Major Requirements

Once accepted into the program, students are assigned an archaeology, technology, and historical structures (ATHS) faculty advisor to help them plan and complete the program. The choice of advisor is based on student interest and is made in consultation with the program director.

Students may choose either Track A, which is course-focused, or Track B, which is research-focused. Both require a minimum of 44 credit hours.

Track A requires a minimum of eleven courses:

  • Three foundation courses
    • Students choose one each from engineering, archaeology, and architecture; these courses must be completed by the end of the fifth semester
  • Four core courses
    • At least three of the four required core courses must be from the same core
  • Four elective courses
    • These can be either elective or core courses

Track B requires nine courses plus an eight-credit senior project.

  • Three foundation courses
    • Students choose one each from engineering, archaeology, and architecture; these courses must be completed by the end of the fifth semester
  • Three core courses
    • At least two of the four required core courses must be from the same core
  • Three elective courses
    • These can be either elective or core courses
  • Senior project (eight credit hours total taken over two semesters)
    • The senior thesis/project is based on the student’s area of interest and is conducted under the supervision of an ATHS faculty member.

Upper-Level Writing Requirement

Students satisfy the upper-level writing (ULW) requirement either by completing two ‘W’ courses from the list of upper-level writing courses below (Track A), or by writing the senior thesis/project report (Track B). ULW courses cannot count toward both foundational requirements and the ULW requirement.

You can only enroll in ULW courses after having completed the primary writing requirement (WRTG 105). Our ULW courses include:

  • ME 107W: Mechanics and Optics in Antiquity
  • ME 206W: Building Engineering and Technology in Antiquity
  • CLST 204W: Building, Engineering and Society in Classical Antiquity
  • CLST 230W: Classical Archaeology: Greek Art and Archaeology
    • Formerly CLA 220W
  • CLST 231W: Classical Archaeology: Roman Art and Archaeology
    • Formerly CLA 221W 
  • HIST 280W: Archaeology of Early America
  • AHST 107W: Ancient Architecture
  • AHST 243W: Architecture of the Classical World
  • CLST 250W: Ethnic Identity in Ancient Greece and Rome
  • MATH 300W: History of Mathematics