Program Overview

History, PhD

Overview

The History PhD prepares students for careers in college teaching, digital media, publishing, educational administration, public history, and historical research. Students gain expertise in conventional historical methods and web-based technologies. Major fields include U.S. history, European history, and world history. Minor fields are chosen by the student and may include such areas as public history, constitutional studies, and new media and information technology.

Admissions

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in Graduate Admissions. For specific information see Application Requirements and Deadlines on the departmental web site.

Policies

For policies governing all graduate programs, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 72

• Core Courses
  • HIST 610: The Study and Writing of History (3 credits)
  • HIST 696: Clio Wired: An Introduction to History and New Media (3 credits)
  • Choose one of the following: (3 credits)
    • HIST 697: Data Analysis for History
    • HIST 698: Creating Software for History
    • HIST 688: Topics in History and New Media
  • HIST 810: History Doctoral Colloquium 1 (1-6 credits)
  • HIST 811: Doctoral Research Seminar (3 credits)
  • HIST 797: Research Seminar in History (3 credits)
  • Total Credits: 16-21
• Major Field
  • Select 15 credits of courses in one of three possible fields:
    • U.S. History
    • European History
    • Comparative World History
  • Total Credits: 15
• Minor Fields
  • Select two minor fields and take 9 credits in each
  • Total Credits: 18
• Doctoral Research Skills
  • Students must demonstrate basic competency in computers.
  • Students whose research requires knowledge of a foreign language must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language.
  • The department sets specific research skills requirements for students, depending on their field of study.
• Comprehensive Exam
  • Students need to pass a comprehensive exam that consists of a written field exam for each minor field and an oral exam for the major field.
• Advancement to Candidacy
  • To advance to candidacy, students must complete all coursework required on their approved program of study.
  • Students must also successfully complete and pass an oral comprehensive exam in a major field and written examinations in two minor fields.
  • In addition, students must have a dissertation committee appointed by the Dean’s Office as well as an approved proposal.
  • Evidence of the approved proposal must be on file in the Dean’s Office before a student can be advanced to candidacy.
• Dissertation
  • Once enrolled in HIST 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal, students in this degree program must maintain continuous registration in HIST 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal or HIST 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research each semester (excluding summers) until the dissertation is submitted to and accepted by the University Libraries.
  • Once enrolled in HIST 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research, students must follow the university’s continuous registration policy as specified in AP.6.10.6 Dissertation Research.
  • Students who defend in the summer must be registered for at least 1 credit of HIST 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research.
  • Students who complete less than 6 credits of HIST 810 History Doctoral Colloquium must take additional credits of HIST 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal or HIST 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research to reach the 72 credits required for the program.
  • Students may apply to this degree a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 credits of HIST 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and a minimum of 15 credits of HIST 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research.

Program Outcomes

• Students will achieve deep and broad knowledge in a general field of history.
• Students will master the recent historiography in a more specialized field or subfield.
• Students will formulate research problems relevant to the historical literature in their fields, and develop research methods that will allow them to produce new knowledge in those fields.
• Students will demonstrate both theoretical and practical knowledge of the use of new media and digital technologies in the field of history.
• Students will communicate their research findings in forms appropriate to their intended audience and make arguments relevant to the historical literature in their fields.