History (Ph.D.), Program Information

Program Faculty

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Department Chair 

Darryl Scott, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Program Coordinator

Lawrence Peskin, Ph.D.

Professor

BSSC 322

Tel.: (443) 885-1783: Fax: (443) 885-8227

E-mail: lawrence.peskin@morgan.edu

 

Program Faculty

Brett A. Berliner, Ph.D.  

Associate Professor

 

Dexter Blackman, Ph.D.                                                                                                         

Associate Professor 

 

Herbert Brewer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

 

Jeremiah I. Dibua, Ph.D.                                                                                                      

Professor

 

Menika Dirkson

Assistant Professor

 

Francis Dube, Ph.D.                                                                                                             

Associate Professor

 

Linda Noel, Ph.D.                                                                                                                

Associate Professor 

 

Alexander Pavuk, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Lawrence Peskin, Ph.D.                                                                                                        

Professor

 

Sara Rahnama

Assistant Professor

 

David Taft Terry, Ph.D.                                                                                                       

Associate Professor

 

Felicia Thomas, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Program Description

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The History doctoral program focuses on four main fields: African American History, African History, African Diaspora History, and United States History. Students are also exposed to aspects of public history.

General Requirements

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Candidates for the Ph.D. degree in History must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 in all course work at the end of each academic semester. Candidates must complete a minimum of thirty-six (36) credit hours, pass the written comprehensive examination in the major field, satisfy requirements for the minor fields, meet or pass the foreign language or research skill requirement, submit an acceptably written dissertation, and successfully complete an oral defense of the dissertation.

Students have the option of retaking a course in which they earned a “C” grade.

Admission

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To be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. Program in History, an applicant should:

• Have a Master’s degree with a thesis or the equivalent thereof in History, or a related field, from a regionally accredited college or university. 

• Possess a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all previous post-baccalaureate work.

• Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.

• Provide official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work, submitted directly to the Graduate School.

• The GRE is optional.  If the applicant wishes for their scores to be considered in the admission process, then they must provide an official copy of GRE scores to the Graduate School.  GRE scores may not be more than 5 years old prior to the date of application.  These scores must be delivered by ETS to Morgan State University School of Graduate Studies.

• Students for whom instruction has not been in English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS)..

• Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application. These letters should be from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable.

• A writing sample (a graduate seminar or research paper) in History. 

• A typed narrative regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University. The statement should include the proposed major concentration and two minor concentrations of study.

 

Additional Requirements

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• Students entering the program with GRE verbal scores below 500 in the old GRE or 153 in the new GRE are required to enroll and pass with a grade of “B” or better in HIST 599 Historical Writing (no credit toward the degree).  Students who choose not to submit GRE scores will be required to enroll in HIST 599  and pass with a “B” or higher grade.

• Students who have not completed prerequisite credits required for enrollment in the Ph.D. level courses in previous post-baccalaureate study may 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 should have earned a minimum of 9 graduate credit hours in History.

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant. The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program. The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer of admission should be made based on that review.

 

Students should refer to the university and College of Liberal Arts policies regarding academic integrity, expectation of professional ethics and behavior, accommodations for disability, and appeals and due process regarding grades and other relevant issues.

Candidacy

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Students achieve candidacy by successfully passing 33 credits of coursework, passing the comprehensive examination in their major field and satisfying the requirements for their minor fields; in addition, the student must successfully complete HIST. 901 and defend their dissertation proposal, and fulfill the foreign language or research skill proficiency requirement.

Once a student achieves candidacy, enrollment in any course other than HIST. 998 or HIST. 997 is generally prohibited. Students seeking additional skills, knowledge, or a certificate must seek approval through the program and the School of Graduate Studies. The request must be accompanied with a revised Plan of Study.

Dissertation Completion

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The Dissertation Committee consists of the Dissertation Supervisor, two members of the History Graduate Faculty, and an outside reader. The Dissertation Supervisor and the student must agree on the topic selected. If no agreement can be reached, the student must find another Dissertation Supervisor, or change to a topic on which the Supervisor and the student can agree. Dissertation Supervisors and students must commit to work together. The Dissertation Supervisor and the student must both agree to the selection of other members of the committee who, in turn, should commit to work with the student and supervisor. If the dissertation supervisor and the student believe that the expertise of a non-History Morgan State graduate faculty member, is essential for the successful completion of the dissertation, they should request the approval of the Graduate Coordinator (no more than one non-History graduate faculty can serve on a dissertation committee). The student must officially register the names of the dissertation committee members with the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator, in consultation with the Supervisor, invites the outside reader for the oral defense of the dissertation at the appropriate time to join the committee. The dissertation must be successfully defended in a public oral defense.

Program Course Requirements 36 credits

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Ph.D. History 36 Credits

Writing Skills Requirement: GRE Verbal Score of at least 500 in the old GRE or 153 in the new GRE, or HIST 599: Historical Writing 3 (non-degree) credit hours.

Note

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The student should continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for HIST 997 (Dissertation Guidance) until the Dissertation is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review.  The course is used only when the curriculum has been completed and the student is completing the research and writing of the Dissertation. The HIST 997 course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student registers for 3 credit hours each semester, but is acknowledged as having a 9 credit hour load).  

After the Intent to Defend the Dissertation form has been received by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to HIST 998 (Dissertation Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (HIST 998 will also count as 9 credits of load).  HIST 997 will not count toward curricular credits. Other courses cannot be substituted for HIST 997 (Dissertation Guidance). The only eligible grade for HIST 997 (Dissertation Guidance) is the grade of “S” and the only acceptable grade for HIST 998 (Dissertation Defense) is “P/F” (Pass/Fail).

Suggested Curriculum Sequence

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• History (Ph.D.), Curriculum Sequence