The Doctoral Program in History

The objective of the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History is primarily, though not exclusively, the training of academic scholars for college, university, and government service. Through a mixture of seminars, independent study, field examinations, language requirements, and a doctoral dissertation closely supervised by an advisor and faculty advisory committee, students develop the highest level of skills and command of information required for research scholarship and advanced teaching.

In order to develop teaching skills beyond the level of seminar presentations and oral examinations, Ph.D. students normally work as supervised teaching assistants and/or lecturers for at least one semester. Each fall, a TA training workshop is held prior to the beginning of the term, which is mandatory for all new teaching assistants and strongly encouraged for continuing TAs. In addition, workshops are held throughout each semester; these are led by talented instructors and provide a forum for exchanging ideas about classroom techniques and issues.

By the time a student completes a Ph.D., he or she will normally have submitted articles for publication, presented papers at scholarly meetings, written grant applications, and engaged actively in teaching.

The Ph.D. in history is awarded in four areas: Medieval Europe, Early Modern and Modern Europe, the United States, and Latin America. A dissertation topic must be chosen within one of these areas. Supporting work is offered in African, African Diaspora, Ancient, East Asian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern history and in the History of Science. The student's program should ordinarily include work in other departments.

Advisory Committee

Upon admission to the program, the student is assigned a major advisor to chair an advisory committee. At least two associate advisors, chosen by the student, also serve on the committee. The student's advisory committee should be formed in consultation with the major advisor in the second semester after entering the graduate program.

In consultation with this committee, the student plans a program that meets individual needs and satisfies the requirements of the Graduate School and the Department of History. The major advisor who counsels the student through the general examination process ordinarily, but not necessarily, becomes the dissertation advisor.

Plan of Study

Before the end of the second semester of full-time study beyond the master’s degree, the student must submit a formal Plan of Study to the Graduate School. This plan should list the courses that will be taken to prepare for the general examination, including those taken outside the Department of History. A copy of the plan should also be submitted to the departmental graduate office. The plan can be updated just before the student takes the final general examination.

Residence Requirement

The doctoral student must complete a minimum of one year of full-time study in residence beyond the master's degree, which consists of two consecutive semesters of a full-time graduate program at the Storrs campus. A graduate assistant, whose academic program normally proceeds at half the rate of the full-time student, ordinarily fulfills this residence requirement with two years of such service. (Note: This requirement does not mean the student must live on or near campus for their year of full-time study.)

Course Work

Doctoral students are ordinarily required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of course work beyond the master’s degree. For students who have received the MA from the history department at the University of Connecticut the requirement is a minimum of 12 credits, unless a determination is made by the Graduate Director at the time of admission that additional course work will be required. All doctoral students must include at least 15 credits of GRAD 6950 (Dissertation Research) in the Plan of Study.

The 24 credits of course work ordinarily taken beyond the master's degree represent only the formal minimum. Although course work is necessary preparation for the general examinations, students are examined on the mastery of fields of knowledge rather than on courses. The number and choice of courses taken depend on such factors as the student's background, choice of fields, the nature of related work, and language skills, and must be developed in consultation with the advisory committee. A student must ordinarily expect to devote at least three years of full-time study and research (i.e., uninterrupted by part- or full-time employment) beyond the master's degree to complete all requirements for the doctorate.

Graduate courses offered by other UConn departments may be counted among the credits that students accumulate toward the Ph.D. degree (for a maximum of 6 credits). (Such course work is especially encouraged at the Ph.D. level.) Good reasons for this strategy include: to develop specialized research skills, to prepare for an interdisciplinary teaching or research job, or to obtain greater breadth of knowledge. The History department encourages each student, in consultation with the advisor, to include one or more courses in related disciplines in their Plan of Study. Within or beyond the 24 required credits, students may want to include a “skills field,” a pair of linked courses in fields such as: anthropological or archaeological studies, literary theory, archival management, public-opinion polling techniques, political or international-relations theory, women’s studies, ethnic studies, or statistics.

