UMass Boston

In addition to the criteria listed below, applicants must also meet general graduate admission requirements.

• Applicants must submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts and have at least a 3.0 grade point average in undergraduate work and any prior graduate-level work, with a minimum of 3.25 in the major field.
• Applicants are expected to present an undergraduate major in classical language, or its equivalent. Students with deficiencies in their Latin preparation may be admitted provisionally and required to take Latin courses at the undergraduate level before full admission to the program.
• Applicants should submit at least 2 letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
• An interview should be arranged, whenever feasible.

Deadlines: June 15 for fall, December 1 for spring

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Estimate Your Program Cost: Get a feel for your expected program costs using the Graduate Program Cost Calculator.

Program Cost Information: For more detailed information on costs, please visit the Bursar's website.

The program that gives aspiring Latin teachers the linguistic and pedagogical skills they need.

This program offers intensive education in Latin language and literature as well as the pedagogical preparation needed to earn initial licensure (grades 5-12) from the state of Massachusetts. This license is also valid in other states. Students take four courses in the College of Education and Human Development. The department, unusually, offers its own course on “Methods of Teaching the Latin Language.” Our communicative Latin methodology is a vital feature of this program. In their fourth semester graduate student complete their practicum by doing student teaching at area high schools.

In the time since our graduate programs were inaugurated in 2006/2007, over 60 students have completed the two-year program in Latin and Classical Humanities; of these, two-thirds have also received licensure and have gone on to pursue teaching careers.

Several teaching assistantships with tuition remission are available annually. Students may enroll full-time or part-time. Graduate courses meet once a week in the late afternoon/early evening and may be attended in person or remotely.

Course Requirements

Classics Component (15 Credits)

Complete fifteen credits in Latin, chosen from among graduate Latin seminars and Latin electives.

With prior permission of the graduate program director, students with exceptionally strong background in the Latin language and literature may be allowed to substitute an applied linguistics, education, or graduate-level Greek class for one of these.

Education Component (12 Credits)

• EDC G 606 - Sociocultural Foundations of Education 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 644 - Developmental Stages across the Lifespan 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 650 - Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners 3 Credit(s)

• EDC G 643 - Fostering Equitable and Affirming Classroom Environments 3 Credit(s)
  or
• EDC G 648 - New Literacies and Emerging Technologies across the Content Areas 3 Credit(s)

Methods Component (6 Credits)

• LATIN 615 - Methods of Teaching in the Latin Language 3 Credit(s)
• LATIN 670 - Active Learning methodologies for Teachers of Latin 2-3 Credit(s)

Licensure Component (3 Credits)

• LATIN 688 - Initial Licensure Practicum: Student Teaching 3-6 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Classics faculty have collaborated with the department of Applied Linguistics to create this unique program. Students continue to build their knowledge of Latin but also gain expertise in theoretical and applied aspects of second language acquisition (SLA). No student teaching is expected.

Course Requirements

Classics Component (18 Credits): Complete 18 credits in Latin, chosen from among graduate Latin seminars and Latin electives. Three credits may be earned in a Greek or classical studies graduate course.

With prior approval of the graduate program director, a graduate course in an allied department may count toward this requirement.

Methods Component (6 Credits): With prior approval of the graduate program director, LATIN 615 may be waived and a 3-credit elective in either applied linguistics or classics taken in its place.

• LATIN 615 - Methods of Teaching in the Latin Language 3 Credit(s)
• LATIN 670 - Active Learning methodologies for Teachers of Latin 2-3 Credit(s)

Linguistics Component (12 Credits): Substitutions may be made with the prior approval of the graduate program director.

• APLING 601 - Linguistics 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 611 - Methods and Materials in Foreign Language Instruction 3 Credit(s)

Take two of the following:

• APLING 603 - Language, Culture and Identity 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 621 - Psycholinguistics 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 623 - Sociolinguistics 3 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

This MA focuses on Greek and Latin language and literature. No coursework in pedagogy or language acquisition is required; neither is student teaching. The focus is less on teaching than on discipline-specific methods and knowledge, critical reading and writing, and gaining research skills. Students take a variety courses, in prose and poetry, and are able to consolidate their knowledge of classical authors and genres. Small, seminar-size classes ensure close contact with faculty. Graduate students present research papers at regional conferences and several have gone on to PhD programs in Classics and English.

Course Requirements

Greek and Latin Courses (30 Credits)

A minimum of twelve credits to be earned in Latin, chosen from among graduate Latin classes and seminars, and a minimum of twelve credits to be earned in graduate Greek classes.

Six additional credits to be chosen from among either graduate Greek or Latin classes.

Electives (6 Credits)

Complete two elective courses drawn from among graduate Latin, Greek, classical studies, methods, applied linguistics, and history classes.

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Students in the Applied Linguistics Track will:

• have increased expertise in the Latin language and classical culture
• have acquired essential theoretical and applied understanding of second language acquisition (SLA)

Students in the Licensure Track will:

• have expertise in the Latin language
• have expertise in Latin pedagogy
• have acquired an initial teaching license in the state of Massachusetts

Students in the Greek/Latin Track will:

• have gained expertise in Ancient Greek, as needed for entry into a doctoral program in Classics.
• have gained expertise in Latin languages, as needed for entry into a doctoral program in Classics.

Applied Linguistics Track

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including six classics component courses, two methods component courses, and four linguistics component courses.

Capstone: Pass two comprehensive exams. One will test facility in Latin language; the other will be based on course work in linguistics, on a comprehensive reading list in Latin literature, and on required readings in Greek literature in English translation.

Optionally, and upon invitation by the faculty only, students may complete either a final paper (3 credits, approximately 30 pages in length) or a Master’s thesis (6 credits, approximately 60 pages in length, involving extensive original research/scholarship). Both the final paper and the thesis are prepared under the guidance of an individual faculty advisor and defended before a committee of three faculty members.

Statute of limitations: Four years.

Greek/Latin Track

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including ten courses in Greek and Latin and two electives.

Capstone: Pass a set of three rigorous comprehensive exams. Two will test facility in Latin and Greek languages, respectively; the third will be an essay exam based on selected readings lists in Latin and Greek literature.

By invitation of the faculty only, a 3-credit final paper or a 6-credit Master’s thesis in either Latin of Greek may count toward this requirement; to be eligible for this option, students should normally have completed a minimum of eighteen credits toward the degree and be carrying a GPA of 3.6 or higher (final paper) or 3.75 or higher (thesis). Both the final paper and the thesis are prepared under the guidance of an individual faculty advisor and defended before a committee or three faculty members.

Statute of limitations: Five years.

Initial Licensure Track

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including five classics component courses, four education component courses, two methods component courses, and once licensure course.

Capstone: Passing two rigorous comprehensive exams is required. One will test facility in Latin language and the other will be based on selected readings in Latin literature and will test mastery of pedagogical theory and practice.

Licensure: Students must take and pass the necessary MTEL exams (Communications and Literacy; Latin and Classical Humanities) before they will be permitted to begin their practicum. Students must also complete 75 hours of observation (pre-practicum experience) in a variety of school settings.

Statute of limitations: Five years.

Graduate Program Director Peter Lech
peter.lech@umb.edu