History, Ph.D.

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Objective

The Ph.D. program in History is designed for students who plan to have careers as research scholars, college and university professors, and/or public historians in archives, museums, government, and community organizations, and/or as curriculum specialists in secondary and elementary education.

Admission

Admission to the doctoral program in History is granted once a year for the fall semester and is based on the following requirements:

A Master’s degree with a thesis or the equivalent thereof in History, or a related field, from a regionally accredited college or university;
A grade point average of at least 3.0 in all previous post-baccalaureate work;
A formal application with an official copy of GRE scores and official transcripts submitted to the Graduate School;
Students for whom instruction has not been in English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL);
Three academic letters of recommendation;
A writing sample (a graduate seminar or research paper) in History; and,
A statement of goals, the proposed major concentration and two minor concentrations of study.

(See the MSU Graduate School for “General Degree Requirements .”)

General Requirements Upon Enrolling

Students entering the program with GRE verbal scores below 500 are required to enroll in and pass with a grade of “B” or better in HIST 599 Historical Writing (no credit toward the degree).
Students who have not completed prerequisite credits required for enrollment in the Ph.D. level courses in previous post-baccalaureate study will be required to take up to 6 credits of prerequisite courses at the 500 to 700 levels.
Students with post-baccalaureate degrees in related fields must have earned a minimum of 9 graduate credit hours in History.
Students must select one major from the three fields below:

African American History
African Diaspora History
Twentieth Century United States History

The remaining two fields will serve as minor concentrations.

Requirements for the Ph.D. in History

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree in History must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.3 in all course work at the end of each academic semester. Candidates must complete a minimum of thirty-nine (39) credit hours, pass a written comprehensive examination, submit an acceptably written dissertation and successfully complete an oral defense of the dissertation.

Other Requirements

Writing Skills Requirement

GRE Verbal Score above 500 3 credits. (non-degree)
or
HIST 599 - Historical Writing 3 Credits (non-degree)

Pre-requisite History Courses

(500-700 level courses) 3-6 credits. (non-degree)
HIST 804 - Advanced Historiography 3 Credits

Content and/or Theory Courses (600+ Level)

Major Concentration Courses 12 credits.
Minor Concentration Courses 1-6 credits.
Minor Concentration Courses 2-6 credits.

Proficiency Competency Requirement in Two Areas

Foreign Language 1 or 2 3 credits. (non-degree) *
And/Or
Competency in Foreign Language may also be met by a proficiency examination administered by the Department of World Languages and International Studies
HIST 808 - Practicum in Oral History 3 Credits (non-degree) (Prerequisite: HIST 708 - Oral History ) *
And/Or
HIST 807 - Practicum in Archival Methods 3 Credits (non-degree) (Prerequisite: HIST 707 - Archival Theory ) *

Dissertation Courses

HIST 901 - Dissertation Proposal 3 Credits
HIST 998 - Dissertation Seminar 6 Credits
Elective 3 credits.
HIST 997 - Dissertation Guidance 3 Credits (non-degree)
or
HIST 999 - Dissertation II 6 credits. (non-degree)

Total Degree: 39 Credit Hours

*Prerequisite course HIST 708 - Oral History may be applied toward the degree as a 3 credit hour Twentieth Century course, or an elective.

Prerequisite course HIST 707 - Archival Theory may be applied toward the degree as a 3 credit hour elective.