Applicants for both the MA and PhD programs must meet admission and application requirements for both the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at UBC and the Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies.
Application procedures
You must submit your application to our graduate programs using UBC’s online application portal. Please do not send any documents by mail, as we will not consider them as part of your application package.
As part of the online application, you must provide the following documents.
We require official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended, whether or not you completed the program or degree.
If you participated in a university exchange program, you must provide an official transcript from the exchange institution, even if the exchange study is confirmed on the transcript of your home institution.
International students
We will require your original transcripts with an English translation. Transcripts and diplomas in a language other than English must be accompanied by certified English translations.
We ask you to answer the following statement that appears on the online application:
“Please provide a statement summarizing your academic or other professional interests, goals, and reasons for applying to this program (approx. 500 words). This may include your personal reasons for pursuing your field of study, highlights of relevant professional or academic experience, an outline of your proposed area of research, and/or your career plan upon completion of this program. You should clearly define how your previous study and experiences have prepared you to succeed in this particular graduate program.”
You must submit three letters of reference with your application.
The referees will receive an automatically-generated email invitation to submit their references once you have submitted your application.
Referees can choose to answer the list of standard questions provided online or upload a separate, signed letter, or both.
Referees must have an institutional email to access the electronic submission system; those who do not will receive instructions to send a letter by mail.
We ask you to submit a sample of your writing with your application. This can be a term paper or a substantial scholarly paper. There is no minimum or maximum length, though you may use 10 to 25 pages as a guideline.
All applicants from an institution where the primary language of instruction is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English. Please see the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for minimum acceptable scores on standard English proficiency tests.
Entrance requirements
When applying to the MA or PhD programs, you should fulfil the following entrance requirements. Please note that these include both the university’s and the Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies’ requirements and standards.
Before entering the program, you must meet the admission requirements, but we understand that these may be in progress during your application. We may offer conditional admission to applicants with required degrees or coursework in progress.
Master’s entrance requirements
You must meet the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirements, including minimum grade point averages (specific to the country) and English language proficiency.
MA in Ancient Culture, Religion and Ethnicity
Required: at least 18 credits at the 300 and 400 levels (or equivalent) in classical, Near Eastern, or religious studies and/or classical languages.
MA in Classics
Required: at least 18 credits at the 300 and 400 levels (or equivalent) in Ancient Greek and/or Latin, including at least six credits in each language.
MA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology
Required: at least 18 credits at the 300 and 400 level (or equivalent) in classical studies and/or Near Eastern studies, including at least six credits studying classical art or archaeology.
MA in Religious Studies
Required: at least 18 credits at the 300 and 400 level (or equivalent) in religious studies (which may include up to 6 credits at the 300 or 400 level either in the study of Asian religions or of a classical language: Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, classical Arabic, and/or Latin).
We strongly recommend that all MA applicants complete two years of language study (12 credits or equivalent) before entering the program.
Students without two years of language study must complete this requirement during the program. In addition, the MA in Classics requires upper-level undergraduate study in Ancient Greek and Latin (see above).
PhD Admission Requirements
All applications must meet the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirements, including minimum grade point averages (specific to the country) and English language proficiency.
PhD in Classics and PhD in Classics: Ancient History
Required: a minimum of 12 credits (or equivalent) at the graduate level in Ancient Greek and Latin, with at least three credits in each language.
PhD in Classics: Classical Archaeology
Required: a minimum of 12 credits (or equivalent) at the graduate level in classical archaeology before completing the archaeological fieldwork requirement (found on the PhD in Classics page).
PhD in Religious Studies
You will require a minimum of 12 credits (or equivalent) at the graduate level in religious studies, which may include up to six credits in the study of Asian religions.
- Graduate-level coursework in Ancient Greek and Latin are requirements for the PhD Classics and the PhD Classics (Ancient History) (see above).
- Applicants to the PhD Classics (Classical Archaeology) must have completed at least two years of undergraduate study (12 credits, or equivalent) in either Ancient Greek or Latin before admission (minimum grade: B-/68%),
- Applicants PhD Religious Studies must have completed at least two years of undergraduate study (12 credits, or equivalent) in one of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, classical Arabic, or Latin before admission (minimum grade B-/68%)