Master in Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Master's)

Tuition is 26,424 USD per year.

This programme is designed for recent graduates and working professionals interested in deep study of classical texts from China, India, and Japan. Students engage in close reading and discussion of foundational philosophical, literary, and religious works. The curriculum emphasizes original language study in Classical Chinese or Sanskrit to access primary sources. The programme focuses on enduring questions about human nature, ethics, and history through sustained textual analysis.

Focus areas include Classical Chinese, Sanskrit, Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy, Japanese literature, Ancient history of Asia.

The programme requires three consecutive semesters of study and is structured around seminar and preceptorial courses. It includes language study and textual analysis, with no separate dissertation or practicum component.

Graduates pursue roles in academic research, teaching, cultural institutions, and publishing focused on Asian thought and classical texts.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree. No specific GPA or test scores are required. Submission of a statement of purpose and academic transcripts is required.

On-campus in Santa Fe or low-residency online; full-time; completed in one year starting fall semester. For international students, tuition is around the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 49% of applicants.

Close reading, discussion, and inquiry shape the St. John’s College experience. The Great Books curriculum brings students into conversation with about 200 works spanning 3,000 years, from Plato and Augustine to Charles Darwin and Toni Morrison. Study crosses philosophy, literature, the natural sciences, and other disciplines. Classes are taught in a seminar format, with an average class size of 16 and no class larger than 21. Students also study two languages.

St. John’s is the third-oldest college in America, with campuses in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Annapolis campus includes historic residence halls named for Maryland Declaration of Independence signers William Paca, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Samuel Chase, and Thomas Stone. Their lives connect the college’s setting with the complicated history of Maryland and the American Revolution.

International students join a community of about 1,000 students and study alongside faculty through face-to-face conversation and shared reading. The college offers paid internships for all students, with opportunities connected to fields including environmental research, medicine, journalism, psychology, and science. Need-based financial aid is available to domestic and international students, and merit scholarships can reach the full cost of tuition. Graduate study includes programs in Liberal Arts, Eastern Classics, and Middle Eastern Classics, offered in person at Annapolis or Santa Fe and through a low-residency online format.