The Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies offers graduate work leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. The graduate faculty encourages applications from talented and committed students, whose undergraduate careers have given them an appreciation of the rich, many-faceted nature of classical studies and an interest in discovering a place of their own in it. Solid experience in Latin and Greek is of course desirable, but Missouri's MA program is specifically designed for students whose study in one or both of the languages may have come late and who need help getting up to speed rapidly.Some command of German and French (or Italian) is helpful from the outset, and MA candidates are required to have demonstrated proficiency in one of the languages by the time that they begin their second year of graduate study. Degree candidates take MA language tests (Latin and/or Greek) in the 2nd or 3rd year of graduate studies.