Greek was first offered as an optional course of study at Mount Holyoke in the 1872/1873 academic year, when French and German were also first introduced. After two years, a four year course of study in Greek was offered, and through this course Seminary students could earn a special certificate in Greek in addition to their regular diploma. When the College was chartered in 1888, several course of study were introduced, including Classical, Scientific, and Literary. The study of Greek was included in the Classical course of study. In 1894/1895, a Greek department was established. When "majors" were defined in 1907/1908, Greek was listed as a major subject. In the 1935/1936 academic year, the Greek Department merged with the Latin Department to form the Department of Classical Languages and Literature. In 1960/1961, this department was renamed the Classics Department.