Major Spotlight: The Classics
Humanities departments at colleges across the U.S. have seen their budgets shrinking and the number of students who major in the humanities falling. As a result, many humanities courses have been cut and faculties of these departments reduced. In today’s technological age, a major in classics can still make sense. Classics graduates are able to wow employers with the skills they culled in their major: the ability to learn and understand challenging subjects, collate and analyze materials, including statistics, evaluate resources to formulate arguments, articulate arguments thoughtfully, write and think under pressure, work creatively and collaboratively and identify problems with possible solutions.
Classics majors study the languages, literatures and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. Students explore the beliefs and achievements of these worlds and discover just how much they still affect contemporary civilization. Besides learning Greek or Latin (or both), students will also read the great literary and philosophical works written in these languages. Classics majors study ancient art, architecture and technology, and learn about Greco-Roman legal systems, social institutions, religious practices and class distinctions. In addition to Greek and Latin, courses include ancient philosophy, classical art and archaeology, classical mythology, tragedy and comedy, lyric poetry, Athenian democracy, and classes that focus on figures such as Homer, Virgil, Herodotus, Horace, Livy and Tacitus. Many classics students double-major or take an additional concentration in history, philosophy or comparative literature.
Looking at this, a student might assume that people who major in classics want to prepare for careers as college professors or language teachers. While classics is an appropriate choice for those career paths, it is also an excellent choice to prepare for a wide variety of occupations. Classics majors commonly go on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and administrators, members of the diplomatic service, engineers, computer programmers, clergy, businesswomen and men and entrepreneurs of all types.
A study by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that students who major or double-major in classics have a better success rate getting into medical school than do students who concentrate solely in one of the branches of science. According to Harvard Magazine, classics majors (along with math majors) have the highest success rates of any majors in law school. In addition, classics majors achieve some of the highest scores of all undergraduates on the GREs (Graduate Record Exam) and LSATs (Law School Admissions Test). What is it about the study of classics that prepares students so well for success in their chosen field?
One reason is that classics majors completely master grammar. Medical terminology, legal terminology as well as the challenging vocabulary words on the GRE and LSAT have their roots in Greek and Latin. Ultimately classics majors do well in life because they develop intellectual rigor, enhance their communication and analytical skills, hone their ability to handle complex information, and gain a breadth of view which few other disciplines can provide.
To learn more about how a classics major might suit your needs, check out the website of the Society for Classical Studies at www.apaclassics.org, the National Committee for Latin & Greek (NCLG) at www.promotelatin.org, and the American Classical League (ACL) at www.aclclassics.org.
Career Paths for Classics Majors
Museum Researcher
Attorney
Architect
Theatrical Actor/Manager
Publisher/Editor
Screenwriter
Journalist
TV Reporter
Public Relations Associate
Editing Assistant
Writer’s Agent
Financial Planner
Internet Specialist
Marketing Account Executive
Entrepreneur
State Legislator
Consultant
Investment Analyst
Language Instructor
Radio Producer
Psychologist
Legislative Assistant
Research Analyst
Mediator
Policy Analyst
Community Organizer
Surgeon
Caseworker
Government Relations Associate
Paralegal Teacher
College Professor
Affirmative Action Officer
Student Services Administrator
Copywriter
Writer
Physician