Pursue your passion for antiquity at the University of Wisconsin.
Graduate study in Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (CANES) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison combines rigorous training in ancient languages and literature with a broad, interdisciplinary approach to the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Students work closely with faculty to pursue individual research interests, engage with diverse interpretations of ancient texts and cultures, and develop the skills to contribute to ongoing scholarly conversations.
With faculty expertise spanning literature, history, philosophy, archaeology, religion, and more, CANES offers opportunities to explore specialized research questions within a collaborative intellectual community. Teaching, professional development, and financial support help students deepen their expertise and prepare for a range of academic and professional paths.
Interdisciplinary Research
Explore ancient languages, literature, and material culture through traditional scholarship and modern critical approaches, with room to pursue your individual research interests.
Faculty & Community
Work closely with faculty while engaging with lectures, conferences, professional development workshops, and regular opportunities to connect and collaborate with fellow scholars.
Funding & Professional Growth
Ph.D. students typically receive guaranteed support packages, with additional opportunities for teaching, academic travel, and professional development.
Explore areas of research and faculty expertise
With expertise spanning the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, CANES faculty and affiliated scholars support research across a broad range of subjects, periods, and methods.
Research areas include:
- Greek and Roman literature and history: Epic, drama, poetry, prose, historiography, and Roman cultural history
- Archaeology and material culture: Ancient Greek and Roman archaeology, art history, and the material remains of past societies
- Gender, sexuality, and social history: Women and gender in antiquity, ancient slavery, and the history of birth and reproduction
- Philosophy and political thought: Ancient Greek philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, and Roman political ideas
- Religion and the ancient Near East: Hebrew Bible, Northwest Semitic studies, and Rabbinic Judaism
- Medicine and public health: Greco-Roman medicine and the history of health
- Reception and comparative approaches: Reception studies, comparative poetics, and the interpretation of ancient texts across time
- Language and pedagogy: Greek and Latin language instruction and language pedagogy
- Byzantine studies: The history and culture of the Byzantine Empire
Students can pursue focused questions within these areas while drawing on methods and perspectives from other fields, including archaeology, art history, environmental studies, linguistics, gender and women’s studies, history, philosophy, political science, and visual culture.
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Faculty
- William Aylward — Greek and Roman archaeology
- Jeffrey Beneker — Biography and historiography; Roman Republic
- William Brockliss — Homer; Greek and Latin pedagogy
- Katie Dennis — Latin poetry, agronomy, and ancient slavery
- Alex Dressler — Ancient philosophy, gender, and sexuality
- Alice Gaber — Greek and Latin poetry; comparative poetics
- Julia Horn — Greco-Roman medicine and public health
- Jeremy Hutton — Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitics
- Laura McClure — Greek drama, gender, and reception studies
- Tara Mulder — History of birth and reproduction; Roman social history
- Grant Nelsestuen — Roman cultural history and Latin prose
- Vanessa Schmitz-Siebertz — Latin pedagogy
Affiliate Faculty
- Nicholas Cahill — Ancient Greek archaeology and art history
- Emily Fletcher — Ancient Greek philosophy; Plato
- Paula Gottlieb — Ancient Greek philosophy; Aristotle
- Daniel Kapust — Roman political thought
- Leonora Neville — Byzantine Empire
- Jordan Rosenblum — Rabbinic Judaism
- Claire Taylor — Greek history and Athenian democracy
Prospective students are encouraged to explore faculty research interests when considering how their own academic goals might align with the department’s areas of expertise.
Develop a research path of your own
CANES combines traditional approaches to classical literature and language with material culture and modern critical methods. Students work closely with faculty to develop reading lists, pursue questions that reflect their interests, and shape a course of study around their intellectual goals.
The curriculum encourages students to look beyond canonical authors and established approaches, engaging with marginalized voices, experimental methods, and new ways of interpreting ancient texts and cultures. Students can draw on faculty strengths in areas such as gender and sexuality, translation theory, intellectual history, ecocriticism, early Christianity, epic, drama, and reception studies.
Receive funding and academic support
Financial support is an important part of graduate study. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program typically receive guaranteed support packages through fellowships and teaching appointments. These packages include a stipend, tuition remission, and health benefits, subject to the terms of the individual offer.
Students may also receive support for conference travel and summer academic opportunities, helping them share their research, develop professional connections, and pursue further study.
For details about available support and eligibility, visit our Graduate Funding page.
Join a vibrant intellectual community
Students participate in a scholarly community through lectures, professional development workshops, conferences, and social gatherings. These opportunities encourage students to exchange ideas, share their work, and build relationships with faculty and fellow students.
Students can also connect with broader scholarly networks through organizations such as the Society for Classical Studies, Classical Association of the Middle West and South, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Society of Biblical Literature, and American Schools of Oriental Research. Participation connects students with current research, scholars beyond UW–Madison, and broader conversations in the field.
Develop your teaching and professional skills
Graduate study in CANES helps students strengthen their research, writing, critical analysis, communication, and teaching skills. Through teaching appointments, students gain valuable hands-on instructional experience, while conference participation provides opportunities to present their research and contribute to ongoing scholarly conversations beyond the classroom.
Professional development workshops help students explore academic and nonacademic career paths and consider how their skills and expertise can translate across professional settings. CANES alumni have pursued careers in academia, university administration, government, public humanities, and the private sector.
Explore graduate life and alumni experiences
Learn more about the people who make up the CANES graduate community and the paths they have pursued.
- Current Graduate Students — Meet students pursuing graduate study in CANES.
- Graduate Alumni — Learn about CANES graduate alumni and their professional paths.
Take the next step
Explore the resources below to learn more about graduate study in CANES and prepare your application.
- Admissions and Requirements — Application requirements and admissions information.
- Graduate Funding — Funding packages and additional support opportunities.
- UW–Madison Graduate School — University-wide graduate resources.
Ready to apply? Visit Admissions and Requirements for application details and the current deadline.
Questions about graduate study? Contact Professor Laura McClure, Chair of Graduate Admissions, at lmcclure@wisc.edu or fill out the form below and we’ll help connect you with the information you need.
Graduate Resources
Classics Graduate Forum
The Classics Graduate Forum is a registered student organization (RSO) whose charge is to organize graduate conferences, lectures by invited speakers, and other similar events which enhance and deepen the educational experiences of graduate students engaged in the study of the ancient world. The membership of the Classics Graduate Forum is thus open to any graduate student whose educational interests lie in the ancient world.
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