What can I do with a classics degree?

The short answer is: just about anything. Given the great range and depth of knowledge required of the field—language, culture, philosophy, history—the study of classics at UVM leaves students very well prepared to lead fulfilling, informed lives and to pursue a variety of fruitful careers.

Many UVM classics majors go on to graduate study in classics, philosophy, comparative literature, history, art history, or medieval studies; others enter the professions of law, business, or medicine; still others are employed immediately in secondary education, museums, publishing houses, journalism, and a wide range of business endeavors. But because of the broad interdisciplinary focus of the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum, classics majors are equipped with a broad range of transferable skills, enabling them to succeed in any profession.

Classics majors tend to be successful because they master grammar and syntax, expand their vocabulary, and learn intellectual rigor, communication skills, and analytical skills. They also possess the ability to handle complex information, and, above all, a breadth of view which few other disciplines can provide. 

  • Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer

    UVM a key stop for Egyptologist

    Born and raised in Bretagne (Brittany), France, with diplomas in organic chemistry and engineering, Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer lives in Chicago where she studies and teaches Egyptology. Her migration from rural France to metropolitan Chicago involved a crucial stopover at the University of Vermont. After finishing her degrees in France, she moved to Burlington to join her fiancé, now husband, Bob LeSuer, who was starting a PhD program in chemistry with Dr. Bill Geiger. "While I had studied chemistry as an undergraduate, I did not see myself pursuing a career in that field. Ancient history had always fascinated me, in particular ancient Egypt." She decided to further explore this interest and begin a program in Egyptology. She contacted the classics department at UVM because it seemed like the logical starting place was studying ancient Greece and Rome. "I was immediately welcomed with open arms by the classics faculty. Dr. Barbara Saylor Rodgers suggested that I start learning ancient Greek, since I had already studied Latin in High School. While quite challenging at first — I had not looked at my Latin grammar book for at least seven or eight years — I enjoyed reacquainting myself with these ancient languages."

    Read more of Rozenn's story.

    During the two years she spent in the UVM classics department as a graduate student, she had the opportunity to work with several of the faculty, in particular Mark Usher, who she described as "a wonderful mentor and fervent supporter of my work." Bailleul-LeSuer's next stop was the University of Texas at Austin, where she finished her MA thesis. After many years spent diving deep into the field of ancient Near Eastern studies, focusing on ancient Egypt, she completed her PhD dissertation “The Exploitation of Avian Resources in Ancient Egypt: A Socio-Economic Study.” She is now a research associate at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute.

     

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A degree of difference

Graduates from the department routinely go on to advanced study in the classics or related fields. A small sample of these institutions include:

Duke University
Cornell University
Florida State University
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Oxford University
Princeton University
University of Cal. Berkeley
University College of Dublin
University College of London
University of Chicago
Yale University