The Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics provides a foundation in the Western humanities while sharpening a student鈥檚 analytical skills and English vocabulary though the systematic study of the ancient languages. Colloquia are offered regularly, covering such thematic topics as violence, gender, sexuality and ancient Christianities.
Classics - B.A.
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Bachelor's Degree in Classics
5X社区's Bachelor of Arts in Classics offers students an in-depth exploration of the languages, literature, history, and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. The program emphasizes critical thinking and analytical skills through the study of classical texts, art, and archaeology, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the foundations of Western civilization. This degree prepares graduates for a variety of careers in education, law, museum curation, and cultural heritage, as well as for advanced studies in fields such as history, archaeology, and comparative literature.
Program Information for Classics - B.A.
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Program Description
Full Description
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics provides a foundation in the Western humanities while sharpening a student’s analytical skills and English vocabulary though the systematic study of the ancient languages. Colloquia are offered regularly, covering such thematic topics as violence, gender, sexuality and ancient Christianities.
The Classics major comprises the following concentrations:
- The Greek concentration offers opportunities for students to read original Greek texts by such authors as Plato and Homer to enrich their knowledge of classical languages. Students may select from a list of culture courses dealing with the art, archaeology, history, mythology and literature of the classical world.
- The Latin concentration offers opportunities for students to read original Latin texts by such authors as Cicero and Vergil to enrich their knowledge of classical languages. Students may select from a list of culture courses dealing with the art, archaeology, history, mythology and literature of the classical world. Students in the Latin concentration are eligible to pursue teacher licensure at the secondary level.
- The Classical Civilization concentration is designed for students with a broad interest in the classical world. The major offers a wide variety of diverse subjects, including the literature, art, archaeology, history, law, religion, sport and mythology of the classical world. The coursework is all in English, but students may take coursework in ancient Greek or Latin beyond the elementary level. The program provides students with a strong, general liberal arts education appropriate to many pursuits after college, including law, medicine, business, writing and publishing.
- The Religion Studies concentration is founded on the study of the ancient multicultural traditions of the Mediterranean peoples, whose multiple worldviews gave rise to religious traditions that, together with the classical heritage, shaped successive Western civilizations. Students begin with a core of classics courses, in order to understand the cultural context within which the traditions of Second-Temple Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianities arise. Concentration requirements form an introduction to the content of classical world religions, including major Eastern traditions and Islam, and the study of religion as an academic discipline. Courses examine the classical and Western traditions in greater depth, explore the reception of and discourse about Western traditions with medieval and modern societies or take a comparative approach to the examination of non-Western traditions. The program emphasizes critical thinking skills and provides a liberal arts education especially well-suited for those planning on careers as religious professionals.
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Admissions
for Classics - B.A.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.
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Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Latin and Greek concentrations will be able to:
- Demonstrate understandings of the Greek or Roman cultural context within which literary, historical and other writings were produced.
- Distinguish between ancient and modern cultural values.
- Recognize historical biases.
- Use primary source materials, including material culture, to better understand the cultures of the ancient world.
- Read Latin at the level of Cicero and Vergil, or read Greek at the level of Homer and Plato.
- Compose complex sentences in Latin or Greek.
- Analyze texts with respect to philology, literary style and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate general knowledge of the literature, history and culture of classical civilization (Greece and Rome).
Graduates of the Classical Civilization concentration will be able to:
- Demonstrate understandings of the Greek or Roman cultural context within which literary, historical and other writings were produced.
- Appreciate the contributions of the Greco-Roman world to modern societies.
- Distinguish between ancient and modern cultural values.
- Recognize historical biases.
- Apply critical thinking to ethical conundrums in the record of the past.
- Apply a variety of methodologies to the study of the past.
- Use primary source materials, including material culture, to better understand the cultures of the ancient world.
Graduates of the Religion Studies concentration will be able to:
- Demonstrate understandings of the Greek or Roman cultural contexts within which Jewish and Christian texts were produced.
- Appreciate the contributions of western antiquity to modern religious thought of a wide variety of faiths and doctrines.
- Distinguish between ancient and modern religious values and biases.
- Apply critical thinking to matters of difficult interpretation.
- Employ a variety of methodologies to study religions of the past and present.
- Use primary source materials – both literary and material – to better understand the complexities of religion, in both the ancient Greco-Roman world and the modern world.
