A major or minor in the Department of Classical and Religious Studies equips you with a deep historical perspective for understanding our world today; enhances your cultural awareness; engages you in advanced research using textual, artistic, material, or digital sources; and hones your skills as a critical and creative thinker, speaker, and writer. We prepare you in a distinctive way for success in a variety of careers, including:
- Advocacy
- Business
- Community outreach
- Diplomacy
- Education
- Law
- Medicine
- Missionary and faith leadership
- Public service
Alumni Stories
Natalia Alvarez
My classics education not only honed my critical thinking and communication skills, it also grew my appreciation for the complexity of the human condition. I’ve leveraged this understanding to raise millions of dollars for medical research, earn my MBA from Dartmouth College, and now develop marketing strategies for breast cancer therapies. My ability to communicate, question, and connect with others on a deep level has been integral to my career.
Mike Halper
From Vanderbilt I went straight to Stanford Law and worked at two firms in New York City before clerking now for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals. When trying to dissect legal doctrine, I employ the same skeptical approach I polished digging through ancient sources to discern the kernels of truth beneath the writer’s sometimes outrageous claims. My classics degree also afforded me the opportunity to sharpen my writing and editing skills. And knowing a little bit of Latin helps, too!
Annika Schaefer
I am in medical school at the University of Maryland. As odd as this sounds, classics were the perfect complement to my science classes, by emphasizing the core of science and of medicine in people. In studying classics, I learned to uncover the lives of ancient Greeks from pottery shards and poem fragments, and with those skills I am able to see the lives of my patients beyond their test values.
Alex Smitten
I earned my M.A. in ancient languages and cultures from Utah State University and am working there as a computer service technician for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. My classics background has helped me to develop not only the research skills necessary for my thesis on lexicography, but also the analytical skills that I use every day in information technology. Between these two skillsets, I have been able to pursue many different digital humanities projects.