Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies

Program Director

Lilla Kopár, Associate Professor of English

Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies website

The Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies serves as a meeting point for a community of scholars whose research focuses on the medieval period (c.500-1500 AD). The Center is under the general direction of an interdisciplinary committee selected from collaborating departments and schools, and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Members of the faculty in the Medieval and Byzantine Studies program are drawn from the Departments of English, Greek and Latin, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, and Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures in the School of Arts and Sciences, from the Schools of Canon Law, Theology and Religious Studies, Philosophy, and the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art.

The purpose of the Medieval and Byzantine Studies graduate program is to promote the understanding and study of the medieval world and its diverse cultures, to introduce students to various fields of the discipline and their methodologies, and to lay the foundations for advanced research into the medieval period in subject areas which require a background that transcends the boundaries of a single discipline. In addition to exploring the historical and cultural developments within the traditional boundaries of medieval Europe, students have opportunities to study Byzantium, the Islamic world, Near Eastern Christianity, and Judaism.

The study of the Middle Ages has enjoyed a special prominence at Catholic University since its foundation, and the University has fostered research in nearly all the areas comprising the modern interdisciplinary field of Medieval and Byzantine Studies. The John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library holds special collections in medieval history, canon law, philosophy, and theology, as well as a fine selection of manuscripts and rare books. Further, scholars can benefit from the proximity to extraordinary special collections at the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Gallery of Art, the Textile Museum, and the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

In addition to competitive university-wide scholarships, outstanding students may receive research support from the Lorraine Elisabeth Cella Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Certificate in Medieval Studies

The Certificate in Medieval Studies is designed to offer students a broad experience in various components of medieval civilization, providing both perspectives and tools for specialized research. The program requires 15 graduate credit hours (5 courses). Students may focus on the Medieval West, on Byzantine and Orthodox Studies, or the Islamic World, and follow an interdisciplinary curriculum consisting of courses in history and social structures, thought and worship, and cultural and artistic expressions. For more information, visit the center's website.

M.A. Degree in Medieval and Byzantine Studies

The M.A. degree, like the certificate, is designed as an interdisciplinary program that recognizes the complex intertwining of history, theology, philosophy, languages, literatures, material culture, and the visual arts for the study of the Middle Ages. In particular, students interested in acquiring the linguistic and methodological background necessary for advanced work in the many fields of Medieval Studies need a structure that permits the widest possible latitude.

Coursework: The coursework required for the degree is 30 credit hours (typically 10 courses) in the following interdisciplinary distribution:

Language training: Two courses (6 credit hours) of intermediate and/or advanced Latin or Greek (LAT 516 - LAT 517, GR 516 - GR 517, or courses at a higher level). If the student tests out, they may take another ancient language (Syriac, Old Georgian, etc.). Medieval Latin and Paleography courses may count towards the language training requirement or, if the language requirement has been met, count as content courses (see below).

Content courses: Eight courses (24 credit hours) total covering at least three scholarly disciplines (i.e., courses offered by three different academic units). All courses must focus primarily on the period c.500-1500 AD, but may cover any region or culture of the period.

Internship (optional): One of the 8 content courses may be a 3-credit internship on campus (e.g., at the Semitics/ICOR Library, Rare Books, etc.) or off-campus.

MA thesis (optional): Two courses (6 credits) of the 8 content courses can be used to develop an MA thesis supervised by a faculty advisor.

Modern language requirement: Demonstrated reading knowledge of one modern research language (either by a LANG 500 course or by a language examination).

Comprehensive exam: Administered in the last term of coursework and covering two fields of study (disciplines), based on coursework completed by the student. The exam is a take-home paper that requires interdisciplinary exploration of a set of questions developed by a faculty committee (of two) representing the student’s chosen fields of study, followed by an oral examination/evaluation.

Research requirement: Completion of one advanced graduate course with a research paper requirement (typically at 700 or 800 level), or submission of a 15-20-page research paper developed on the basis of coursework and evaluated by a faculty expert.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 is required to continue in the program. For more information, visit the center's website.

Ph.D. Degree in Medieval and Byzantine Studies

The Ph.D. program incorporates the M.A. coursework while also requiring an additional 24 credit hours of coursework in a chosen area of specialization and one minor area comprehensive exams, and a dissertation based on an interdisciplinary research project. The written comprehensive examinations are based on reading lists approved by the exam committee. Students must also demonstrate reading proficiency in two modern research languages and graduate-level competence in a medieval language or languages (Latin, Greek, Arabic, etc.) required for their research. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 to continue in the program.

Coursework:

The M.A. Program in Medieval and Byzantine Studies (30 credit hours). [Students with master's degrees in other programs or from other accredited institutions can apply to transfer up to 24 hours of graduate credit.]
Six approved graduate courses (18 credit hours) in the area of specialization, i.e., in one of the following three categories, selected in one discipline or in a combination of two or more disciplines with the approval of the MBS director and the major faculty adviser: History and Social Structures; Thought and Worship; Cultural and Artistic Expressions
Four approved graduate courses (12 credit hours) in the minor area, with the approval of the MBS director and the minor faculty adviser. The minor area should be a separate area of interest, with only limited overlap with the major area. The minor area can be a traditional discipline (e.g., history, philosophy), a subject area (e.g., early medieval England), a methodologically based field (e.g., gender studies), or any other coherent field of study.

For more information, see the center's website.

NOTE: The Ph.D. program is currently not accepting new students.

Courses Offered

A full listing of approved graduate courses accepted towards a graduate degree in Medieval and Byzantine Studies is listed each semester at the Center’s website. Courses are offered by affiliated faculty members in various schools and departments across campus.