Graduate Regulations 2023
Graduate Regulations 2023 1
(These regulations and guidelines supplement the regulations published in the Graduate Arts and Sciences Program Catalog. Please refer to the catalog for information and regulations governing, among other things, tuition and fees, auditing courses, leaves of absence, medical withdrawals, and extensions to the time limit on completing degrees.)
Approved by the Graduate Studies Committee on May 12, 2023 . Approved by the Department on August 29, 2023. "Graduate Regulations 2023" will go into effect in Fall 2023.
The Master of Arts Program
- INTRODUCTION
- The M.A. program is designed to encompass the fall and spring semester of an academic year. By the end of this period, the student should have completed all requirements to obtaining the M.A. degree. The M.A. program consists of two semesters of coursework and completion of a research portfolio.
- PART-TIME STUDENTS
- Graduate students admitted to the Master of Arts Program on a part-time basis must complete all requirements for the degree within three years of the date they entered the program. Part-time students are not eligible for funding.
- CONTINUATION STANDARDS
- Any student receiving two final grades of C or below will be dropped from the program.
- Candidates for the M.A. must achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students should note that the grade of B-minus falls below the required average.)
- In the event of a student's failure to complete all assignments in a course, instructors may, at their discretion, assign a grade of "I" (the grade of "G" is assigned only in History 700). (See the Graduate Arts & Sciences Program for definitions of grades.) The "I" becomes an "F" unless the student completes the work within one semester or the faculty member requests an extension of the "I" for another semester. The "I" cannot be extended for a second time without the approval of the History Graduate Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
- COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Candidates for the M.A. must complete 24 semester hours of Graduate History courses (not including History 700).
- All M.A. candidates take the “Historian’s Craft” (History 701), a research seminar (History 712), and a reading seminar (History 715) in the fall semester.
- All M.A. candidates take one research seminar and two reading seminars in the spring semester.
- All students register for directed research (History 695) and thesis (History 700) in each semester. Students may take Teaching History (History 705, 1 credit) in addition to their other course work.
- Upon approval by the History Graduate Director, students may schedule up to six graduate credits in History 590 or courses in other departments or programs not cross-listed under History. Should students wish to exceed the six-credit cap, they must petition the Graduate Committee through the History Graduate Director. Such courses must fit logically into a student's overall preparation.
- In exceptional circumstances a student may do an independent study that is approved by both the History Graduate Director and the individual instructor.
- TYPICAL MASTER'S PROGRAM
- Fall
- Historian's Craft (History 701), 3 credit hours
- Research Seminar (History 712), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Directed Research (History 695) under research seminar instructor, 3 credit hours
- Thesis (History 700) under advisor, 3 credits
- Spring
- Research Seminar (History 712), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Directed Research (History 695) under research seminar instructor, 3 credit hours
- Thesis (History 700) under advisor, 3 credits
- Teaching History (History 705, 1 credit hour, optional)
- Fall
- ADVISING
- Students will initially be assigned a graduate advisor on the basis of information in their applications. They will receive their advisor assignment, as well as information about the program, during the summer before they enroll. Students should meet with their assigned advisors by the end of the orientation period to plan for their two-semester program.
- Students should also schedule a meeting with their advisors during the week before they register for spring courses to discuss any changes in their plans.
- Students may change advisors by completing a change of advisor form.
- LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
- Graduate students must pass a departmental examination to demonstrate their reading knowledge of a language other than English.
- The examination consists of translating a passage into English with the use of a dictionary in two hours. Exams will be administered at the beginning of the fall semester. Opportunities will be offered to retake the exam for those who do not pass the first time.
- Students may discuss requirements with the faculty member administering the examination in a particular language beforehand.
- The translation must be the student’s unassisted original work.
- RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
- M.A. students must compose a “Research Portfolio” that includes two substantial seminar papers (produced in their two topical research seminars) and a 3-5 page intellectual biography, which explains their research trajectory for both papers and discusses what they plan to do with these papers in the future. Usually, each research paper will be 20-30 pages in length.
- Students will defend their M.A. portfolio at the end of the spring semester to a committee of three people. The committee will usually consist of their two seminar instructors and their advisor, who will serve as chair of the committee. If the advisor is one of the seminar instructors, the graduate director will serve on the committee. If both the advisor and the graduate director are seminar instructors, the student will ask another faculty member to serve on the committee. The defense will take place in a conference setting at the end of the spring semester. For research portfolio guidelines see Appendix IV.
- After the defense, the committee members complete a Thesis Recommendation Form, which should be submitted to the Department's Graduate Coordinator.
- Faculty members will not be available for the supervision or defense of the portfolio during the summer months except by prior arrangement.
- See Appendix II: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations
- SEE ALSO:
- APPENDIX III: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED (M.A.)
- APPENDIX VI: APPRENTICESHIPS & INTERNSHIPS
- CONTINUING ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT This policy allows students to maintain active status with the College and to access College resources, including the libraries, email, laboratories, the Student Health Center, and the Recreation Center, upon payment of the appropriate fees. Additionally, this policy is designed to enhance faculty mentoring and encourage student degree completion within the time limitations specified by the graduate programs. This policy does not apply to students who have been officially granted a planned leave of absence or a medical withdrawal. All full- time and part-time degree-seeking graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment during all fall and spring semesters. With prior approval from the history department, students in good standing can remain active in the degree program with Continuous Enrollment Status by being registered for GRAD 999 by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and paying the "Continuous Enrollment" fee (see the graduate catalog for the current fee). The following students are not eligible for Continuous Enrollment Status and should register as a Research Graduate Student for 12 credits of HIST 700 or HIST 800 or as a regularly enrolled degree-seeking student:
(1) students employed in a graduate student appointment (e.g., Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow), (2) international students requiring visas, and
(3) students who choose to continue to defer repayment of student loans. Unless granted an approved leave of absence or medical withdrawal, a graduate student who fails to register each semester has discontinued enrollment in the graduate degree program. If the student wishes to resume progress toward the degree, it will be necessary to reapply for admission to the College and to the degree program and meet any changed or additional requirements established in the interim. In addition, the student will owe Continuous Enrollment fees for the term(s) he/she was not enrolled.
The Doctoral Program
Ph.D. students in history should also consult the general regulations governing the Ph.D. degree in the Graduate Arts and Sciences Program Catalog.
- ADVISING (See Also, Appendix I: Progress Checklist)
- Students will initially be assigned a graduate advisor on the basis of information in their applications. They will receive their advisor assignment, as well as information about the program, during the summer before they enroll. Students should meet with their assigned advisors by the end of the orientation period to plan for their course selection.
- Students should also schedule a meeting with their advisors during the week before they register for spring courses to discuss any changes in their plans.
- Students may change advisors by completing a change of advisor form.
- COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Candidates for the Ph.D. must complete 46 semester hours of graduate coursework in History (not including History 700 or History 800).
- All Ph.D. candidates take the “Historian’s Craft” (History 701), a research seminar (History 712), and a reading seminar (History 715) in the fall semester of their first year.
- All Ph.D. candidates take one research seminar and two reading seminars in the spring semester of their first year.
- All Ph.D. candidates register for directed research (History 695) and thesis (History 700) in each semester of their first year.
- In their second year, Ph.D. candidates take six seminars, up to two of which may be (but are not required to be) research seminars. The rest must be reading seminars.
- Upon approval by the History Graduate Director, students may schedule up to six graduate credits in History 590 or courses in other departments or programs not cross-listed under History. Should students wish to exceed the six-credit cap, they must petition the Graduate Committee through the History Graduate Director. Such courses must fit logically into a student's overall preparation.
- In exceptional circumstances, a student may do an independent study that is approved by both the History Graduate Director and the individual instructor.
- In the spring of their third year, doctoral students must take Teaching History (705) and a Dissertation Prospectus Writing Class (History 706).
- LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
- Graduate students must pass a departmental examination to demonstrate their reading knowledge of a language other than English.
- The examination consists of translating a passage into English with the use of a dictionary in two hours. Exams will be administered at the beginning of the fall semester. Opportunities will be offered to retake the exam for those who do not pass the first time.
- Students may discuss requirements with the faculty member administering the examination in a particular language beforehand.
- The translation must be the student’s unassisted original work.
- RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
- In their first year, Ph.D. students must compose a “Research Portfolio” that includes two substantial seminar papers (produced in their two topical research seminars), and a 3-5 page intellectual biography, which explains their research trajectory for both papers and discusses what they plan to do with these papers in the future. Usually, each research paper will be 20-30 pages in length.
- Students will defend their portfolio at the end of the spring semester to a committee of three people. The committee will usually consist of their two seminar instructors and the person most likely to be their Ph.D. advisor, who will serve as chair of the committee. If the advisor is one of the seminar instructors, the director of graduate studies will serve on the committee. The defense will take place in a conference setting at the end of the spring semester. For research portfolio guidelines see Appendix IV.
- After the defense, the committee members complete a Thesis Recommendation Form, which should be submitted to the Department Graduate Coordinator.
- Faculty members will not be available for the supervision or defense of the portfolio during the summer months except by prior arrangement.
- See Appendix II: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations
- SEE ALSO:
- APPENDIX III: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED (M.A.)
- APPENDIX VI: APPRENTICESHIPS & INTERNSHIPS
- TYPICAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM
- 1st Year
- Fall
- The Historian’s Craft (History 701), 3 credit hours
- Research Seminar (History 712), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Directed Research (History 695) under research seminar instructor, 3 credit hours
- Thesis (History 700) under advisor, 3 credit hours
- Spring
- Research Seminar (History 712), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Directed Research (History 695) under research seminar instructor, 3 credit hours
- Thesis (History 700) under advisor, 3 credit hours
- Defense of Research Portfolio
- Fall
- 2nd Year
- Fall
- Reading or Research Seminar (History 712 or History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Dissertation Credits (History 800) 3 credit hours
- TAship
- Spring
- Reading or Research Seminar (History 712 or History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Reading Seminar (History 715), 3 credit hours
- Dissertation (History 800), 3 credit hours
- Constitute Comprehensive Examination Committee
- TAship
- Fall
- 3rd Year
- Fall
- Comprehensive Exams
- Spring
- Dissertation Prospectus Writing Class (History 706), 3 credit hours
- Teaching History (History 705), 1 credit hour
- TAship
- Dissertation Prospectus Colloquium
- Fall
- 4th Year and 5th Year
- Teach course during one semester of either the 4th or 5th year
- Dissertation Research and Writing during the other three semesters of the 4th and 5th years
- 6th Year
- Work Assignment and Dissertation Research and Writing
- 1st Year
- CONTINUATION STANDARDS
- Any student receiving two final grades of C or below will be dropped from the program.
- Degree candidates must achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students should note that the grade of B-minus falls below the required average.)
- In the event of a student's failure to complete all assignments in a course, instructors may at their discretion assign a grade of "I" (the grade of "G" is assigned only in History 700 and 800). (See the Graduate Arts & Sciences Program for definitions of grades.) The "I" automatically becomes an "F" unless the student completes the work within one semester or the faculty member requests an extension of the "I" for another semester. The "I" cannot be extended for a second time without the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
- Ph.D. students will be reviewed annually in April by the Graduate Studies Committee. By the first Monday in April all students should submit to their advisors and to the Director of Graduate Studies an updated CV and a report of 250-500 words detailing what they have accomplished in the previous year and their plans for the upcoming year. Students on stipend must include a section on what they plan to do during the coming summer (see Terms of Stipends below).
- For the first review, the History Graduate Director will verify that students have the minimum grades required for a master's degree. All faculty who have taught students will be asked to evaluate their performance. Students who seem weak in particular areas will receive a letter from the History Graduate Director, which outlines the committee's concerns. In rare cases, students who don't show improvement may be asked to leave the program.
- In preparation for the second review, students must have fulfilled the following requirements of Âé¶¹ÆÆ½â°æ's master's degree program by March 15 of the second year in residence: all course work and a completed research portfolio approved by the full MA committee.
- These requirements will, however, be considered minimal for continuation. In addition, students must have demonstrated that they have the intellectual promise and skills to pursue a Ph.D. Faculty will again be asked to evaluate the students they have taught or advised. Students who do not appear to have the potential to succeed in the program will not be allowed to continue.
- Students who are not allowed to continue will lose their funding and be dropped from the Ph.D. program at the end of the semester. Those who have completed the requirements for the M.A. degree at Âé¶¹ÆÆ½â°æ will be awarded an M.A. degree. Those who have not completed the M.A. requirements will have three years from the date they first enrolled in the History graduate program at Âé¶¹ÆÆ½â°æ to complete the requirements.
- To qualify to take the comprehensive examinations, students must have completed all coursework and have passed their language exam by the end of the spring semester of their second year.
- TERMS OF STIPENDS
- Continued funding is contingent on the timely completion of the program requirements.
- Doctoral students are expected to serve as teaching assistants for three semesters. In addition, students usually teach one course in their fourth or fifth year. For an exemption from the teaching fellowship (only granted in rare cases), the student must apply to the Director of Graduate Studies for an alternate assignment. During their sixth year on stipend, students usually work as consultants in the History Writing Resources Center, as teaching assistants, or as instructors of an undergraduate course. All assignments are subject to the department’s needs.
- Students are assigned to "research" in the semester in which they take the comprehensive qualifying examination, and during three semesters of their fourth and fifth years.
- In order to receive a summer fellowship, students usually must commit to spending at least ten weeks working full-time (and to the exclusion of other employment) on degree requirements such as comprehensive exam preparation or the dissertation. Although summer funding is guaranteed to students in good standing, students must submit a summer work plan, including their advisor's signature, by the first Monday in April in order to be considered in "good standing" for summer funding.
- Ph.D. students in their 2nd year of residence must submit reading lists for the comprehensive qualifying examination they will take the following fall as their summer work plan.
- COMPREHENSIVE QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
- Preparation of Fields
- Comprehensive examinations are designed to give students command of subjects they may teach, deep contextualization for the historical fields in which they will be conducting research, and enough breadth and depth to make them attractive job candidates.
- In consultation with their advisors and with the agreement of the professors who will administer the exams, students will devise four fields for the comprehensive examinations. Each student's fields must be approved both by the adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.
- Students’ fields should conform to the following principles: Taken together, the four fields should involve significant chronological depth, particularly in the student's field of specialization, and should cover multiple geographic areas. The faculty recommends that the chosen fields complement one another.
- For example, Student A might prepare fields in Early American History to 1815, US History since 1815, Modern Latin America, and Labor History (1607-WWII).
- Student B might prepare fields in African History to 1800, African History Since 1800, Comparative Slavery, US South.
- Student C might prepare fields in Early American History, Nineteenth-Century U.S., Twentieth-Century U.S., and Transnational Gender history.
- Students must define at least one of their fields (in most cases a field in their primary area of specialization) by the end of their first year in the program so they can study for that field over the first summer. Students must discuss this field with both their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies before submitting the first part of the comprehensive examination committee form.
- Students should have a conversation about their fields with their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Fall of the second year, before approaching other faculty members about doing fields. They must define the remaining three fields by the spring of their second year, and must complete the comprehensive examination committee appointment form by May 1 of their second year. The form must be signed by the committee members and the graduate director. The committee must include the likely dissertation advisor, who will serve as chair. Students should submit drafts of the comprehensive qualifying examination field lists to the Director of Graduate Studies and to the Department Graduate Coordinator.
- With the approval of a student's advisor and the graduate director, a faculty member from another program or department may be an examiner for one of the examination fields.
- The student will work with each member of the committee to generate a reading list for each examination field. Each committee member may choose whether to have a preset list or to require students to create their own lists as part of the comprehensive preparation process. The reading lists for most comprehensive exam fields will include between 50 and 100 books. The length of the final list will be determined by the field examiner.
- Each student is expected to consult with the examination committee members in preparation for the exam.
- In no field should the comprehensive exam be considered merely an examination of coursework already taken.
- The Timing of the Exam
- Students will take the written component of their comprehensive exams during the last week of October and their oral exams during the first three weeks of November of their third year.
- A student who for any reason fails to qualify to take the comprehensive exams in the fall of the third year must wait until the fall of the fourth year, will be ineligible to pass the exam with distinction, and will forfeit their stipend immediately.
- The Exam Itself
- The exam has two parts--one written and one oral. Students must pass both parts.
- The written portion of the exam tests the depth of a student's knowledge and ability to present ideas coherently. Some examiners may require a student to write several essays. Others may call for one essay. Likewise, the questions may be specific or sweeping. To name just two possibilities, one question may require a student to discuss debates within a particular field; another may call upon a student to draft a lecture on a given subject.
- Each member of the examination committee is solely responsible for preparing the questions and evaluating the answers for one of the four fields on the written portion of the examination. An examiner may but is not required to request the assistance of other faculty members in preparing questions and evaluating answers, but each examiner alone determines the result for the field.
- Usually, examiners will be expected to provide students with options on the written portions of the comprehensive exam.
- The examiners should make copies of their questions available to the Director of Graduate Studies several days before the beginning of the written exam. Students will receive all sections of the written examination at 8 a.m. on the first day and must return all sections by 4:30 p.m. on the fifth day.
- Students may take the four fields of the examination in any order and at any time during the five-day period. Students are on their honor to observe the following stipulations:
- They may not open the examination for a field until they are ready to begin the examination for that field.
- At no time after they have opened the field may students consult any personal notes or printed, microform, or computerized sources (except spelling and grammatical programs) or consult any person other than the department chair, the chair of the examination committee, or the History Graduate Director about any aspect of the examination before submitting their answers.
- Students will be allotted eight hours per field, from the moment they open that field's exam to the moment they complete it (including breaks and editing).
- Typically, answers range from 3,000 to 5,000 words per field. By the Wednesday following completion of the written exam, examiners will usually inform the chair of the student's committee whether the student passed or failed and will have discussed with the chair the strengths or weaknesses of the student's performance. The chair of the committee will, then, communicate the results to the History Graduate Director, who will inform the result to each student as soon as possible.
- The student must pass the written portion of the examination in all four fields before going on to the oral section.
- A student who fails the written portion of one field will be re-examined in that field only.
- A student who fails the written portion of two fields will be re-examined in all fields.
- If the four committee members are unanimous that the student passed the written portion of the examination and may proceed to the oral portion, the committee chair will inform the student and the History Graduate Director without a meeting of the committee. If the student fails any field, or if there is disagreement over any issue, the committee chair will convene the committee to set the approximate time for the written reexamination and to seek resolution of any disagreement before informing the student of the The oral portion of the exam is a two-hour examination, wherein the members of the committee ask questions on a wide range of subjects. Faculty may further examine a student's knowledge of subjects covered on the written exam. They may ask the questions that the student chose not to answer on the written portion of the exam, or they may devise entirely new questions. Each student will be judged on the depth and breadth of their knowledge and also on their ability to present that knowledge clearly and coherently.
- It is the responsibility of the student to arrange with the committee a mutually convenient date and place for the oral examination before administration of the written portion of the comprehensive qualifying examination. Oral examinations usually will be scheduled no earlier than the second Monday after completion of the written exam and no later than one month after the written exam.
- On successful completion of the written and oral examinations, committee members will complete and sign the Comprehensive Examination form, which should be submitted to the Department Graduate Coordinator.
- A student who fails the oral portion of one field will be re-examined in that field only. The entire comprehensive examination committee will usually be present when the student retakes the one oral field that he or she initially failed.
- A student who fails the oral portion of two fields will be re-examined orally in all fields.
- The final evaluation of the comprehensive exam will take into account the student's performance on both the written and oral portions of the exam
- A student who fails to pass the exam in the fall of the third year will forfeit stipends at the end of the spring semester of that year.
- Only one re-examination will be permitted for the written portion of the examination and only one for the oral portion. The graduate program committee may waive this rule only under the most unusual and compelling circumstances. It is the responsibility of the student to bring such conditions to the attention of the History Graduate Director no later than two weeks after notification of failure on the first re-examination.
- No comprehensive qualifying examinations or re-examinations will be administered during the summer session.
- No doctoral student may serve as an instructor in the History Department until she or he has passed the comprehensive qualifying examinations.
- Preparation of Fields
- DISSERTATION
- Each candidate for the doctorate must submit a dissertation that is based on original research and which makes a contribution to historical knowledge.
- Students are required to take a three-credit dissertation prospectus writing class (History 706) during the spring semester of their third year, to develop their dissertation prospectus. Before the first day of this class, students need to have gathered some preliminary materials, including an abstract and a bibliography, using the instructions in Appendix V as a guideline.
- Each student should assemble a dissertation committee made up of 3 Âé¶¹ÆÆ½â°æ faculty members. (A fourth external committee member will be added later.) This committee’s composition may be the same or different from the comprehensive examination committee. The chair must be a tenured or tenure- eligible member of the History Department. One of the members of the committee may be from another department or program at Âé¶¹ÆÆ½â°æ.
- Students will decide upon their committees in consultation with their advisors; all committees must be approved by the History Graduate Director and the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.
- When the advisor has approved the prospectus but not later than the last day of classes in the spring semester of the third year, the student will give copies of the prospectus to the two other internal members of the dissertation committee. The student will then schedule a one-hour colloquium to discuss the prospectus. This colloquium should occur before May 31 of the third year. Be aware that some faculty members leave town before that date, so the date of the colloquium will depend on the availability of faculty. The student should submit a copy of the dissertation prospectus and the Dissertation Prospectus Colloquium form, signed by the committee members to the Department Graduate Coordinator.
- Students are advised to register their dissertation topics with the American Historical Association as soon as the prospectus is approved.
- Faculty members will not be available for the supervision of dissertations during the summer months except by prior arrangement.
- A Caution: Drafts of dissertations take time to read and revise. Students should secure the approval of their dissertation director before circulating it to other members of the committee. Since usually directors and other committee members are concurrently teaching a full schedule, students should allow as much as four to six weeks each for a director and for other committee members to read the final draft. When students submit a draft, they should ask the reader for an approximate date the manuscript will be returned. Faculty are not available to read dissertations or hold defenses of dissertations over the summer except by prior arrangement. Students should be certain to discover well in advance when readers will be on leave. When readers have not returned drafts in a timely manner, the student is advised to ask the DGS for assistance. If the DGS is the reader in question, the student should consult the Chair or Graduate Ombudsperson.
- See also, Appendix II: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations
- DISSERTATION DEFENSE
- After the dissertation has been accepted by the committee, the student must defend the dissertation in a final oral examination before the dissertation committee. The student is responsible for scheduling the defense, which usually lasts for two hours.
- SEE ALSO:
- APPENDIX I: PROGRESS CHECKLIST
- APPENDIX II: RULES FOR SUBMITTING THESES AND DISSERTATIONS
- APPENDIX III: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED-MA
- APPENDIX IV: MA RESEARCH PORTFOLIO Guidelines
- APPENDIX V: PROSPECTUS FOR DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS
- APPENDIX VI: APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMs
- APPENDIX VII: TEACHING
- APPENDIX VIII: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED (Ph.D.)
- CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT This policy allows students to maintain active status with the College and to access College resources, including the libraries, email, laboratories, the Student Health Center, and the Recreation Center, upon payment of the appropriate fees. Additionally, this policy is designed to enhance faculty mentoring and encourage student degree completion within the time limitations specified by the graduate programs. This policy does not apply to students who have been officially granted a planned leave of absence or a medical withdrawal. All full- time and part-time degree-seeking graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment during all fall and spring semesters. With prior approval from the history department, students in good standing can remain active in the degree program with Continuous Enrollment Status by enrolling in GRAD 999 only and by paying the "Continuous Enrollment" fee. (See the graduate catalog for the current fee.) The following students are not eligible for Continuous Enrollment Status and should register as a Research Graduate Student (for 12 credits of HIST 700 or HIST 800) or as a regularly enrolled degree-seeking student: (1) students employed in a graduate student appointment (e.g., Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow), (2) international students requiring visas, and (3) students who choose to continue to defer repayment of student loans. Unless granted an approved leave of absence or medical withdrawal, a graduate student who fails to register each semester has discontinued enrollment in the graduate degree program. If the student wishes to resume progress toward the degree, it will be necessary to reapply for admission to the College and to the degree program and meet any changed or additional requirements established in the interim. In addition, the student will owe Continuous Enrollment fees for the term(s) he/she was not enrolled. Continuous Enrollment fees for the term(s) he/she was not enrolled.
- Students who have student loans and want to delay payment while they are completing their degrees must register for 9 credits per semester to be considered fully enrolled.
APPENDICES
- APPENDIX I: Progress Checklist
- FALL SEMESTER M.A. /Doctoral
- Take language exam
- Start composing research portfolio
- SPRING SEMESTER M.A. /Doctoral
- Complete and defend research portfolio
- Ph.D. students must determine at least one field for comprehensive exam
- FALL SEMESTER, 2nd YEAR Ph.D.
- Attend Dean's T.A. Orientation
- Review plan of course work with advisor
- SPRING SEMESTER, 2nd YEAR Ph.D.
- Finalize Comprehensive Qualifying Examination Committee and complete reading lists for comprehensive examination fields.
- Complete all outstanding work of courses graded "I" or "G"
- FALL SEMESTER, 3rd YEAR Ph.D.
- Take comprehensive exams
- Begin working on dissertation prospectus
- SPRING SEMESTER, 3rd YEAR Ph.D.
- Take dissertation prospectus writing class
- Defend dissertation prospectus
- Take Teaching History (705)
- 4th YEAR Ph.D.
- Teaching Fellowship either in 4th or 5th year
- Work on dissertation
- 5th YEAR Ph.D.
- Teaching Fellowship either in 4th or 5th year
- Work on dissertation
- 6th YEAR Ph.D.
- Work on dissertation
- Work as a writing consultant, TA, instructor, or research assistant
- Apply for jobs and/or fellowships
- FALL SEMESTER M.A. /Doctoral
- APPENDIX II. Rules for Submitting Research Portfolios and Dissertations
- Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations is available on the College web site.
- In order to meet the College deadlines for submission of the research portfolio or dissertation to the Dean of Graduate Studies in Arts and Sciences, the candidate uploads one copy of the signed and approved work to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research by the date specified in "Dates to Remember." After checking the manuscript, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research will notify the student as to the manuscript's readiness. A copy must be submitted to the Department Graduate Coordinator in the History Department for proper processing.
- APPENDIX III: Forms To Be Completed (M.A.)
- The responsibility for the completion and submission of the following forms rests with the student:
- The Thesis Recommendation Form should be signed by all members of the examining committee at the time of the examination and filed with the History Graduate Director.
- Notice of Candidacy for a Degree -- this form should be filed by the student with the Registrar by the deadline specified in "Dates to Remember." If degree requirements have not been completed by the second Monday before commencement cancellation must be made by the student in writing. A new form must be submitted for the commencement at which the degree will be awarded.
- Approval Sheet -- (prepared by the student--see Guide for Writers of Master's Theses) must be signed by all three members of the thesis committee and by the student.
- Embargo Form -- the form must be completed following consultation with the faculty advisor.
- Institutional Compliance Committee Form -- the form must be completed following consultation with the faculty advisor.
- APPENDIX IV: M.A. Research Portfolio Guidelines
- The Guidelines for the Research Portfolio is available on the Department of History website.
- Research Papers: Both research papers should be 20-30 pages in length. They should include original research in primary sources as well as a command of the secondary literature on the topic. They should include a discussion of the major historiographic trends with which the project engages. This section should not be just a list of your major sources, but rather an analytic explanation of how your sources can be used both to answer your research questions and to support arguments that engage with and offer an original way of thinking about your topic historically.
- Intellectual Biography: This 3-5 page cover letter should discuss the process by which you came to both of your research papers and the trajectory you followed as you researched and wrote them. Did your research plans change as you proceeded with the project? What do you plan to do with your research papers in the future?
- APPENDIX V: Dissertation Prospectus Guidelines
- The prospectus is the means by which you tell others what you are doing, how you are going about it, and why the project you have constructed is important. It should be roughly 4,000-6,000 words not including a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and a research and writing timetable.
- The text should include the following:
- YOUR PROPOSED TITLE
- A DISCUSSION OF YOUR PROJECT AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE: What is your topic? What question are you trying to answer with your research? What makes this topic interesting? Why is it significant? RELEVANT HISTORIOGRAPHY: What are the major historiographic trends or debates with which your research project will engage? This section should not be a detailed account of each piece of scholarship that relates to the historiographic context for your work; rather you should focus more broadly on the general lines of argument within the historiographies that are most relevant to your study, citing the specific works as you go. What are you doing that hasn't been done before? What is the significance of your particular approach?
- YOUR SOURCES and METHODOLOGY: What are your sources and how will you use them to answer your research questions? Also be sure to make clear how the sources you have chosen (or found) will help you engage with the historiographic trends previously discussed. In other words, this section should not be just a list of your major sources, but rather an analytic explanation of how your sources can be used to offer an original way of thinking about an important topic. What are the limits of your sources?
- YOUR PRELIMINARY THESIS: Drawing from the above discussion, this section should state your (preliminary) main argument/claim/contention and why your particular take on this topic is critical to our understanding of history.
- To this prospectus, you should attach:
- RESEARCH AND WRITING TIMETABLE
- A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
- APPENDIX VI: Apprenticeship Programs
- In cooperation with local affiliates such as the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Earl Gregg Swem Library, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the Lemon Project, the Department of History sponsors Apprenticeship Programs in the Editing of Historical Books and Journals, Archives and Manuscripts Collection, Digital Humanities, and Public History. Other apprenticeships may sometimes become available as well.
- The program in editing begins in early August with an intensive full-time training that lasts several weeks. Other apprenticeships start at the beginning of the fall semester. At the discretion of the program directors, apprentices may also work during parts of January and May when classes are not in session. (For precise scheduling, students should contact the director of their apprenticeship.) While classes are in session, apprentices pursue the usual course of study for the M.A. and are responsible to their supervisors for approximately ten to twelve hours of work per week.
- APPENDIX VII: Teaching
- All students in the doctoral program are enrolled in the Teaching Program, which is designed to prepare them for college classroom teaching.
- Students initially are assigned as Teaching Assistants for three semesters.
- The following guidelines for TAs and supervisors should be consulted before students begin their TA assignments: /as/history/documents/supervising_and_mentoring_graduate_teaching_assistants.pdf
- Doctoral students must enroll in History 705 "Teaching History” during the Spring of their third year.
- During their fourth or fifth year doctoral students are usually appointed as Teaching Fellows and assigned as instructors of record to teach their own sections of a course, depending on the department's needs.
- Fellows meet with the department chair or a designated representative at the beginning of each semester for orientation as new faculty members.
- The student’s advisor or another faculty member will visit a class session and place a written evaluation in the file. Fellows also will distribute student evaluation forms. All evaluators will discuss their evaluations with the fellow.
- APPENDIX VIII: Forms To Be Completed (Ph.D.)
- Comprehensive Qualifying Examination Form -- this form must be signed by all members of the examining committee at the time of the examination and filed with the History Graduate Director.
- Dissertation Prospectus Colloquium Form -- this form must be signed by the internal members of the dissertation committee and filed with the History Graduate Director.
- Recommendation and Defense of Dissertation Form -- this form must be signed by all members of the dissertation committee at the time of the final examination in defense of the dissertation and filed with the History Graduate Director.
- Summer Work Plan-this form must be filed by the student by the first Monday in April of each academic year for which the student is eligible for summer stipend support.
- Notice of Candidacy for a Degree -- this form should be filed by the student with the Registrar by the deadline posted in the "Dates to Remember." If degree requirements have not been completed by the second Monday before commencement cancellation must be made by the student in writing. A new form must be submitted for the commencement at which the degree will be awarded.
- Approval Sheet must be signed by all members of the dissertation committee and by the student.
- Embargo Form -- the form must be completed following consultation with the faculty advisor.
- Institutional Compliance Committee Form -- the form must be completed following consultation with the faculty advisor.
- Survey of Earned Doctorates -- this form should be completed by
- the student and submitted to the Department Graduate Coordinator along with the dissertation for final submission to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
- APPENDIX IX: Dissertation Guidelines
- In addition to the main body of the dissertation, and in addition to all of the formatting requirements that are determined by the Office of Graduate Studies, your dissertation should include: a title, an abstract, a table of contents, a bibliography, and footnotes