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Latinum, Graecum, Hebraicum

Latin, Ancient Greek and Hebrew

1. Who must provide proof of knowledge of Latin, Greek and/or Hebrew?

Knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew is recommended or required for some undergraduate degree programmes. If language skills are recommended, they play a role in terms of content and academic success, and it is advisable to have them at the start of the programme or to acquire them early on in the course. If proof is required, it must generally be presented at the end of the degree programme. An exception is the Magister Theologiae, where the certificates must be submitted at the end of the 4th semester. However, even in these cases, knowledge of Latin should be acquired as early as possible in the degree programme, as it makes it easier to understand and work on specialist topics. In contrast to the undergraduate degree programmes, language skills in Latin and Ancient Greek are also a prerequisite for admission to some Master's and doctoral degree programmes, i.e. without proof of the required knowledge, students cannot be admitted to a Master's or doctoral degree programme.

The following text provides an overview of which language skills are required/recommended for which degree programmes, who offers language courses at the university and where examinations can be taken. It is primarily aimed at students who have not yet acquired the necessary language skills at school.

 

1.1 Study programmes with state examination

Proof of knowledge of Latin must be provided for the state examination for the following degree programmes:

Teaching degree Realschule with the subjects

  • English, French: knowledge of Latin or a Romance foreign language at level A2 of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"
  • History: knowledge at level A2 of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" in two foreign languages or knowledge of Latin and knowledge of one foreign language at level A2 of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"
  • Bavarian teacher training examination regulations

Grammar school teaching qualification with the subjects

  • German, History: Secured knowledge of Latin and another foreign language at level B1 of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"
  • English, Italian, French, Spanish: Secured knowledge of Latin as well as knowledge of level A2 of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" in another modern foreign language.
  • Greek: Latinum
  • Latin: Graecum
  • Protestant and Catholic Religious Education: Proof of sufficient language skills in Ancient Greek and Latin (Protestant Religious Education is not offered in Würzburg for grammar school teaching)
  • Bavarian teacher examination regulations

Dentistry

Knowledge of Latin must be proven for admission to the state examination. If no knowledge of Latin is listed in the university entrance qualification, proof of knowledge of Latin can be provided via an examination at the university. Alternatively, regular and successful participation in courses on medical terminology can replace the Latin examination.

Licensing regulations for dentistry

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1.2 Bachelor's degree programmes / Magister Theologiae

Knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek is no longer an admission requirement for any subject. However, in order to be successful in your studies, some subjects recommend that you bring knowledge of Latin and / or Ancient Greek into your degree programme or catch up on it in the first semesters. Information on this can be found in the subject-specific regulations of the respective subject.

In the Catholic Theology degree programme with the degree "Magister Theologiae", language skills in Latin, Greek and Hebrew must be presented by the fourth semester.

 

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1.3 Master's degree programmes

Particularly at the Faculty of Arts, there are Master's degree programmes in which proof of knowledge of Latin, Hebrew and/or Ancient Greek must be presented for admission to the Master's degree programme.

  • Cultural Landscapes (guaranteed knowledge of Latin)
  • History (secure knowledge of Latin)
  • Greek (Latinum and Graecum strongly recommended)
  • Classical Archaeology (secure knowledge of Latin)
  • Medieval and early modern times (secure knowledge of Latin)
  • Theological Studies (secure knowledge of Latin recommended, knowledge of Ancient Greek and Hebrew is essential depending on the specialisation)

Please check the subject-specific regulations to ensure that the above information is up to date!

1.4 Doctoral programmes

Some departments of the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Catholic Theology and the Faculty of Law require knowledge of Latin, Ancient Greek and Hebrew for admission to a doctorate. At the Faculty of Arts, the Doctoral Committee may, in justified cases, waive the requirement for proof of the Latinum/Graecum or set a deadline by which the language skills must be made up.

Latinum

  • Musicology
  • Medieval History
  • Modern and contemporary history
  • Ancillary historical sciences
  • Regional history
  • Art History
  • Older German Philology
  • Modern German Literary History
  • European Ethnology / Folklore
  • French Philology
  • Italian Philology
  • Spanish
  • Law (in the case of obtaining a doctorate in both fields)

Latinum and Graecum

  • Ancient History
  • Greek Philology
  • Classical Archaeology
  • Latin Philology
  • General comparative linguistics

Sufficient language skills in Latin, Ancient Greek and Hebrew

  • Catholic Theology

Information on this is published in the doctoral degree regulations.