Most doctoral course work is taken at the 5000 level, although a maximum of six credits may be taken for credit at the 3000 level. Students may wish to audit lecture courses at the 2000 or 1000 level. Graduate students may not take more than a total of three 3000-level and 3000+ (that is, 300-level courses taken for 5000-level credit) courses. Independent reading courses (History 5199) are designed to fill gaps in field preparation and are not substitutes for formal courses; they should not be taken until twelve credits of course work have been taken. Arrangements for taking independent reading courses are made with the major advisor.

History 5101 is a requirement for all graduate students and should be taken as early as possible in the student's career. Only the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the student and the student’s advisor can grant exemptions from this requirement for students who have taken a similar course elsewhere. Also required is History 5102 (Historical Research and Writing), a three-credit course that is normally taken in the spring after completing History 5101. The same policy on exemption applies as with History 5101.

Time Limitation

Doctoral students are expected to complete all degree requirements within the seven-year limit prescribed by the Graduate School. The student's advisory committee only rarely recommends extensions of the terminal date, and then only after the student has submitted a written report on progress made on the dissertation, plans for completion of the dissertation, and the reasons why an extension should be granted.

Foreign Language Requirements

The foreign language requirement for the doctorate varies according to the student's major area of interest, but normally one or two languages are required. The goal is to attain reading proficiency so that languages can be used as research tools.

At the very start of the doctoral student's first semester, the student and his or her advisor should determine a schedule and plan for satisfying this requirement; the student is expected to demonstrate reading proficiency in at least one foreign language early in the Ph.D. work. The full requirement must be met before the last of the four field examinations has been taken.

Students may satisfy the foreign language requirement through several methods:

(1) Departmental examination: These examinations are typically given in the third week of each semester. Students intending to take a department examination must notify the Graduate Secretary by the end of the first week of classes. The examination consists of a written translation from the foreign language into English. A dictionary may be used. To pass the examination, the student must demonstrate that he or she can comprehend the language sufficiently to use it as a research tool. The examination in each language will be administered and evaluated by two faculty members. If the student fails an examination, the examination may be retaken, but only after the student has met with appropriate faculty to define a study program to achieve reading proficiency.

(2) Formal course work: With the approval of his or her advisory committee, the student may satisfy competence in a foreign language by satisfactorily completing certain language courses as specified in the graduate catalog.

(3) Examination by a University language department: a foreign language department at the University administers this examination. Students should consult with the Graduate Director about the availability of this option.

(4) Graduate School Foreign Language Tests: This examination is administered by the Bureau of Educational Research in the School of Education. There is a fee charged for each test. Students should consult with the Graduate Office about the availability of the option.

The specific language(s) in which each student is to establish competency are to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor. The language requirements for each area of doctoral work are:

Medieval: 2 languages

Modern Continental Europe: 2 languages

United States and Modern Britain: 1 language, with additional competency if required by the student’s research area and faculty advisor

Latin America: 1 language, with additional competency if required by the student’s research area and faculty advisor.

The General Examinations

The Ph.D. general examinations are intended to assess the development of doctoral students into professional historians who are familiar with the knowledge, literature, interpretations, and theories of their fields, and who demonstrate the substantive knowledge and analytic skills necessary for teaching at the college level and for conducting original research and scholarly analysis. Three fields will be examined jointly in an oral examination. The fourth field consists of the dissertation prospectus.

Doctoral students in their final year of coursework are to fill out the Exam Declaration Form, specifying fields and the members of the examining committee, by April 1. This form must be signed by all members of the examining committee. The department Graduate Advisory Committee will review each form. Students should complete the oral examination covering the first three fields no later than the end of the sixth semester of full-time work (fourth doctoral semester for students who completed the M.A. degree in the department). The fourth field should be satisfied by the end of the following semester. Students who fail to meet these expected deadlines should not expect to continue receiving pre-doctoral support.

Fields of Study for the General Examination

The general examination consists of four fields, with the fourth being the successful completion of the dissertation prospectus. Though the department grants the doctorate in the four areas of Medieval Europe, Early Modern and Modern Europe, Latin America, and the United States, the student may not satisfy the requirements of all the fields by focusing on a single geographic area or time period. At least one field, usually the Topical Field, must be substantively comparative in its structure and composition, taking the student well beyond the bounds of the chosen Regional Field.

Three fields will be examined in a single two-hour examination. Each student, in cooperation with the student's advisor, advisory committee, and examination committee members, will design a Regional Field, a Topical Field, and a Concentrated Field. Well in advance of the examination and in conjunction with the appropriate exam committee members, the student should define the specific fields and develop a reading list of 40-45 books or their equivalent for each one.

Regional Fields: (See faculty listing by regional field.)

United States
Medieval Europe
Early Modern Europe
Modern Europe
Latin America and Caribbean (colonial and national)

Topical Fields: (See faculty listing by topical field.)

Specific comparative topical fields will be defined by the student and committee, and will fall within the department's broad designated areas of thematic focus:
Colonialism, Imperialism, and Migrations
Gender and Sexuality
Human Rights
Ideas, Ideologies, and Imagination
International Relations, Transnationalism, and Globalization
Law, Society, and Culture
Race, Ethnicity, and Identities
Space, Place, and Environment
State, Politics, and Political Culture

Concentrated Fields:

The Concentrated Field may be fulfilled in either of two ways, as the student and committee decide. The student may choose to define an additional topical field. Alternatively, the student may explore an area of focus within the chosen Regional Field for a longer time period or in greater depth. (As examples, a student might define a Concentrated Field as Mexico, 1519-present, British North America in the Atlantic World to 1820, or Japan in the Industrial World.)

Oral Exam Preparation, Procedures, and Assessment:

Students may not sit the examination until all previous courses have been successfully completed. In recognition of the importance of students being in regular contact with their examiners while preparing for the exam, students should register for directed readings courses with committee members during any remaining semesters of exam preparation. This contact may include meetings, communication by e-mail, submission of written work, or other assignments as determined by the examiners. Students should take very seriously the comments and advice they receive from their examiners. One week prior to the scheduled exam, the student must submit the official Examination Schedule Form, which confirms the date, time, and place of the exam and must be signed by all members of the examining committee, who are thereby stating that the student is ready to attempt the examination.

The student must be examined by a minimum of five members of the graduate faculty, with two examiners per field (examiners may examine more than one field, as appropriate). The student's advisor and advisory committee members must be members of the examination committee. Each field will be examined for approximately 30 minutes, with the remaining 30 minutes reserved for questions and discussion of broader scope.

The exam will be evaluated as a whole, and be designated as a pass with distinction, a pass, or a failure. If after the oral examination the student is judged by the committee to have failed in only one field, final judgment will be reserved, and the student must take an additional one-hour oral exam in that field during the following semester. If the student is judged to have failed the field a second time, or if the student fails more than one field initially, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Dissertation Prospectus:

The fourth examination field is met by the satisfactory preparation of the dissertation prospectus. Students should follow the department's Guidelines for the Dissertation Prospectus.

The broad reading program necessary for preparation of the prospectus should be worked out in consultation with the major advisor and with the active participation of other members of the doctoral advisory committee. Before final approval, the entire dissertation committee should make every effort to meet formally with the student to discuss the substantive issues raised by the prospectus. The prospectus must also be approved by the department's Graduate Advisory Committee before it can be submitted to the Graduate School. Upon successful completion of all four examination fields, as well as all language competency requirements, the student advances to doctoral candidacy.

Dissertation

A dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the candidate's field of specialization is a primary requirement for the doctorate. When presented to the advisory committee, the dissertation must meet the highest standards of form as well as substance and demonstrate an ability to conduct and report independent scholarly investigation. Students are advised to consult the Graduate School’s website on requirements for dissertation format and submission.

Final Oral Examination

This final oral examination (dissertation defense) of approximately one to one-and-a half hours deals mainly with the dissertation. Students must present final copies of the dissertation to members of the advisory committee and two additional examiners no later than one week before the defense. All faculty members and graduate students are invited to attend the dissertation defense.

PhD program for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2007