DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
DOCTORAL PROGRAM
Two Doctoral Tracks. The History Department admits two categories of doctoral students. Most have already earned a M.A. They are expected to complete all department and university requirements specified for doctoral students. See this section for details.
A smaller number are admitted with only a bachelor’s degree and pursue a Ph.D. on the B.A to Ph.D. track. They first complete M.A. requirements and then move on to Ph.D. requirements. After completing M.A. requirements during their first two years of study, they receive a M.A. as per normal, then immediately begin their doctoral studies. B.A. to Ph.D. students may begin on their doctoral requirements (such as their minor field syllabus) while still working on their M.A. if they choose to do so, pending approval from their advisor.
Since these B.A. to Ph.D. students are required to take the History 612—614 sequence as part of their M.A. requirements, they are exempted from those courses when they move on to their doctoral requirements. They are still expected to complete the two research papers or master's thesis in the first two years before moving on to their Ph.D. requirements.
Degree Flow Chart. A Doctoral Degree Flow Chart has been developed to aid the student in visualizing the degree process:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/program/phdflow.shtml
This flow chart applies both to doctoral students who enter the department with a M.A. and students on the B.A. to Ph.D. track, but, as stated above, students on the B.A. to Ph.D. track do not have to repeat the History 612—614 sequence.
Credit Requirements. Instead of a minimum total number of credit hours, the Graduate School enforces several enrollment requirements:
1. continuous enrollment with at least 3 credits per quarter until all program requirements are completed (except leaves of absence formally approved by the Department and Graduate School),
2. three years of accredited full-time graduate work (9 credit hours a quarter for a total of 81 credit hours) beyond the baccalaureate degree, and
3. at least three consecutive quarters of full-time study in residence (with at least 9 graduate credit hours per quarter).
Course Requirements. Most doctoral students are expected to take the HIST 612—614 sequence. But students on the B.A. to Ph.D. track are exempted from it because they already took this sequence in fulfilling their M.A. requirements. Other students may be exempted from all or part of the sequence if they meet one of the following criteria:
They were enrolled in the U of O History Department (but not on the B.A. to Ph.D. track) in the previous five years and took the History 612—614 sequence at that time.
They completed graduate classes at another institution determined by the Graduate Policy Committee to be substantially equivalent to HIST 612, 613, 614.
Students wanting exemptions (except those on the B.A.-Ph.D. track, who are automatically exempted) should first discuss the reasons with their advisor and then contact the Director of Graduate Studies, bringing in a syllabus from the equivalent course they have completed.
In addition, doctoral students must complete two History research seminars or colloquia (HIST 507, 508, 607, or 608).
Field Requirements. Ph.D. students must declare a major and minor field of study. Both major and minor fields will be chosen from the list of fields given in the Fields of Study section, and the minor field must be geographically and/or temporally distinct from the major field.
Plan of Study Requirement. By the end of their first quarter, students are required to file a Plan of Study, signed by the advisor, in which they must state their major and minor fields, list all anticipated coursework, and specify their language requirement(s). This Plan of Study may be modified later by written agreement of both student and advisor. The Plan of Study (and any subsequent modifications) will be reviewed and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, and then filed in the student’s academic file. The Plan of Study form is available on the History Department GradWeb at:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/pdf/phd.pdf
Minor Field Requirement. Students satisfy the minor field requirement by completing three courses AND preparing either a course syllabus (see guidelines below under Guidelines for the syllabus project option) OR a bibliographic/historiographic essay of at least 25 pages. Courses taught in departments other than History may count toward the minor field with the approval of the advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. Ordinarily, the student will register to take a readings course with an appropriate History faculty member while preparing the syllabus or essay, and this class will count as one of the three classes needed to satisfy the requirement. The preparation of the syllabus must be completed in the quarter in which the readings class is taken. The syllabus or essay must be presented to and approved by that History faculty member before minor field completion can be certified. Neither a committee nor an oral defense is necessary.
The faculty member who supervises the student’s paper will write a memo to the Director of Graduate Studies stating that the student has completed the minor field requirement. The student must give a copy of the syllabus or essay to the Graduate Coordinator by the end of the quarter in which the minor field requirement is completed.
Guidelines for the syllabus project option. The student will prepare a syllabus for a semester-long course in their minor field. The syllabus may be for a section of a national survey or a broad topics course (usually one offered at the 300-level). It may be, but need not be, a version of a course taught here. The course should be teachable to good undergraduate students who can read English-language works but not foreign-language sources. Some examples might be: U.S. History to 1865, European Women’s History since 1500, or Japan since the Meiji Restoration.
