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Ph.D. Requirements
Required Coursework
Language Requirement
Screening
Cognate Requirement
Preliminary Examinations
The Doctoral Dissertation
M. A. Requirements
Students are expected to complete course work as Pre-Candidates in the first two, or
occasionally three, years of study. The preliminary examination qualifying students to write
the dissertation must be taken before the end of the third year of study. After advancing to
Candidacy, students are encouraged to complete dissertation research and writing in accord with
the demands of their research topics. Ideally, students will complete all requirements for the
Ph.D. within six to seven years.
Required Coursework
Studies Courses
Studies courses are 600-level courses designed to familiarize students with the scholarly literature,
major historical debates, and theoretical orientations of a particular field.
History 615, "Introduction
to the Comparative Study of History," is required of all first-year graduate students. This course offers an
introduction to historical literature and encourages the development of critical skills.
In addition, all
first-year students studying United States History are required to take History 611, "The Literature of American
History," in their second semester. This course is designed to introduce first-year graduate students to certain
important topics within the monographic literature of American history.
Other studies courses and seminars
(usually three credits each), as well as independent reading courses, are elected as appropriate to prepare the
four (three history and one cognate) doctoral fields. At least 36 credits of coursework must be completed before
achieving Candidacy.
Seminar Courses
Seminars, which are 700-level courses, introduce students to advanced
research. They emphasize the preparation and presentation of a major paper based on primary materials.
All students must complete at least one seminar in their
first year of study and a second seminar no later than the last semester of their second year. Students in fields in which
special language skills are needed--e.g., the Asian and Near Eastern fields--often must spend considerable time studying
languages before being able to undertake research. In those fields, the schedule for taking seminars will be determined
through consultation between individual students and their advisors. Students entering the program with an M. A. or equivalent
degree from another institution may petition the Director of the Graduate Program to be excused from the requirement of a
second seminar. One seminar, however, must be taken at the University of Michigan.
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Language Requirement
Knowledge of one language other than English is required of students in United States history; for all other students, the
requirement is two languages in addition to English.
The purpose of this requirement--in addition to the relevance it may have to primary
research--is to minimize scholarly provincialism and facilitate exposure to historical literature in languages other than English. Students
are expected to fulfill one language requirement during their first year of residence.
Students must have fulfilled their second language
requirement before advancing to Candidacy. Tests in French, German, Russian, and Spanish are offered each Fall and Winter term. Special provisions
are made for tests in other languages.
Students from countries in which English is not a principal language of secondary school and university
instruction, and whose family language is not English, may satisfy the language requirement by demonstrating competence in one language in addition to
English and their native language.
Foreign language proficiency is not a requirement for admission, but previous training in a language relevant
to one's major field is highly desirable an in some cases essential to admission
Ability in a foreign language may be established in the
following ways:
- completing appropriate UM language courses
- requesting UM recognition of a comparable language requirement recently fulfilled within
another institutions's graduate program
- passing a departmentally administered written examination, requiring translation (with a dictionary)
of two passages of scholarly historical writing.
The language skills necessary for dissertation research in primary documents may demand a more
advanced level than measured through these means; the appropriate skill level is determined through consultation between students and advisors.
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Screening: The Department Evaluation
Student progress in the Ph.D. program is assessed after three semesters of full-time enrollment; students entering with
an M. A. degree are assessed after their second semester. At this time, advisors consult with students about their achievements,
plans and commitment to future study. The faculty at a departmental screening meeting consults a formal review of students'
performance.
A recommendation to continue work for the Ph.D. is based on faculty evaluations, transcripts and the completion of
the following requirements:
- at least one foreign language
- one seminar (700 level)
- History 615 and one other studies course (600 level)
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Cognate Requirement
Six graduate credits gained through courses at the 400-level or above in a discipline or interdisciplinary program other than history are needed
to fulfill the cognate requirement. Generally the instructor of a course used to fulfill the cognate requirement should not be a member of the History
Department. Exceptions can be made, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, if the course demonstrably introduces the students to an
alternative disciplinary approach.
These courses must have a chronological or comparative scope similar to that of a topical field in history. The cognate
field should enhance the student's preparation for historical scholarship.
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The Preliminary Examination
The preliminary examination, commonly called "prelims," should be taken by the end of the student's fifth term, but in any case
no later than the end of the sixth term. Prelims consist of two separate exams taken within a two-week period.
The first, generally a four-hour written exam in the major field, is set by the student's prelim chair; the second is a two-hour oral exam in three fields, with questioning by the prelim
committee members. The fourth prelim field, either the cognate or a history field that is not the student's major field, may be fulfilled with two graduate
courses and is not examined.
Once the prelims have been passed and all other requirements fulfilled, students are advanced to Candidacy.
Please review Preliminary Exam Fields for a list of commonly examined geographical/temporal and topical fields. In special cases, students can modify existing fields in
consultation with a faculty member.
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The Doctoral Dissertation
As a Ph.D. Candidate, the student's focus is on the preparation of the dissertation, a work of original historical research and writing. The first stage
is the preparation of a dissertation prospectus, discussed and agreed upon with the student's dissertation committee through a scheduled prospectus defense.
This should be completed no later than the end of the first term after Candidacy is attained.
During the Candidacy period, students register for eight Candidacy
credits per term, or file for "Detached Study" status while conducting research. We expect the dissertation to be completed within two to three years after
achieving Candidacy.
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Summary of M. A. Requirements
There is no separate program for the M. A. degree in History, and no students will be admitted for M. A. work alone.
The M. A. degree is available to Ph.D. students whenever the following requirements have been fulfilled with satisfactory results:
- 18 graduate credits in history--12 of which must be at the 600/700 level
- 6 graduate credits in a cognate field at the 400 level or above
- a demonstrated ability to read a foreign language (see Language Requirement)
The Masters degree in Administration of Archives, formerly an option in History, is now available through the School of Information (SI). Students admitted
to the SI program in archives are welcome to take graduate courses in the Department of History to fulfill their cognate requirements. Please direct your inquiries to:
The School of Information, University of Michigan, 304 West Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1009, (734) 763-2285.
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