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Classical studies encompasses the examination and interpretation of ancient Greek and Roman cultures through diverse methods. This includes scholarly activities like reading, debates, and writing, as well as hands-on experiences such as internships at the Penn Museum, international study programs, or archaeological excavations. The University of Pennsylvania's Department of Classical Studies has provided comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs for more than 200 years, covering language, literature, history, archaeology, and cultural analysis. The department promotes interdisciplinary and comparative teaching methods while collaborating with related fields such as Religious Studies, English, Comparative Literature, Medieval Studies, Philosophy, Linguistics, Italian Studies, Art History, and the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
International applicant should have completed a program of secondary education that would enable you to enter a university in your own country (e.g., A-levels, Abitur).
A strong command of the English language is necessary for successful study at Penn. Applicants whose families do not speak English at home, or applicants who have not attended a high school or secondary school where the primary language of instruction is English, are asked to take the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, administered by the Educational Testing Service. In the event the TOEFL is not readily accessible, Penn will accept results from the IELTS, the International English Language Testing System.