Updated 28 September 2023
ICCS (The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome)
Better for Latinists, but still requires Latin and Greek, semester and year programs. Based in Rome, has a ‘city class’ where students study the monuments at the monuments, also a fair amount of travel around Italy. From what I understand, more textual and architectural than archaeological, but that depends on who is teaching that year.
ASCSA (American School for Classical Studies at Athens)
Better for Hellenists and archaeologists, still requires facility with both languages, semester and year programs. Big archaeology focus, students in the year program have to travel out of country midyear for a few days for the student visa to renew.
John Cabot is a 4 year private university in Rome. They have study abroad programs, and though not technically a school aimed at Classics majors, it is in Rome. I’ve known some excellent people who have taught there and it is a serious school. There are summer, and ‘gap year’ programs.
This is a privately owned institute that is attempting to modernize the study of classics. They have immersion active (i.e. spoken) Latin and Greek programs. The most famous is a 5 week immersion program in Latin located in Rome – read about the monuments in Latin in the morning, take tours in Latin in the afternoon. It’s neat but tough. You need at least a year of Latin, preferably 2 before going. Get a chance to learn the city, take a ton of tours, and improve your conversational Latin. They also have spoken Greek in Greece, and winter programs of Medieval Latin in Paris. You will see they have two different prices on the website, one for the class without credit, one with credit.
Before the pandemic they have come under fire for their treatment of female faculty and faculty of color. As a response they created an HR office and hired a DEI officer, but I can’t confirm that the culture has changed.
Paideia also offers a bunch of scholarships for study abroad with their programs. They have an internship to help you if you love Classics but don’t necessarily want to be a professor. If you are interested in publishing, media or management, you may want to consider this. As they note, there are a few funded positions, but many which are not.
Marshall is part of a consortium of schools participating in the Kentucky Institute for International Study. These are 3-week courses in Greece or Italy. The advantage of this program is that Marshall gets in-state tuition, and, since you can get 3 or 6 credits, financial aid will obtain for the program. It’s a non-profit consortium so it is highly competitive for price, especially considering you won’t have to pay extra for the college credits. Some of your favorite faculty (like Dr. Chrol) teach in this program.
Archaeology programs
Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeology Field Opportunities Bulletin is best way to check, this is updated closer to New Years (see if there is funding to dig, whether there is civil strife, etc). There are free and cheap programs (student provides airfare, food, lodging, etc), but they usually require trained students and don’t provide credit. There are Field Schools where students are trained from “this is a trowel, you dig with it” level, but they are through schools, provide college credit, and tend to be a fair bit more expensive. If a student wants a cheaper way to dig and is willing to think long-term, they might try Doc’s Excavation Simulator in the spring, then transfer and expand those skills the following summer abroad.
Institute for Field Research This site hosts academically rigorous, peer-reviewed field schools, so that your training and research are top-notch. Most field schools/excavations are in Europe and the Americas (only one in Asia and zero in Africa and Australia). The site also hosts opportunities in Museum Studies, Ecology, Geology, Heritage Conservation, Environmental Studies, Climate Change, Urban Design, and offers virtual programs, as well. The cost for these programs is steeper but worth every cent.
Balkan Heritage Field School The field schools – or places where archaeologists learn to excavate – are each associated with ongoing archaeological and/or historical preservation projects. University credit hours are available, but they must be arranged in advance. Opportunities to learn about conservation are available, as well.
Scholarships
Each of the schools above have scholarships that can be applied for with the regular application.
Also members of Eta Sigma Phi (the Classics honorary society) can apply for ICCS and ASCSA scholarships, as well as general travel and teacher training.
AIA Field School Scholarship Early spring for summer work – note there is a scholarship for people who have never done fieldwork before.
Classical Association of the Middle West and South Awards Various awards for travel and for scholarship.
Aegean Bronze Age Studies Initiative Fieldwork Scholarship A new agency that will help fund two students’ travel to the Aegean to conduct research (ethnographies, digital media, documentaries, field school, field research, archaeological illustration and/or reconstruction, etc.) with Doc. The website will go live shortly and will include an application for the funding of summer work.
There are also a good number of scholarships available through Marshall’s Office of National Scholarships. Also check with the office for Study Abroad, they will know specific ones tailored for travel.