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Coursework
On This Page
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) The Fundamentals of Greek and Roman Culture CLAS 21404 THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) 3 CLAS 21405 THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) 3 Ancient History CLAS 41005 HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE 3 or CLAS 41006 ROMAN HISTORY Literature of the Ancient World CLAS 41304 LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) 1 3 or CLAS 41503 LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC) Classical Archaeology CLAS 41401 GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART 3 or CLAS 41402 ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART Capstone Elective, choose from the following: 3 CLAS 41095SPECIAL TOPICS IN CLASSICS CLAS 41097COLLOQUIUM IN CLASSICS CLAS 41305CLASSICAL LITERARY STUDIES REL 41091SEMINAR IN ADVANCED COMPARATIVE RELIGION Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Foreign Language: recommended students take Greek or Latin 2 14-16 6 3 3 6 6-7 3 General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 45 Concentrations Choose from the following: 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 - 1
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
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For students declared in the Classical Civilization concentration, foreign language is required. For students declared in the Greek concentration, it is expected that they take or have met the prerequisites of GRE 14201 and GRE 14202 (if those courses are complete, students should take general electives). For students declared in the Latin concentration, it is expected that they take or have met the prerequisites of LAT 16201 and LAT 16202 (if those courses are complete, students should take general electives).
Classical Civilization Concentration Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) Classics Culture Electives, choose from the following: 12 MCLS 30420FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE STUDIES Any Classics (CLAS) course (20000, 30000 or 40000 level)Any Greek (GRE) course (20000, 30000 or 40000 level) 1Any Latin (LAT) course (20000, 30000 or 40000 level) 1Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) 3 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 15 - 1
Maximum 12 credit hours of Greek (GRE) or Latin (LAT) courses may be counted toward the major.
Greek Concentration Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Prerequisite Requirements GRE 14201ELEMENTARY CLASSICAL GREEK I GRE 14202ELEMENTARY CLASSICAL GREEK II Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) GRE 24201 INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL GREEK I: READINGS 3 GRE 24202 INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL GREEK II: READINGS 3 GRE 34372 ADVANCED READINGS IN GREEK 3 Classics Culture Elective, choose from the following: 3 MCLS 30420FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE STUDIES Any Classics (CLAS) course (20000, 30000 or 40000 level)Any Greek (GRE) Upper-Division course (30000 or 40000 level)Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) 3 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 15 Latin Concentration Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Prerequisite Requirements LAT 16201ELEMENTARY LATIN I LAT 16202ELEMENTARY LATIN II LAT 26201INTERMEDIATE LATIN I: READINGS LAT 26202INTERMEDIATE LATIN II: READINGS Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) LAT 36172 ADVANCED READINGS IN LATIN 3 Latin (LAT) Upper-Division Electives (40000 level) 9 Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) 3 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 15 Religion Studies Concentration Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) REL 11020 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) 3 or REL 21021 MOSES, JESUS AND MOHAMMAD (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) Additional Religious Culture, Thought and Literature or Social Scientific Study and History Electives 1 6 Religious Culture, Thought and Literature Elective, choose from the following: 3 CLAS 41095SPECIAL TOPICS IN CLASSICS 1 CLAS 41097COLLOQUIUM IN CLASSICS 1 CLAS 41301CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY CLAS 41304LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) 2 CLAS 41305CLASSICAL LITERARY STUDIES 1 CLAS 41404ANCIENT CHRISTIANITIES CLAS 41503LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC) 2 ENG 35201THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE PHIL 31002MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY (WIC) 2 PHIL 31011ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY PHIL 31072AMERICAN INDIAN PHILOSOPHIES (DIVD) PHIL 31075PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE (DIVG) PHIL 41010PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION REL 31065COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE REL 41010RELIGION, VIOLENCE AND TERROR REL 41091SEMINAR IN ADVANCED COMPARATIVE RELIGION 1 REL 42091RELIGION IN THE MODERN WORLD Social Scientific Study and History Elective, choose from the following: 3 ANTH 48150RELIGION: A SEARCH FOR A MEANING HIST 31031REFORMATIONS IN EARLY MODERN CHRISTIANITY HIST 31126HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST HIST 41129THE HOLOCAUST: THE DESTRUCTION OF EUROPEAN JEWRY, 1938-1945 PACS 32040CROSS-CULTURAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT (DIVG) REL 11020INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) or REL 21021MOSES, JESUS AND MOHAMMAD (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) SOC 42561SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION Minimum Total Credit Hours: 15 - 1
Students must choose courses not already completed from any of the elective lists.
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A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements Summary Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA 2.000 2.000 Program Note
- Some courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies are offered on a rotating basis, and course availability may change at any time. Please see the program coordinator or your academic advisor for course planning.
Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.1
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options2:- Intermediate I and II of the same language
- Elementary I and II of a second language
- Any combination of two courses from the following list:
- Intermediate I of the same language
- ARAB 21401
- ASL 19401
- CHIN 25421
- MCLS 10001
- MCLS 20001
- MCLS 20091
- MCLS 21417
- MCLS 21420
- MCLS 22217
- MCLS 28403
- MCLS 28404
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All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the programs offered by 5X社区; or (3) demonstrating comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.
