Learning about past cultures and their influences on modern day civilizations is typically the focus of an ancient history program. Courses in a program may include Greek political structure, Roman texts, Latin language studies and religious beliefs.

The PhD is a doctoral degree, specifically called a "doctor of philosophy" degree. This is misleading because PhD holders are not necessarily philosophers (unless they earned their degree in philosophy!). That said, PhD recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.