The syllabus should include:
a. A brief description of the main themes or purposes of the course (suggested length ½ - 1 page);
b. Class topics, readings, writing assignments, and other requirements;
c. A narrative rationale for the topics and readings selected (suggested length 3-5 pages); and
d. A list of the main books and/or articles, etc., which the graduate student would use for background in preparing to teach the course. (This list should include central works, both primary and secondary, chosen more for their importance to the field than to provide coverage for each topic on the syllabus.)
Guidelines for the historiographic/bibliographic essay option. The student will prepare a histroriograhic/bibliographic essay of at least 25 pages in length (excluding footnotes and bibliography) focused on a topic on the chosen minor field. The point of this assignment is to demonstrate mastery of the minor field in a manner that brings together the various aspects of the student’s minor field course work and preparation, so students should take care to choose topics that are suitably broad. The essay is intended to be much more than an annotated bibliography: it should review the literature in the field, offer a critical examination of it, and place it in perspective within the larger minor field.
Major Field Syllabus Requirement. As part of the major field requirement, students design an expanded course syllabus on a topic within the field and pass an oral defense of the syllabus. The advisor will be the arbiter of acceptable syllabus topics. Examples of syllabi defended by students in the program are available for review at the Graduate Coordinator’s desk. The oral defense of the syllabus will be judged by a committee of two faculty members, one of whom is the faculty advisor and the other chosen in consultation between the student and the faculty advisor. Normally, students will be required to complete and defend the syllabus in the quarter prior to the one in which they take the Ph.D. oral examination. A copy of the successfully defended syllabus must be deposited by the student with the Graduate Coordinator.
The advisor will write a memo to the Director of Graduate Studies stating that the syllabus defense was successful. A copy of the syllabus must be given to the Graduate Coordinator by the end of the quarter in which the major field syllabus requirement is completed.
The details of the major field syllabus requirement are as follows:
1. The purpose of this requirement is to test the graduate student’s command of a broad but manageable field of historical knowledge. At the same time, it is meant to stimulate consideration of pedagogical issues that might arise in teaching the subject.
2. Students will prepare a syllabi for a semester-long course in their major field. The syllabus should be for a section of a national survey or a broad topics course (usually one offered at the 300-level). It may be, but need not be, a version of a course taught here. The course should be teachable to good undergraduate students who can read English-language works but not foreign-language sources. Some examples might be: U.S. History to 1865, European Women’s History since 1500, or Japan since the Meiji Restoration. The student’s advisor and at least one other faculty member in the department must approve the topic of the syllabus.
3. The syllabus must include:
a. a brief description of the main themes or purposes of the course (suggested length ½ - 1 page);
b. class topics, readings, writing assignments, and other requirements;
c. a narrative rationale for the topics and readings selected (suggested length 4-6 pages); and
d. a list of the main books and/or articles, etc., which the graduate student would use for background in preparing to teach the course. (The list should include central works, both primary and secondary, chosen more for their importance to the field than to provide coverage for each topic on the syllabus.)
4. The syllabus must be presented to the student’s advisor and at least one other History faculty member at least a week before an oral exam takes place.
5. At the oral exam, the student is responsible for discussing the contents of both assigned readings and background material. The exam will also be open for discussion of pedagogical issues—e.g., justification of topics selected, appropriateness of reading assignments, etc. The faculty members will assign a grade of “high pass,” “pass,” or “not pass” to the combination of the syllabus document and the oral exam. In cases where the student does not pass, faculty are to decide what retest procedures are required; these could include, for example, rewriting part of all of the syllabus and/or retaking the oral. Normally, students will be permitted only one retest.
Oral Examination. Students demonstrate their mastery of their major field in an oral examination conducted by a faculty committee. The committee consists of three faculty members appropriate to the student’s major field; it is chaired by the faculty advisor and constituted by the student in consultation with their advisor. Students should schedule these examinations in consultation with advisors, committee members, and the History office. Students normally have two opportunities to pass the oral exam. After the exam, the advisor will write a memo to the Director of Graduate Studies stating whether or not the student passed the exam.
Evaluation. The instructor of record is requested, but not required, to complete an evaluation of every graduate student’s performance in every history class, except independent study. The evaluations are open to the student.
Advancement to Candidacy. When students have completed all requirements except the dissertation (language requirement, major and minor field course work, syllabus requirement and oral examination), they become doctoral candidates. It is expected that students reach this point at the end of their second year in the program. Within two weeks of passing the oral examination the Graduate Coordinator, in conjunction with the student, will submit an on-line request for advancement through GradWeb to the Dean of the Graduate School recommending advancement to candidacy. GradWeb is available at:
Dissertation Committee. Following advancement to candidacy, the candidate’s department proposes the membership of the dissertation committee to the Dean of the Graduate School, who appoints the committee after approving it. The committee will include at least four instructional faculty members with the rank of assistant professor or higher. Three of the members will be from the department awarding the degree and one will be from outside the department. When appropriate, some of the home department committee members may be from another department, with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School and the home department. The committee should be proposed to the dean within one month after advancement to candidacy, but in no case later than six months before completion of the dissertation.