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Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.
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Roadmap
On This Page
Roadmaps
Classical Civilization Concentration
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One Credits CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Foreign Language 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 17 Semester Two CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 Foreign Language 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 13 Semester Three Classics Culture Elective 3 Foreign Language 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Four Classics Culture Electives 6 Foreign Language 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Five CLAS 41005 or CLAS 41006HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE or ROMAN HISTORY3 CLAS 41401 or CLAS 41402GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART or ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART3 Classics Culture Elective 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Six CLAS 41304 or CLAS 41503LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) or LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC)3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Semester Seven Capstone Elective 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Semester Eight General Electives 15 Credit Hours 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 Greek Concentration
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One Credits CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 13 Semester Two CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Three Classics Culture Elective 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Prerequisities or General Electives 4 Credit Hours 13 Semester Four Kent Core Requirement 3 Prerequisities or General Electives 4 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 16 Semester Five CLAS 41005 or CLAS 41006HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE or ROMAN HISTORY3 CLAS 41401 or CLAS 41402GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART or ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART3 GRE 24201 INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL GREEK I: READINGS 3 General Electives 6 Credit Hours 15 Semester Six CLAS 41304 or CLAS 41503LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) or LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC)3 GRE 24202 INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL GREEK II: READINGS 3 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 15 Semester Seven GRE 34372 ADVANCED READINGS IN GREEK 3 Capstone Elective 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 18 Semester Eight General Electives 15 Credit Hours 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 Latin Concentration
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One Credits CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 ! Prerequisites or General Electives 4 Credit Hours 17 Semester Two CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 ! Prerequisites or General Electives 4 Credit Hours 13 Semester Three Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Prerequisite or General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Four Kent Core Requirement 3 Prerequisite or General Elective 3 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 15 Semester Five ! CLAS 41005 or CLAS 41006HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE or ROMAN HISTORY3 LAT 36172 ADVANCED READINGS IN LATIN 3 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 15 Semester Six ! CLAS 41304 or CLAS 41503LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) or LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC)3 ! CLAS 41401 or CLAS 41402GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART or ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART3 Latin Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3 General Electives 6 Credit Hours 15 Semester Seven Capstone Elective 3 ! Latin Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 15 Semester Eight Latin Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 Religion Studies Concentration
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One Credits CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Foreign Language 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 14 Semester Two CLAS 21404 or CLAS 21405THE GREEK ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM) or THE ROMAN ACHIEVEMENT (DIVG) (KHUM)3 Foreign Language 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 16 Semester Three REL 11020 or REL 21021INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM) or MOSES, JESUS AND MOHAMMAD (DIVG) (ELR) (KHUM)3 Foreign Language 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Four Social Scientific Study and History Elective 3 Foreign Language 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Electives 6 Credit Hours 15 Semester Five CLAS 41005 or CLAS 41006HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE or ROMAN HISTORY3 Religious Culture, Thought and Literature Elective 3 Additional Religious Culture, Thought and Literature or Social Scientific Study and History Elective 3 General Electives 6 Credit Hours 15 Semester Six ! CLAS 41304 or CLAS 41503LITERATURE OF THE ROMAN WORLD (ELR) (WIC) or LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS (ELR) (WIC)3 Additional Religious Culture, Thought and Literature or Social Scientific Study and History Elective 3 General Electives 9 Credit Hours 15 Semester Seven CLAS 41401 or CLAS 41402GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART or ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Semester Eight Capstone Elective 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 -
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
- Delivery:
Other Relevant Links
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Classics - B.A.
Graduates of Kent State鈥檚 B.A. in Classics are well-prepared for careers in education, research, archaeology, and cultural heritage preservation. The program鈥檚 interdisciplinary curriculum, which encompasses ancient languages, literature, history, and philosophy, equips students with critical thinking and analytical skills applicable in various fields. Graduates often pursue roles as educators, museum curators, archaeologists, and historians, contributing to the understanding and appreciation of ancient cultures and their influence on the modern world.
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Postsecondary teachers, all other
2.0%
slower than the average
245,900
number of jobs
$71,950
potential earnings
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Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
3.8%
about as fast as the average
1,050,800
number of jobs
$62,870
potential earnings
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Interpreters and translators
20.0%
much faster than the average
77,400
number of jobs
$52,330
potential earnings
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Curators
12.6%
much faster than the average
14,500
number of jobs
$56,990
potential earnings
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Clergy
4.0%
about as fast as the average
243,900
number of jobs
$51,940
potential earnings
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Additional Careers
- Entrepreneurs
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Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.