The Department of Classics is the only institute in Germany that is home to the four subjects of Classical Philology (Greek, Latin), Byzantine Studies and Modern Greek Philology, Medieval Latin Philology. All four subjects can be studied within the frameworks of a BA or MA; students can also study to become Greek and Latin secondary school teachers.

Research and teaching largely focuses on the history, literature and culture of the ancient Mediterranean region influenced by the Greeks and Romans, as well as on the continued influence and development of the languages of Greek and Latin, the Greek and Latin literature and cultures of the Byzantine Empire and Greece and of the Latin West until modern times.

The diversity of the Department stands out. This can be seen in the broad reach in the so-called "secondary disciplines": in addition to the above-mentioned specialist areas, the Arbeitsstelle für Papyrologie, Epigraphik und Numismatik also conducts research and teaches courses.