Advising

The Department of Classics is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by the advisor and the advisee.

The goal of advising in the graduate program is to help students select courses that best suit their intellectual pursuits, design and conduct research, navigate degree requirements, explore academic and professional opportunities, and prepare for their postgraduate careers.

Graduate students are expected to be active collaborators in the advising relationship. They are responsible for seeking academic and professional guidance and informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for the PhD program. 

An essential part of the advisee-advisor relationship is for students to discuss their expectations for the adviser-advisee relationship with the advisor and revisit these expectations periodically. 

Students must choose a primary dissertation advisor before they are evaluated for candidacy, and no later than the end of Spring Quarter of the second year.

Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)

A Department faculty member is the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The DGS monitors the degree progress of all PhD students, offers advice on meeting department and university requirements, and coordinates departmental advising and Teaching Assistant (TA) assignments.

PhD students are admitted to one of three tracks within the Classics Department, each with its own requirements (Archaeology, AncientHistory, and Language and Literature). Each track also has an individual advisor in the pre-dissertation stage, advising on track-specific coursework, training in research methodologies, and professional development. During their first two years in the program, each student must meet with both the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and the track advisor at the beginning of the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. The DGS and the track advisor approve a course of study, monitor progress, provide advice about funding opportunities, strategies for scheduling general and other exams required for degree progress, and provide support if difficulties arise. Students in the third year and above are expected to meet regularly with their advisor and to keep them informed about their academic progress. Additional expectations can be found in the "Overview of Degree Requirements" section.