The program for the Ph.D. degree provides a framework within which students can acquire the following training and experience: (1) broad exposure to a general area of interest and to its current literature and controversies; (2) more intense training in the special field in which the student intends to conduct research and do his or her primary teaching; (3) a sound but more limited introduction to a second field; (4) training in research procedures and methods; (5) an appropriate linguistic competence; and

(6) the completion of a dissertation judged to be a significant piece of historical research and writing.

To achieve these aims, the program is made up of the following components. (For a more complete discussion, see the Handbook for Graduate Students, available in the Department of History.)

Ph.D. Fields:

1. Africa
   
2. African diaspora
   
3. Atlantic world
   
4. Modern East Asia
5. Medieval Europe
   
6. Early modern Europe
   
7. Modern Europe
   
8. Latin America and the Caribbean
   
9. United States
   
10. Hebrew and Judaic Studies (joint program)
    
11. Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (joint program)
    
12. French Studies (joint program)

Course of Study: Ph.D. students must complete 18 courses (72 points), which is the equivalent of six full-time semesters. All students must take the one-semester course Approaches to Historical Research and Writing in their first year and a dissertation-writing seminar in their third year. There is no limit on the number of courses taken within the consortium member universities; nonetheless, each student should consult with his or her adviser on the appropriateness of the courses and their relationship to the student’s course of study. Such courses cannot be taken in a student’s first year of graduate work without special permission. Doctoral students can transfer no more than 40 points from outside this department. The request for transfer of credits must be made within one year of enrollment.

Foreign Language Requirement: Ph.D. students should satisfy the foreign language requirement within the first year of graduate study; they must do so by the time they complete 48 points of course work. The minimal departmental requirement is one foreign language; additional languages may be required by the student’s advisory committee. Students who choose the Middle East as their major field must fulfill the language requirements specified for the joint Ph.D. program in history and Middle Eastern studies; for details, see the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies section in this bulletin. Other areas requiring a foreign language for research may set particular additional requirements. Students should consult their adviser about what rules apply in their case.

Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language that has direct relevance to their area of study. The choice of language must be approved by the student’s adviser or by the director of graduate studies. Students may satisfy proficiency in one of the following ways: (1) by passing the proficiency examination in the language given by the Graduate School of Arts and Science; (2) by having earned a grade of B+ or better in an intermediate or advanced language course in a college or university no more than two years prior to enrollment. Exceptions may be made for languages required for primary research, by which a student’s adviser may specify some other procedure as necessary to demonstrate sufficient competence. The language examination is offered by the Graduate School three times a year.

Qualifying Examination: Students must pass a written qualifying examination in one of the department’s designated fields, as well as in a second field. Full-time students entering with a bachelor’s degree take this examination at the end of the second year of study; other students take the examination within one semester after the completion of 12 courses (48 points). Those entering with an M.A. degree from outside the history department are normally expected to take the qualifying examination directly after they have completed six courses, of which one must be a “literature of the field” course. Students who have done graduate work elsewhere must, before sitting for the exam, complete all work for the number of courses the director of graduate studies has determined to be appropriate in each case. A student who does not pass the examination has the right to retake it once.

The qualifying examination is not a comprehensive examination. It is intended to test how well each student understands and can explain historical arguments and issues and bring to bear pertinent information and knowledge in discussing them.

Prospectus Oral Examination: Each student must pass a 90-minute oral examination after the language and course requirements have been completed. Full-time students normally take this examination at the end of the third year of study. Those entering with a master’s degree should take the examination at the end of the second year. For other students, the precise time is arranged with the director of graduate studies, but it must be as soon after the completion of course work as is practicable.

The student must submit a dissertation prospectus prior to the examination. The discussion of this proposal is a major component of the examination. The committee for the examination consists of three faculty members: one is the student’s major adviser; the other two are normally readers of the dissertation. Where appropriate, one member of the committee may be from outside the department. No student may sit for the major field examination without the previous completion of the language proficiency specified for that field. Students who fail the major field examination may sit for it one more time, in the following fall term.

Dissertation: Each student must write a dissertation under the supervision of a member of the department (joint advisers are permitted). The dissertation committee, including the adviser, has five members; a minimum of three must be GSAS full-time faculty

Program Plan: Ph.D. students should arrange their schedules so that they can complete the required “literature of the field” courses and at least one seminar by the end of the first year. The qualifying examination is a major concern of doctoral students in the first two years, but students should also ensure that they begin serious work in the major field during these years, for the sake of their overall professional development. A student’s progress toward these goals is taken into account during the evaluation the department undertakes for each student following the qualifying examination.

The third year should be devoted primarily to the student’s major field, including the planning of the dissertation project. It may also, if necessary, be used for completing the second field.

Major Field: Each doctoral student must designate a major field, within which the subject of the student’s dissertation falls and presumably the field in which the student expects to be principally involved as a writer and teacher. Major fields should be broad enough so that they can prepare students to teach an upper-level undergraduate course or a graduate colloquium, but narrow enough so that students can develop professional competence in a body of literature, and each student’s own primary research can contribute to the preparation. Major fields may be defined in chronological and geographical terms, or they may be partly topical. In each case, a student’s major field should be worked out in discussion with his or her adviser and with one additional faculty member who has agreed to participate in examining it. Each field must be approved by the director of graduate studies.

Second Field: Each doctoral student must choose, by the end of the third semester, a second field and a second field adviser, who will examine the student in the qualifying exam. Normally the program consists of three courses.

A second field may have the same dimensions as the major field, or it may be thematically defined. In every case, however, the second field may not be contained within the student’s major field but must introduce some significant new area or dimension. Second fields may also be arranged in some fields in which no major fields are available and may be comparative. Archival management and historical editing also qualify as second fields, without respect to the major field. Women’s history and public history, if comparative, also qualify as second fields without respect to the major field.

Transnational Fields: 

Two transnational fields contribute to the distinctiveness of our program, serving students across various fields of concentration.

The African diaspora field focuses on the dispersal and activities of people of African descent, from antiquity to the present, and incorporates Africa, South America, the Caribbean, North America, and Europe.

The Atlantic world field incorporates all of the continents that rim the Atlantic and spans early modern and modern eras.

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