Sometimes a student, an advisor, or the department will want to have someone outside the University of Oregon serve on the committee. In this scenario, the student must obtain the vita/resume from the faculty member and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator stating that the student would like this person to serve.
The Graduate Coordinator will submit the documents to the Graduate School for approval. If the non-UO member is accepted, he/she will serve as a fifth member and will not replace any of the other four members.
After securing the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Chair to the proposed committee membership, the student will inform the Graduate Coordinator in writing of the membership by completing the Nomination of Dissertation Committee Membership form available at:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/pdf/discom.pdf
The form will be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator will submit the Dissertation Committee request online to the Graduate School for approval. Once the committee is approved, an email is sent to the Graduate Coordinator who will forward it on to the various committee members and the student.
Dissertation Prospectus.
1. A doctoral student must prepare and submit to his or her dissertation committee a dissertation prospectus. The prospectus must be approved (or returned for revisions) by the committee by the end of the term following the student’s completion of comprehensive exams. (Thus, a student finishing comps in the fall would have until the end of winter term.)
2. The dissertation prospects should be prepared in consultation with the advisor and should contain at least the following sections. Suggested length is 10-15 pages.
a) Statement of the topic of the dissertation
b) Explanation of the historical significance of the topic
c) Discussion of the current status of the topic in the secondary literature
d) Discussion of the sources and methods to be employed
e) Tentative chapter outline of the dissertation
f) Tentative timetable for completion of the dissertation
3. The prospectus should be discussed at a meeting between the candidate and his/her committee members. Committee members should have the prospectus at least one week in advance of the meeting. If one member of the committee cannot attend, his or her signature indicating approval can be added separately, but in any case there should be at least three committee members present at the prospectus discussion.
4. Prior to the meeting, the Graduate Coordinator will give a copy of the Report of Dissertation Prospectus Meeting form to the chair of the committee. If the members of the committee agree that the prospectus is an intellectually sound and realistic plan for the dissertation, they should sign the form indicating approval. The committee chair will then give the signed form to the Graduate Coordinator. If the committee feels the prospectus needs revision, it should offer constructive suggestions and reconvene within one quarter of the first meeting to discuss a revised version.
The Report of Dissertation Prospectus form is available on the History Department Grad Web at:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/pdf/spectusrpt.pdf
5. The dissertation prospectus, signed by the committee members, should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies and placed in the student’s file.
6. The Director of Graduate Studies (in consultation with the Graduate Committee, if necessary) and the advisor must approve any delays in the deadlines stated above.
Research Compliance. University policy requires that students who intend to engage in research that involves human or animal subjects receive approval of their research procedures before beginning to collect data. Approval is typically given for history projects, but forms must be filed. Research compliance forms and further instructions are available on the Graduate School website at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/forms/gs_910.pdf
Dissertation Defense. The Ph.D. dissertation must make an original scholarly contribution to the field, and it must be accepted by the dissertation committee following a formal, public defense on campus. The student must provide a copy of the final manuscript to the dissertation committee at least three weeks before the formal defense. Doctoral candidates must register for a minimum of 18 credit hours of HIST 603, Dissertation, after Advancing to Candidacy.
Doctoral candidates need to apply for final oral defense to defend their dissertations online at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/oral_defense.html
To apply to defend your dissertation, you will need to do the following:
Submit to the Graduate School an Application for Advanced Degree at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/advanced-degree_app.html
Complete the online process for obtaining Confirmation of Agreement to Attend an Oral Defense at:
By entering the Oral Defense module you are indicating your readiness to schedule an oral defense. You should, at this point, have obtained provisional agreement from your doctoral committee members that they will be available on the specified day and time you wish to hold your defense. Please be sure to allow yourself enough time for the online process of obtaining email confirmations from the faculty so that you can meet the three week prior to defense date submission deadline.
If one of the inside members is unable to attend, you will have the option to choose Waiver of Attendance as a part of the online process. Only one inside member may waive attendance at the defense, never the chair or the outside representative. The faculty waiving their attendance must agree to read the dissertation prior to the defense and submit any questions directly to the chair of your committee. There is a final letter which you must prepare for the faculty who waives attendance. For details see:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/oral_defense_waiver.html
3. After you receive the email which advises you that all faculty have confirmed their attendance, contact your department to obtain the Application for Final Oral Defense for Doctoral Degree. This form is available to your department and requires the signature of the department head.
