examination in a second modern language by the end of the third year. After course work is completed, each student must pass an individually designed qualifying examination, covering both the general field of Classics and the student's own interests, in order to become a candidate for the Ph.D. and enter the dissertation stage. The resources of the program are appreciably enhanced by contributions from other sources. In particular, cooperative arrangements are in force among the Classics graduate programs of the UC campuses at Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and the University of Southern California. Additionally, the program calls on visiting scholars, faculty from other UCI departments, and members of the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae .