FAQs: Courses & Registration

Click here for instructions about how to use SOLUS to enroll in courses.

Yes.  Classics courses are in high demand and fill up quickly.

Enrollment restrictions are in place during the assigned appointment times in mid-July to reserve spaces for Classics concentrators. All enrollment restrictions are dropped during the Open Enrollment Periods, however, so we recommend you check SOLUS regularly during that time in case spaces become available.
Please check the Registration Basics page (under "Selecting your Courses") of the Registrar's website for exact course registration dates.

Yes - starting in 2015-16 all single-section Arts and Science classes will be set up with Wait Lists. Information regarding Wait Lists can be found here (scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Course Waitlists FAQs). Read the information carefully, paying particular attention to the use of the SWAP function in SOLUS. 

Keep in mind that room might still be available in a first year course with a larger enrollment capacity, or in an ancient language.

CLST_Subs are courses in other departments that can be taken and counted towards the requirements of a CLST Plan. Be aware that each department sets the priorities for its own courses and Classics concentrators will not have any priority access. Check the Course Lists (PDF 223 KB) page of this year's Academic Calendar for the most current list of CLST_Subs.

A good place to begin is the Undergraduate Degree Programs & Plans section on the Classics website, which outlines the requirements for various Classics Degree Plans.
The movement through, and selection of, courses for your Classics degree are dependent on a prerequisite system. You can enroll in a course if the course is not full and if you have the correct prerequisite(s), which may include specific courses taken, a specific grade in previous courses, and a required Arts and Science year level. Prerequisites for a course cannot be taken concurrently with that course.

Other planning considerations:

  • Not all Classics courses are offered every year, so it is important to check the Course Offerings for the upcoming academic year.
  • It is best to take first-year courses early in your program.
  • As long as you meet the prerequisites, it is possible to take upper-year courses in your second year.

The instructor of the course is the only one able to waive prerequisites.

No, you do not have to study the ancient languages to obtain an undergraduate degree (BA/BAH) in Classics. However, if you plan to do graduate work (MA/PhD) in Classics, then the languages are necessary. We suggest that you start at least one language early in your undergraduate program so that you can fit in more advanced levels should you decide to go to graduate school.

Acceptance into Queen's Classics graduate program and many other universities' Classics graduate schools requires that you have: an honours degree (BAH) in Classical Studies, a minimum average of B+ (78%/3.30 GPA), and three years of one, and two years of the other of the ancient languages (Greek and Latin).

Students hoping to get into a graduate school in an area related to archaeology should, while still an undergraduate, endeavour to participate in one of the departmental excavations or obtain a transfer credit while participating on an excavation run by another university. Archaeologically-inclined students may also want to explore taking Anthropology or Cultural Resource Management courses from another university as transfer credits under the Arts and Science Letter of Permission option.

Yes. Please see the Department's International Opportunities page for more information.

Yes, we normally offer 1 if not 2 courses each intersession. Please look at the Continuing Distance Studies website for available courses and registration information.

The Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle also offers a Field School in British Archaeology during the summer term which can count as 6.0 units towards a Classics plan. 

For information concerning Letters of Permission (LOP's) please see an advisor in the Faculty of Arts and Science Student Services Division (LOP's review the possibility of a student taking courses at another (host) university for transfer of credit toward a degree at your home university), or visit an advisor in the IPO (International Programs Office).

If none of the FAQs above address your question, feel free to contact us at classics.undergrad@queensu.ca.  Be sure to include your full name and student number in your e-mail.