Submit to the Graduate School, no less than three weeks before the date of the final oral defense, the following two items, put together as a package:
An Application for Final Oral Defense for Doctoral Degree, signed by the head of your department.
Four copies of your final signed abstract on cotton bond paper, properly formatted. Please refer to the Graduate School Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations for a template of the abstract.
4. Verification of enrollment in the actual term of the defense. You must be registered for the minimum of three (3) hours of Dissertation 603 during the term prior to and the term of your oral defense and graduation. You are required to graduate during the term of your defense.
Graduate Students are expected to meet the published deadlines for completion of a degree. See: Schedule of Deadlines for Completion of Degree Requirements at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/deadlines.html
If you choose to hold your oral after the established term deadline, but prior to the beginning of the subsequent term, you will be considered an applicant for graduation for the next term. This will mean you will be required to have completed all the above described steps, including registration for the subsequent term and the Application for Advanced Degree.
The time and place of the defense must be publicly noted. The dissertation committee must be present at the defense, and the chair of the committee must certify in writing to the Graduate School within two weeks following the defense that the defense was held as scheduled.
Dissertation Submission. Within two weeks following the defense of the dissertation but before the dissertation is submitted in duplicate to the Graduate School, each member of the dissertation committee must confirm in writing either approval or disapproval of the final version. Approval requires a unanimous vote. In the event of a split vote, the Dean of the Graduate School determines the review procedure after consultation with the student, the department chair (or the school dean) and the committee.
Following final approval of the dissertation, two copies must be submitted to the Graduate School. Committee members should sign approval of the dissertation only if they have seen and approved what is substantially a final draft and if they are willing to delegate the overseeing of remaining minor revisions to the chair. If this is not the case, they should not sign the final oral form. If no signed approval form is received by the Graduate School within two weeks following the scheduled oral examination, another oral examination must be scheduled for defense of the dissertation. The dissertation must be in compliance with the University of Oregon Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations. See:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/style_manual_intro.html
Time Limit. Doctoral students (including those on the B.A. to Ph.D. track) must complete all work for the Ph.D. degree within seven years, including transferred credits, dissertation, the language requirement, syllabus requirements, prospectus requirement, and all examinations. If a student is granted On-Leave/In Absentia status by the Graduate School, their concession does not extend the seven-year completion deadline. Generally, in the student’s sixth year of study a letter is sent to the student reminding him/her that the seven-year time limit is approaching. Students needing a one-year extension must file a petition with the Graduate School after securing department approval. The petition should include a Plan of Completion. The petition is available at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/onleave_inabsentia_intro.html
Progress Review. With the assistance of the Graduate Coordinator each student’s progress is reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies at least once a year. The student will complete the component areas of the Advancement to Candidacy on the UO GradWeb. The review is designed to help keep the student on-track and inform the Director and advisor of any potential problems. GradWeb is available at:
Academic Disqualification Procedure. Every graduate student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. Unsatisfactory progress (or failure to make satisfactory progress) is usually accompanied by warning signs that include the accumulation of an excessive number of W's or I's, failure to keep in contact with a faculty advisor or register for classes, negative evaluations of a student's classroom performance submitted by history department faculty, and/or failure to complete degree requirements in a timely fashion.
During Fall Quarter, each Ph.D. student should hold a yearly meeting with his or her faculty advisor and (after it has been constituted) his or her dissertation committee to review the student's progress and set goals for the coming year.
Each year, the Director of Graduate Studies will review the performance of all graduate students. When the review is complete, each student and his or her faculty advisor will receive a written Degree Progress Report detailing the student's progress toward degree requirements and the student's standing in the program.
If a student's progress toward the degree is judged "unsatisfactory", the student's next yearly meeting must produce a written plan for improvement within the next academic year. This plan, which must include specific deadlines, must be signed by both student and advisor, and placed in the student's file. If a student's progress is judged "unsatisfactory" for two years in a row, the Director of Graduate Studies may recommend to the Department Head that the student be disqualified from the history graduate program. Recommendations for disqualification will be based on academic performance; in making such recommendations, the Director of Graduate Studies will, of course, take into account special hardships, such as extended illness, as necessary. Recommendations for disqualification will be made in writing, with copies sent to the student, the student's faculty advisor, and the Department Head.
Students who wish to appeal a recommendation for disqualification will have three weeks from the date of receipt of the disqualification recommendation to submit relevant materials to the History Department Advisory Committee. After consulting the student, the faculty advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies, the Advisory Committee will consider the appeal, and make a recommendation to the Department Head. The Department Head will either affirm or overturn the recommendation. The Head's action will be reported in writing to the student, the student's faculty advisor, the Advisory Committee, and the Dean of the Graduate School.