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Profile of Programme

The undergraduate programme in Classics aims at the systematic education of scholars specialised in the languages and literatures of Greco-Roman antiquity. At the same time, it offers comprehensive knowledge of the Greek language and literature of all historical periods. More specifically, the particular objectives of the programme are the following:

(a) Its main objective is to provide specialised knowledge on the language, literature and other written monuments of the Greek and Roman world.
(b) The above aim is accompanied by a parallel concern for the cultivation of a broad knowledge of various aspects of the classical world. This is more specifically achieved through courses of historical linguistics, ancient history, archaeology and ancient philosophy.
(c) An additional objective is to provide students with a good knowledge of the Greek language and literature of the Byzantine and Modern Greek era.
(d) A parallel aim is the acquaintance with the history, the methods and practices of classical scholarship.
(e) The language of instruction is Greek, but the programme also trains students in at least one modern foreign language. Consequently, students are able to use bibliography other than Greek and to undertake, if they wish, postgraduate studies abroad or profit from the Erasmus programme.
(f) The programme encourages an interdisciplinary perspective and students’ freedom to choose what they want to learn, since it includes three free electives that must be chosen from outside the Department of Classics and Philosophy and from at least two different Faculties of the University.
(g) The programme also trains students in the use of the rich digital resources of Classical Studies (such as databases, electronic dictionaries, digital libraries of ancient writers, digitized manuscripts etc.).
Graduates of the programme usually pursue careers as teachers appointed to schools of Secondary Education in the Republic of Cyprus, but also find employment in other positions in the public and private sector, e.g., in museums and cultural foundations. Finally, the ‘transferable skills’ they are furnished with through their studies (see Key Learning Outcomes) also enable them to excel in professions not directly connected with Philology.

Key Learning Outcomes

The graduates of the undergraduate programme in Classics are expected to obtain a systematic education which ensures their scholarly and professional expertise as philologists specialised in classical antiquity.
More specifically, they will obtain knowledge (A) and certain skills, some of which are transferable (B).

(A) Knowledge:
(a) Students will have an excellent command of ancient Greek and Latin.
(b) They will become acquainted with a large corpus of ancient Greek and Latin texts from the main literary genres and will have an overview of the historical development of ancient Greek and Latin literature.
(c) They will be able to analyse classical texts using modern and more traditional methods-they will know about the historical development of Classical Scholarship.
(d) They will obtain basic knowledge of the thought, the civilization and the history of the ancient world.
(e) They will become familiar with the reception of the classical world in Cyprus, Greece and the contemporary world.
(f) They will become acquainted with the main reference works of the discipline, printed and electronic, in order to cope with particular philological problems.

(B) Skills:
The students of the programme are expected to develop the following skills:
(a) to analyse primary sources within their historical context and treat them with a critical mind.
(b) to make associations between different fields, given the interdisciplinary orientation of the programme (it includes philosophy, history, literature, language courses).
(c) to identify the political aspect inherent in all the phenomena of social life.
(d) to understand societies different from ours and to study them in their own contexts.
(e) to analyse and critically assess the uses of the classical past in contemporary discourses in Cyprus and Greece.
(f) to develop translation skills.
(g) to construct logical arguments and evaluate others’ arguments.
(h) to produce well-structured, persuasive and well-argued oral and written texts.

Key Information

Department: Department of Classics and Philosophy

Faculty: Faculty of Letters

Programme Name: Classics

Direction: Classical Studies

Level of Qualification: 1st Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) [8 Semesters]

Mode of Study: Full time

Language of Instruction: Greek

Coordinator: Professor Georgios Xenis

Curriculum Structure

Course Type ECTS
Compulsory
Compulsory 97
Foreign Language 15
Restricted Elective 105
Restricted Elective Seminars 10
Free Elective 15
TOTAL ECTS 242

Courses per Semester

Notes

Compulsory courses

— The compulsory seminar in Historical Linguistics (5th semester) is offered each year under a new code (AGL 4XX) and with a new title and subject.

