Graduate Placement
Anyone considering pursuing a Ph.D. in Classics and a career in college or university teaching should know that prospects for employment in Classics or in academics more generally are always uncertain. No one should apply to graduate school in Classics whose advisors have not told them at length and in detail how difficult and uncertain the job market can be.
UNC-CH doctoral graduates continue to do comparatively well on the job market, however, even in the recession and recovery of the last few years. Many do have one or several visiting positions before securing a tenure-track job, and some recent graduates have had only visiting positions and have not found a tenure-track job yet. But this is fairly common for new Ph.D.s in Classics and in the humanities right now, and indeed may become more common in the future.
Since 1999, the department has had one or two faculty members assigned to be placement director, and to work closely with graduate students on their applications for jobs, reviewing letters and curriculum vitaes and arranging mock interviews. A student’s advisor and other professors regularly help with job hunting as well. The placement director continues to work with recent graduates, if they ask for help or advice, until they secure a tenure-track job.
In addition to personal guidance from the placement director, below we have compiled a number of professional development resources to guide you through the job market from your first years in graduate school through getting a tenure-track job.