Pomerantz Career Center

Graduates with a major in Classical Languages learn to read the ancient Greek and/or Latin languages, become acquainted with the major works of Greek and/or Roman literature, and acquire knowledge of the history of ancient Greece of the eighth through the fourth centuries B.C.E., where most of the modern Western notions of political, artistic, and social life are rooted, and an understanding of the Roman Republic and Empire when Rome established its hegemony over the Mediterranean basin, laid the foundation of law for the Western world, and transmitted the culture of Greece to the West.

What can you do with a major in Classics? Classics students who have mastered Latin and Greek will find other intellectual challenges much less daunting than people who have never learned anything quite so difficult. Classics graduates know how to absorb large quantities of information quickly, retain it, and use it rapidly. They know how to analyze and interpret, to pay attention to details without losing track of the big picture, and to relate a work or event to its context.

Classics graduates pursue careers in business, education, government, and the non-profit sector, and some pursue advanced degrees. Future career options may be determined not so much by the choice of the Classics major, but by your interests, skills, values, and types of work experiences acquired during college. Regardless of your career aspirations, increase your marketability to employers through internships, related work experience, good grades, advanced coursework, and involvement in campus activities. Many careers do not require a specific major, but rather a wide range of demonstrated skills, accomplishments, and related work experience while in school.