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Studies & Degrees in Greek Language and Literature (in Universities)

Greek language and literature is the university study of Greek in all its periods: the ancient Greek of Homer, the tragedians, Plato and the New Testament, the Greek of the Byzantine centuries, and the modern language spoken today. Outside Greece the ancient part is usually taught in classics departments, together with Latin. The Department of Classical Studies at Duke University, for example, covers the languages (ancient Greek and Latin) and literatures, archaeology, art history and histories of Greco-Roman antiquity, from 3000 BCE to 900 CE.

In Greece the subject is called Greek philology and covers the whole history of the language. The Department of Greek Philology at Democritus University of Thrace offers three specialisations: classical philology, Byzantine and modern Greek philology, and linguistics.

What students learn

The core of the degree is the language itself. Students learn grammar and vocabulary, and then read epic, drama, history, philosophy and poetry in the original. Around this core they study:

  • translation and close reading of texts
  • ancient history, philosophy, religion and mythology
  • linguistics and the history of the Greek language
  • papyrology, palaeography and epigraphy, the study of texts on papyrus, in manuscripts and on stone
  • art and archaeology of the Greek world
  • the reception of Greek literature in later cultures

How much language work is required differs between programmes. At Duke, the Classical Languages major asks for knowledge of both Greek and Latin through the second year and eight courses in the two languages, while the Classical Civilization major can be completed largely with texts in translation.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. In the United States, Greek is a major or minor within the Bachelor of Arts. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) offers majors in Classical Civilization, Greek, Latin, and Greek and Latin; its minors require three lower-division and five upper-division courses. In Europe a bachelor's degree has 180 or 240 ECTS credits, according to the European Commission.
  • Master's degree. A European master's degree usually has 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Lund University, for instance, lists Greek and Modern Greek among the specialisations of its master's programme in Languages and Linguistics.
  • Doctorate. A PhD trains researchers and future university teachers. Duke's PhD programme covers Greek and Latin languages and literatures and the history, art and archaeology of the ancient world, and includes teaching experience.
  • Short and intensive courses. Students who start Greek late can catch up with intensive courses; UCLA lists a post-baccalaureate programme and summer intensive Greek and Latin.
  • Language certificates for modern Greek. The Centre for the Greek Language, in Greece, runs the examinations for the certificate of attainment in Greek at six levels, from A1 to C2.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 20 active schools for Greek language and literature at university level. Twelve are in the United States and three in the United Kingdom; Denmark, Greece, Sweden, Germany and Canada have one each. Examples from the list:

  • UCLA and Duke University in the United States, both with classics departments that offer undergraduate and graduate programmes.
  • The University of St Andrews, with its School of Classics, and the University of Oxford, with its Faculty of Classics, in the United Kingdom.
  • The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, whose Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies offers a BA major, minor and honours, language courses in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin, and master's and PhD programmes in classics.
  • Lund University in Sweden, where Greek and Modern Greek are taught at the Centre for Languages and Literature.
  • Democritus University of Thrace in Greece, with a Department of Greek Philology and a departmental library of more than 33,000 volumes.
  • The Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Germany and Aarhus University in Denmark.

Classics is taught in the language of the country, with the Greek texts read in the original. Students who want to study modern Greek in Greece can start from the official Study in Greece portal, which counts 24 higher education institutions in the country.

Careers

Few graduates work only with Greek. The degree trains careful reading, precise writing and analysis, and graduates use those skills in many fields. UCLA states that its classics majors and minors gain linguistic and analytical skills that have proved useful for careers in law, medicine, business, communications, academia and the arts. UBC names graduate study in law, classics, history, education, archaeology and museum studies, and careers such as policy analysis, journalism and public relations.

Teaching is the most direct route. School teaching requires the teaching qualification of the country concerned. For university posts in the United States, teachers must typically have a PhD, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects employment of postsecondary teachers as a whole to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know Greek before I start?

Usually not. Classics departments teach ancient Greek from beginner level, and some, such as UCLA, also run intensive summer courses for students who need to catch up.

Is this degree about ancient or modern Greek?

It depends on the university. Classics departments outside Greece concentrate on ancient Greek, often with Latin. Greek philology departments in Greece also cover Byzantine and modern Greek literature and linguistics, and some universities, such as Lund University, teach Modern Greek as a separate subject.

Is there an official certificate for modern Greek?

Yes. The certificate of attainment in Greek is examined by the Centre for the Greek Language at six levels, A1 to C2.