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2. Language courses and examinations

2.1 Latin

Depending on the degree programme, a secure knowledge of Latin (equivalent to the former Kleines Latinum), sufficient knowledge of Latin or the Latinum is required. These designations stand for three levels:

  • A secure knowledge of Latin is demonstrated by translating simple prose texts such as the Vulgate, Nepos and Curtius Rufus.
  • Sufficient knowledge of Latin is required for the specialised subject of Catholic religious education (grammar school) and for the study of theology. They can be demonstrated by the Latinum (but not by a secure knowledge of Latin!) or can be acquired through the corresponding courses at the Faculty of Theology. The content of the language courses includes texts from the Latin Bible, the Church Fathers and documents from the Second Vatican Council, which are also included in the supplementary academic examination.
  • The Latinum corresponds to a language level at which original Latin texts with demanding content from the fields of political speech, philosophy and historiography can be understood and translated. The readings primarily include texts by Cicero. Students who did not study Latin at school or who graduated with an "unsatisfactory" grade can acquire the relevant knowledge during the course of their studies.

Language courses/preparation for the Latin examinations

Latin language courses and tutorials are offered by various departments at the University of Würzburg.

1. secured knowledge of Latin / Kleines Latinum can be acquired in language courses at the Institute of Classical Philology and the Centre for Languages.

1.1 Institute of Classical Philology

1.2 Centre for Languages

  • Start: in the lecture-free period August/September with an intensive course
  • Duration: 1.5 semesters.
  • Course information

2. sufficient knowledge of Latin can be acquired by participating in the courses of the Institute of Classical Philology.

2.1 Institute of Classical Philology

In addition to the language courses offered by the Institute of Classical Philology, it is also necessary to attend a tutorial offered by the Faculty of Catholic Theology. In this tutorial, the biblical, theological and medieval texts that are particularly relevant for the examination are studied.

3. language courses that prepare students for the Latinum examinationare offered by the Institute of Classical Philology. Please note that the Latinum examination can only be taken at a grammar school.

3.1 Institute of Classical Philology

Examinations

Assured knowledge of Latin

  • Type of examination: Written and oral
  • Provider: Centre for Languages Institute of Classical Philology
  • Examination regulations

Sufficient knowledge of Latin/Academic supplementary examination

  • Type of examination: Written and oral
  • Provider: Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Würzburg In order to participate in the academic supplementary examinations, it is usually required that you have completed the language courses at the University of Würzburg. In other cases, participation in the examination is possible by submitting a separate application to the examination board.
  • Examination regulations

Latinum

The examinations can only be repeated once.

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2.2 Ancient Greek

Knowledge of Ancient Greek is usually demonstrated with the Graecum (from Examen Graecum, "Greek examination"). Students who did not study Ancient Greek at school or who have an "unsatisfactory" grade on their degree certificate can acquire the relevant knowledge during the course of their studies. The Graecum certifies a language level at which you can understand the content, structure and message of original Greek texts with the linguistic difficulty of demanding passages from Plato. This understanding must be demonstrated by a factually correct translation in appropriate German and, if necessary, by an in-depth interpretation. Depending on the degree programme, sufficient knowledge of Ancient Greek or the Graecum is required. There are two levels behind these designations: The Graecum is awarded to anyone who has passed the Abitur examination or the supplementary Abitur examination for non-students in Greek and received a grade of at least "sufficient". Only grammar schools that teach Greek are authorised to hold the Graecum examination. The Graecum is particularly interesting for degree programmes such as philosophy and classical philology. The supplementary academic examination, which can be taken at university, certifies a maximum of "sufficient knowledge of Ancient Greek". This exam is particularly important for students of theology. The aim is to have sufficient language skills to study the New Testament.

Language courses / preparation for the Ancient Greek examinations

Institute of Classical Philology

The Institute of Classical Philology offers language courses that prepare students for the Graecum exam.

Language courses of the Faculty of Catholic Theology

Lecturers from the Faculty of Catholic Theology regularly offer tutorials to prepare students for the supplementary academic examination and the Graecum.

Ancient Greek examinations

Supplementary academic examination in Ancient Greek

Graecum examination

  • Type of examination: Written and oral
  • Provider: Gymnasium, which will be announced by notice board
  • Examination regulations

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2.3 Hebrew

As a rule, Old Testament Hebrew must be demonstrated during the degree programme, as it is no longer a subject taught in schools. Sufficient knowledge of Hebrew is relevant for studying theology (Master's degree and doctorate) and must be demonstrated and submitted to the examination office by the end of the 4th semester of the Master's degree programme. Language skills are acquired through university language courses or through self-study. In contrast to the Latinum and Graecum, the Hebraicum examination can be taken at the university.

Language courses / preparation for the Hebrew exam

Theology students should start preparing for the exam in the 1st or 2nd semester. The intermediate diploma is usually written in the 4th semester. Proof of language skills must then be provided for this.

Provider: Faculty of Catholic Theology

Course structure:

  • Basic Hebrew/Biblical Hebrew course, concludes with the supplementary academic examination.
  • Advanced Hebrew course, concludes with the Hebraicum.
  • Duration: 2 semesters; course always starts in the winter semester

Hebrew exam

  • Examination to prove sufficient knowledge of Hebrew/academic supplementary examination: oral examination 20 min.
  • Hebraicum exam: written and oral exam, 120 min. written exam + approx. 15 min. oral exam
  • Provider: Faculty of Catholic Theology
  • Examination regulations

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