Prominent universities across the world continue to offer students the option of pursuing Greek studies, as it remains a vital academic discipline despite the perception that classical studies belong to the past.
Universities continue to use Greek studies as a way of bridging the ancient and modern worlds through the study of the ancient and modern Greek language, literature, history and, obviously, the rich culture of Greece.
Across the world, prestigious universities promote such studies to thousands of students who dive deep into the world of ancient thinkers, linguists and historians. Below are nine leading institutions excelling in this field.
Harvard University’s majors in Greek studies
Harvard’s Department of the Classics is one of the most prominent in the US. It offers extensive programs in both Ancient and Modern Greek, exploring topics such as ancient, medieval, and modern Greek literature, philosophy, and archaeology.
The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies is based there, ensuring a great focus on contemporary Greece alongside its classical roots, offering students a more holistic approach towards Greece and its culture.
University of Oxford
Oxford, Britain’s oldest and most prestigious university has a sub-faculty of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. This makes Oxford University a global leader in teaching and researching Byzantine and Modern Greek history and literature.
Its extensive programs span from Ancient Greece to the Byzantine Empire and cover modern times as well. The university proudly offers students a comprehensive understanding of Greek culture that encompasses millennia of Greek history.
Study Greek at University of Cambridge
Cambridge is another historic educational institution in England with a long tradition in its Greek Department. Cambridge’s Faculty of Classics excels in Ancient Greek studies, with courses covering Ancient and Modern Greek language, literature, history, and philosophy.
The University of Cambridge also has a Centre for Greek Studies, which promotes interdisciplinary research on Greece’s cultural legacy regardless of time frame, offering a broader perspective for students.
King’s College London
Another institution in the UK with a great tradition of offering Greek studies is King’s College, London. The Centre for Hellenic Studies at King’s College, London offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses that span over three millennia of Greek history and culture.
Its innovatively interdisciplinary approach attracts students from diverse academic backgrounds, who want to learn and research more about Greece and its history and culture.
Yale University
Yale is another US University that combines Ancient and Modern Greek studies under an interdisciplinary framework.
This reputable Connecticut university offers its students the opportunity to explore topics such as the Greek and Hellenistic civilizations as well as contemporary cultural developments. Its robust research opportunities set it apart as a leader in the field.
University College London (UCL) and Greek studies
Another institution in London with a dedicated Department for Greek studies is University College. UCL’s Department of Greek & Latin teaches Ancient Greek and Latin. It integrates these classical languages with archaeology, philosophy, and history.
Its central location in downtown London provides unparalleled access to resources such as the British Museum and the British Library, beautifully complementing its own resources.
Sapienza University of Rome
Italy just had to be on this list of course. Its Sapienza University in Rome is renowned for its Classics majors, offering exceptional resources for the study of the Ancient Greek language as well as literature and archaeology, among other things.
Its libraries and museums make it a hub for classical scholarship in Europe at the heart of the eternal city.
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews in Scotland offers flexible degrees in Classics and Greek studies, focusing on areas such as Hellenistic poetry and historiography.
Its modular system allows students to tailor their studies to their interests and expand their knowledge on Ancient Greece.
Royal Holloway, University of London
Another British institution famous for its Greek studies is the Royal Holloway’s Hellenic Institute. This London-based institution specializes in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies through its postgraduate majors and minors and PhD programs. It is supported by prominent foundations such as the A.G. Leventis Foundation, ensuring high-quality research opportunities for those who choose to pursue this field.
Greece’s intellectual and cultural heritage will continue to be important to future generations as long as educational institutions around the world continue to preserve and promote the study of Greek language, history, and culture. Greek studies offer students important insights into the roots of Western civilization and beyond, whether through literature, philosophy, archaeology, or contemporary political theory.
Stanford University
Stanford’s Department of Classics offers well-structured Greek studies programs with an interdisciplinary approach to Greek civilization overall. The university provides courses in Greek language, literature, philosophy, history, art, and archaeology. Stanford’s summer programs are also another element of the package on offer, with specialized courses such as “Greek and Latin Roots of English” and “Greek Mythology.” These explore connections between ancient cultures and the modern world.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
While it doesn’t have a dedicated Greek studies department, MIT offers an Interdisciplinary Program in Ancient and Medieval Studies that includes Greek studies. MIT’s distinctive IAP in Ancient Greece program provides undergraduates with first-hand experience in Greek art and archaeology in Athens and across central Greece, including visits to Delphi, Olympia, Epidauros, Mycenae, and Corinth.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
UCLA’s Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture is part of the Department of Classics. It offers Modern Greek language courses from elementary to advanced intermediate levels. The center is also an official examination center for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek (Ellinomatheia), the only certificate in Greek as a foreign language recognized by the Greek state. UCLA also houses the Constantine and Koren Christofides Collection of Modern Greek Poetry on its premises.
Northwestern University
Northwestern’s Department of Classics offers a complete cycle of classical studies. Students may attend lessons in the Greek language as part of their Classics major or choose a Greek concentration for their Classics minor. The department emphasizes research skills and encourages students to study abroad and gain real-life experiences in Athens, Greece.
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign houses its Modern Greek program, which is part of the Classics Department. Established in 2008, the program offers Modern Greek language courses at elementary and intermediate levels, as well as courses in Greek literature and culture.
Students can pursue a minor in Modern Greek, with courses taught by a specialized faculty. The program proudly continues an educational tradition that started in the Chicagoland community, which has one of the nation’s largest communities of Greeks and Greek-Americans.
Boston University
Boston University offers a Minor in Modern Greek through its dedicated Department of Classical Studies. The program was established in 1983-84 and typically enrolls about 80 students per academic term.
Boston University also sponsors the “Lectures in Modern Philhellenism” series in cooperation with the Consul General of Greece in Boston, commemorating Greece’s National Day with events on Greek culture and history. The Boston University Philhellenes student organization participates in the Marathon Education Initiative, connecting marathon runners with Greece.
New York University (NYU)
NYU’s A.S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies offers both undergraduate and graduate routes to studying Greek. The program was established in 1988, and it enrolls approximately 150 students per term. The university offers various levels of study, including undergraduate electives, graduate courses, minor concentrations, and full degree programs (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.).
The faculty particularly specializes in Modern Greek Literature and Poetry, Theory of Translation, Literary Theory, Hellenic and Mediterranean Culture and Civilization, and Modern Greek History.
Princeton University
Princeton’s Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies has nineteen educators and offers numerous study opportunities in Greece for students to attain hands-on experience in the life and culture of the country. The university offers at least 24 classes in Greek studies as of 2024, including specialized courses such as “Music in the Mediterranean” and “Hellenism: The First 3000 Years.”
Columbia University
Columbia established its Modern Greek Studies program in 1988, offering undergraduate elective courses, special concentrations, graduate supervision, and minors. The program includes courses in Elementary and Intermediate Modern Greek language, as well as literature and cultural studies courses that examine translation, gender, and the Greek diaspora.
University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s Modern Greek and Hellenic Studies Program focuses on modern Greece and the Greek diaspora. The program benefits from its proximity to the Greek Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley’s Greek businesses, hosting public programs featuring notable Greek writers, scholars, and diplomats.
