About Graduate Study at UCSB

Department of Classics

The faculty of the Department of Classics includes nationally and internationally known scholars with expertise and interests in archaeology, critical theory, cultural studies, epigraphy, gender studies, history, linguistics, performance studies, philosophy, religion, social history, and textual criticism; there are notable clusters of research and teaching interests in ancient drama, ancient history and theoretical approaches to Classical literature. The Department is also renowned for the excellence of its philological training. Graduate students enjoy the advantages of an active and distinguished faculty in a program that is small enough to give each student individual attention and guidance. While pursuing their own research at the highest levels, our faculty are also dedicated to excellence in teaching. We consistently maintain the full spectrum of graduate courses, usually about five each quarter, over a wide range of topics. And since ours is a moderately sized program, we are able to devote considerable time and energy to fostering a strong sense of intellectual community.

UCSB

One of ten campuses of the prestigious University of California system, UCSB provides an exciting intellectual environment. The campus community currently numbers about 18,000 students, of whom about 2,000 are graduate students. Because of its academic excellence, UCSB was elected in 1995 to the 60 member Association of American Universities. In the same year, the National Research Council conducted a comprehensive study of doctoral programs and ranked four of UCSB’s programs in the top ten nationally. Six other programs were ranked in the top seven and 57 percent of programs were ranked within the top 25 percent nationwide. Over the last seven years, five faculty members have received Nobel Prizes. These honors attest to the high quality of UCSB’s faculty, academic programs, and graduate students.

Santa Barbara

The secluded and attractive campus is nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean on an 815-acre promontory jutting into the sea. The West Campus, part of which is designated a natural preserve, contains undeveloped, ecologically important dunes facing the Channel Islands. Downtown Santa Barbara is ten miles away; Los Angeles less than two hours by car. The J. Paul Getty Museum for classical antiquities is an easy day trip. The city of Santa Barbara offers a wide variety of theatrical and musical productions, art and natural history museums, botanical and zoological gardens, festivals, one of the nation’s most dense concentrations of shops and restaurants, and breathtaking views of mountains, Spanish-style architecture, beaches, palms, and sea.