Classical Studies: Graduate Exams
Classics > Programs & Courses > Graduate > Classical Studies > Exams

• Grading & Evaluation
• Length of Exams
• Timing of Exams
• Candidacy Requirements
• Ideal Schedule

Grading and Evaluation of Department Exams

All written exams (except for prelims) will be set by two readers who will be selected by the graduate adviser. The examiners should make up the exam in consultation with each other. They should grade the exam independently. If there is a discrepancy of more than half a grade, and they cannot resolve this discrepancy after discussion between themselves, the graduate adviser will appoint a third reader. The graduate adviser will also review all the exams before they are given, to ensure that the difficulty of the exam is roughly in line with other such exams that have been given in recent years. Students may take the exams anonymously if they wish.

Length of Exams

Timing of Exams

First Year: All entering students will take the diagnostic sight exams before the beginning of fall term. They may also take the Greek and Roman history at this time. These exams will also be offered at the end of winter term. The French or Italian and German exams will also be offered at the beginning of fall term, and at the end of winter term. First year students are encouraged to take these examinations as soon as possible. If students do not take the history and French and German exams in the winter term of their first year, they should take them at the beginning of the fall term of their second year.

Second Year: The French or Italian and German exams should be taken before the beginning of fall term. The history exams should be taken at the beginning of fall term if they have not already been passed. The Greek and Latin Qualifying exams must be taken at the end of winter term. Exams which are not passed at this time should be retaken at the beginning of the following fall term.

Third Year: The French or Italian and German exams must be passed no later than the winter term examination date for these exams. Successful completion of all these examinations is a necessary prerequisite for admission to candidacy.

Preliminary examinations should be completed before the end of the spring examination period. Under no circumstances should students fail to complete these exams before the Rackham summer deadline for admission to candidacy.

Candidacy Requirements

Admission to candidacy requires the successful completion of the French or Italian, the German, and the Greek and Roman history examinations, the fulfillment of the history of literature requirement (by course or examination), and the three preliminary exams (the two author exams and the special field exam). In addition to these examinations, the Rackham cognate requirement (two courses outside of the primary area of study) and the Department's prose composition requirement (by taking the Greek and Latin prose composition courses) and seminar and 600-level course requirements must be satisfied. IT IS STRONGLY ADVISED THAT STUDENTS NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR TO SATISFY ALL THESE REQUIREMENTS.

Cognate Courses: Rackham regulations require two cognate courses for candidacy; these are courses outside of the student's major area of study. Under Rackham regulations, courses listed as Classical Archaeology, ancient history and 600-level Greek or Latin can be taken as cognates with the permission of the graduate adviser, though it is very strongly advised that at least one cognate be taken from someone who does not have a direct connection with the Department. The Department will not count introductory courses in French or German as cognates, though instruction in another foreign language (e.g. Arabic, Akkadian, Sanscrit) may be counted if the graduate adviser agrees with decisions made on a case by case basis.

Seminars and 600-level Courses: The Department requires two seminars (courses with 800 numbers) and one course in a discipline (e.g. papyrology, epigraphy, textual criticism, numismatics, linguistics) for candidacy.

Prose Composition: The Department requires the successful completion of graduate level prose composition courses in Greek and Latin at Michigan. There will be no exemptions from this requirement, though in special, hardship cases, some arrangement might be made to complete the requirement through an independent study arranged by the graduate adviser.

Special Cases: The Department recognizes that all students do not arrive here with the same level of preparation. For that reason we foresee two areas where we will consider changing the examination schedule on a case by case basis.

• Delayed Qualifying Exams: If students have a valid reason for postponing the qualifying examinations in Greek and Latin (or one or the other), arrangements can be made on a case by case basis. As the qualifying exams are the prerequisite for the preliminary exams, students must not make arrangements for completing the prelims before they complete the qualifying exams. A student can petition the Department to take these examinations a third time if a reasonable case can be made.
• Accelerated Prelims: If students are trying to complete their prelims before the beginning of the third year, they should try to take the Greek and Latin qualifying exams either at the end of their first year, or in the fall of the second year. This course is highly recommended where possible, and the graduate adviser is extremely happy to discuss it with any student who wants to try it. There is no penalty for failure on the qualifying exams if they are taken early (before the winter examination period in the second year). In such cases students may not have been able to fulfill the history of literature requirement by course work; in these cases they may attempt to fulfill this requirement by exam. This will be handled on a case by case basis.

Prelims: Students may do their prelims through oral examinations, written examinations or papers (the format will be set by the examiner in consultation with the student). Ordinarily a student will do one examination as a written exam or a paper, and two as orals. Both orals should take place on the same day and at the same time; the two orals should not last more than an hour to an hour-and-a-half. If, through circumstances beyond the student's control (or because only one prelim is being done as an oral) the two orals cannot be conducted on the same day, the graduate adviser should be informed. At least two faculty members should be present at the exam to forestall disputes over the results. In so far as it is possible, the graduate adviser will be a "silent partner" at all orals.

Ideal Schedule of Required Courses and Examinations for the First Three Years of a Graduate Student's Career