Restricted elective courses

— The 4 courses in Ancient Greek / Latin can be distributed either as
— The 5 courses from the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies must concern Modern Greek Literature. Courses with a BMG 0.. code may not be chosen.
— The 3 courses from the Department of History and Archaeology include one course in Ancient Greek History (or, alternatively, one course in Classical Archaeology), one course in Roman History and one Course in History of any period.

Conditions of Study

Specific Admission Requirements

The vast majority of newly admitted undergraduate students enter the University of Cyprus following Pancyprian Examinations organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture for admission into establishments of higher education.

· Admission based on Special Criteria
Candidates who have taken the Pancyprian Examinations and who meet certain special criteria, as these are set out in the Rules and Regulations of Academic and Student Affairs, may seek a limited number of places (14% of Cypriot admissions).

· Top athletes and persons distinguished in International Olympiads
Athletes with top distinctions in sports, as defined by the Council of the University of Cyprus, or those who have won 1st 2nd or 3rd place medals in International Olympiads (e.g. Mathematics, ICT, Biology, etc.), may be admitted into Departments of the University of Cyprus without examinations simply on the basis of their Lyceum Leaving Certificate.

· Entry on the basis of Panhellenic Examinations
10% of the total number of places offered through the Pancyprian Examinations may be taken up by candidates passing the Panhellenic Examinations.

· Entry on the basis of International Examinations
An additional number of places (3%) of admissions from Cyprus may be sought on the basis of the results of international examinations such as GCE, Baccalaureate or other equivalent examinations, by Cypriots belonging to the Republic’s official religious groups, repatriated Cypriots, Cypriots who reside permanently abroad, Greeks of the diaspora, children of officials of the Cypriot Foreign Service and foreign citizens from EU states or countries outside the European Union.

· Turkish-Cypriots
Turkish Cypriot graduates of six-grade secondary schools are admitted on the basis of their school-leaving certificate or after passing special written or oral examinations organised by the competent Department.

· Transfers/Second Degree
Every year the University of Cyprus offers a limited number of places for internal/external transfers and for obtaining a second degree.

Rules of Study

Students must always consult the University's Undergraduate Study Rules  

Graduation Requirements

The Programme is based on the European System of Credit Transfer and Accumulation (ECTS). The degree is awarded after the successful completion of studies in the program / direction determined by the Department. The student is required to complete at least 242 ECTS.

Examination Regulations

Assessment and Grading

The final grade of an undergraduate student, and consequently the grade of his Degree (Excellent with Distinction (9.5-10), Excellent (8.5-9.49), Very Good (6.5-8.49), Good (5.5-6.49) and Satisfactory (5-5.49) is calculated as the weighted average of all the courses that the student has successfully completed.The weighting is based on the hours of each course.

Further Information

Occupational Profiles of Graduates with Examples

Surveys conducted in the past and other data at our disposal show that apart from our graduates working in Secondary Education, an important number is made up of those that have embarked upon a career in research / academia, work in print and electronic media, in cultural organisations, in administration (in some cases in connection with education or research), in local government and the wider public sector, in diplomacy, etc. A certain number of graduates have chosen to pursue postgraduate studies in fields such as Education, Social Sciences, Political Science, European Studies, Law, MBA, Accounting, Theatre Studies, etc. Finally, the financial crisis of recent years has further made a number of graduates seek employment in the private sector.
Many of our older graduates have confirmed that their undergraduate studies had furnished them with the necessary skills to succeed in their further studies. In addition, we are pleased to note that in recent years employers from various fields (even those unrelated to education and culture) who have come into contact with our graduates have expressed themselves in flattering terms on their skills and general knowledge. Thus, we feel that a degree in Classics from the University of Cyprus is well on its way to becoming established in Cypriot society as an undergraduate degree of a particular quality and prestige, a desirable asset for employment and for admission in study programmes beyond the original field of studies.

Access to Further Studies

Graduates can be admitted to Master Programmes  

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