Requirements
When admission to Ph.D. work has been granted a candidate will, in consultation with their prospective supervisor and the Graduate Studies Chair of the Department, select two Minor Fields and one Major Specialization. Minor Fields and Major Specialization will cover the principal literature in the areas of concentration.
Minor fields normally consist of two half-year 700‐level graduate reading seminars in each of which a major historiographical essay is required. The grade for a minor field will consist of the grades for the in- course requirements, and the historiographical essay. One minor field course will be taken in the fall term, the second in the winter term.
While some overlap may be deemed beneficial, the Minor Fields should not duplicate Major Specialization reading. All doctoral candidates must have a minimum of three, and usually four, instructors supervising the combination of their Minor Fields and Major Specialization.
Major Specialization preparation begins in September and takes the form of a reading course that will run normally until the following May. The reading for the course will be determined by the course instructors with oversight from the department’s Graduate Studies Committee to ensure appropriate breadth and depth of the reading list. As part of the reading course candidates will complete a significant historiographical paper or papers.
PhD candidates are required to participate in professionalization activities in the first two years of their program. The professionalization milestone can be fulfilled by participating in at least three relevant departmental talks required as part of HIS 742 while in their first or second year as a PhD. If a PhD candidate successful passed HIS 742 as an MA, this milestone will be considered as met.
Successful completion of 6 units of Minor‐Field coursework and 6 units of Major Specialization coursework, fulfill the course requirements of the School of Graduate Studies for doctoral candidates. Satisfactory performance in doctoral Minor Field and Major Specialization courses is a minimum grade of B‐. A single grade of F on any course in the Ph.D. program, or two B- grades, entails automatic withdrawal from the program.
PhD students are required to present their advanced dissertation research to the department and/or at a conference as one of the milestones for their degree.
Finally, all PhD candidates will write a dissertation research proposal by the end of their first year in the PhD programme. Each candidate’s proposal, of 10-15 pages in length, would be defended on a Pass/Fail basis by the candidate’s PhD committee. In order to attain a passing mark, the dissertation proposal and its oral defense must satisfactorily demonstrate breadth of knowledge and the integration of key ideas and methods related to the student’s thesis area. Successful passage of the comprehensive examination along with successful completion of the coursework is required before a candidate may proceed in the programme.
University regulations require that Ph.D. candidates take a Comprehensive Examination in order to demonstrate “breadth of knowledge and a maturity of approach to a wide range of topics within the disciplines.” Ph.D. candidates in History satisfy this requirement by completing the courses (major and minor fields described above), writing their dissertation research proposal, defending that proposal by 1 October and presenting their proposal to the department on a scheduled date. The coursework plus thesis proposal defense plus thesis proposal presentation altogether constitute the comprehensive process.
Additional Information
In certain cases, applicants with a B.A. (Honours) or the equivalent may be admitted directly to Ph.D. studies if their previous academic record shows sufficient promise, including at least an A average. Within one calendar year, the progress of students admitted to Ph.D. studies directly from a bachelor’s degree will be reviewed by their supervisory committee and the Graduate Studies Committee. The Graduate Studies Committee will then recommend to the School of Graduate Studies one of the following:
- proceed with Ph.D. studies
- not proceed with Ph.D. studies but re‐register as a Master’s candidate
- withdraw from the University
The Ph.D. coursework required for candidates admitted directly with a B.A. (Honours) or the equivalent will be 15 units, comprising successful completion of two Minor Fields; completion of the Major Field; and successful completion of HISTORY 741 Historiography .
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