The Ph.D. is awarded on the completion of a dissertation that makes a significant contribution to knowledge. The candidate must also demonstrate a thorough knowledge of major fields, complete a minor, and satisfy the appropriate course and residency requirements. Note: To achieve ABD (all but dissertation) status, the student must complete all course work; satisfy the foreign language requirement; and pass the comprehensive examination.
Residency
The student must be in full-time residency for at least two semesters beyond the master's degree, except that an applicant deemed by the Graduate Committee to be inadequately prepared may be required to be in full-time residency for up to four semesters. Full-time residency status will be determined for each student on the basis of his/her courses, research, reading, or assistantship duties.
The student must complete a minimum of sixty-six (66) semester hours of graduate credit, including course work for the M.A. degree. Students with M.A. degrees in history complete thirty-six (36) hours beyond the Master’s degree; students with non-history M.A.s who have less than twenty-four (24) hours of history, complete forty-eight (48) hours beyond the M.A.
Special Course Requirements for the Ph.D. in European History
If they have not previously done so, students in European history are required to take two historiography courses: History 6321: European Historiography to the Sixteenth Century and 6322: European Historiography from the Sixteenth Century to the Present. They must also take the research seminar, History 6340: Seminar in European History.
Special Course Requirements for the Ph.D. in Latin American History
If they have not previously done so, students in Latin American history are required to take three historiographies: History 6310: Latin American Historiography Colonial Period, 6312: Latin American Historiography Modern Period, 6314: Latin American Historiography Mexican, as well as a research seminar (normally 6315: Mexico) and an outside historiography (in European history; a U.S. seminar requires the advisor's permission).
Special Course Requirements for the Ph.D. in United States History
HIST 6353, Introduction to Graduate Studies in U.S. History, is no longer required. Those who have completed the course can count it toward their readings courses.
The U.S. history student's total graduate hours must include at least three (3) readings and two (2) research seminars. Note: Most readings courses carry the 6393 number and research, 6394.
Foreign Language Requirement for Ph.D.s
The student in United States history must demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language, normally chosen from French, German, Russian, or Spanish. With the approval of the Graduate Committee, another language may be substituted if it is germane to the student's research.
The student in continental European history must demonstrate knowledge of two European languages, either modern or ancient. The student in British history must demonstrate knowledge of one non-English European language. Other languages may be required for any student in European history, if the student’s research demands it, as determined by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Director.
Students in Latin American history are required to take Spanish (though Portuguese may be substituted for students specializing in Brazilian history).
The foreign language examination(s) should be taken prior to or during the first academic year of the student's doctoral program.
Approved methods of demonstrating reading proficiency are:
a. Score of 550 or higher on the Graduate Student Foreign Language Test
(GSFLT) given by Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J.
b. Certification of competency by the Modern and Classical Language Department at the main campus of the University of Houston.
c. A grade of B or better in two graduate (6000-level) readings courses in the foreign language. A grade of B- will not be accepted. Please note that these graduate-level courses are currently being taught only sporadically by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages—you should not rely on them being offered in any particular semester.
d. A grade of B or better in one graduate (6000-level) readings course in the foreign language plus a 500 word translation. A grade of B- will not be accepted.
e. Recent completion of beginning and intermediate college levels (four semesters) of foreign language with a grade of B or better. (Placing out of beginning courses may be considered as fulfilling part of the requirement.)
f. If a student cannot satisfy the Language Requirement in another way, it may
be possible for a History Department faculty member with competence in the language to provide certification. Note: This is only an option when it is impossible to satisfy the requirement by options (a) - (e).
From the moment of entry into the doctoral program the student should focus upon preparing for the comprehensive examinations though appropriate courses and independent study. No student with Incompletes on his/her record, or who has not passed the foreign language requirement, will be allowed to take the comprehensive examination. To assist students in the selection of courses and preparation for the comprehensive examination, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Committee will assign an advisor to each student. Advisors can be changed by mutual consent of the student and the relevant faculty members.
As stated above, the exam should be taken within one semester after the student has completed the minimum course work required for the degree or has completed the course work stipulated by his/her advisor in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. This normally means taking the exam one-and-a-half to two years after completion of the Master’s degree for full-time students. Failure to take the comprehensive examination by the designated time may be cause for removal from the Ph.D. program.
The comprehensive examination, given in the Fall and Spring semesters on a date (typically, in November and April) designated by the Director of Graduate Studies, will evaluate the student's knowledge of major themes and historiography in the chosen areas.
The Comprehensive Examination for European and Latin American History Students
a. For the major in European history, the following procedure prevails:
The student must prepare for a written comprehensive examination covering three thematic or chronological fields, as determined through consultation between the student and the academic advisor.
Examples of fields:
Hellenistic History, 330-30 B.C.
Early Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
English Legal and Constitutional
Early Modern England
Early Modern European Intellectual History
Ancient Regime and Revolutionary France
Modern Britain & Empire
19th Century Europe
Modern Germany
Modern France
Modern European Social and Women’s History
Modern European Intellectual
Upon consultation with his/her academic advisor, a student preparing to take the Comprehensive Examination for the Ph.D. will be allowed to write in fields other than those suggested above, including a non-European area. Those fields chosen will usually, if not invariably, be chronologically or thematically linked.
Within the chosen fields, the student will give particular emphasis to major themes and historiography. The minor area is excluded from the comprehensive examination.
b. Students in Latin American history will prepare for a written comprehensive examination covering three chronological and/or geographic fields, chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
c. The comprehensive examination in both European history and Latin American history will consist of three written essays, each one 3 1/2 hours long given over three successive evenings. The student will answer one of two essays in each of the three chosen fields.
A panel of faculty members, selected by the Director of Graduate Studies, will evaluate examinations and award scores of Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail. A student is required to pass all three sections of the examinations in order to receive a grade of Pass; otherwise, the examination must be retaken within one year. In the rare case, where a candidate passes two of the fields, but fails the third field, the comprehensive examination committee may choose to pass him/her in two fields. The student will be required to retake only the failed field in six months' time. An unsatisfactory examination on the second attempt will result in the student's dismissal from the program.
The Comprehensive Examination for U.S. History Students
The student majoring in United States History must prepare for the comprehensive examination by developing a course strategy with his or her Advising Committee. Within the readings and research seminars the student should give particular emphasis to major themes and historiography. The minor field is excluded from the comprehensive examination.
a. The Advising Committee
Upon entering the Ph.D. program, the student must assemble a three-member Advising Committee by the second semester of his/her training. This committee includes the proposed dissertation supervisor (academic advisor) and two other faculty members. Students must notify the Director of Graduate Studies of the members of the Advising Committee.
The student should meet with the Advising Committee at least once every semester to discuss preparation for the comprehensive examination and the subject of the dissertation. The student must prepare a dissertation proposal prior to the examination.
b. Timing of Examination
The student should take the comprehensive examination by the seventh semester after entering a graduate program, normally one-and-a-half to two years after completion of the Master's degree. (The part-time student should consult with his/her Advising Committee to determine the appropriate time to take the comprehensive examination.)
No student with Incompletes on his/her record, or who has not satisfied the foreign language requirement, will be allowed to take the comprehensive examination.
c. Examination Procedure
The comprehensive examination will be in a take-home format conducted over a period of two weeks. The student will answer Part A in the first week and Part B in the second week. The two parts must be taken consecutively and in that order. The total number of questions actually answered shall be four: the two compulsory questions of Part A and two questions from Part B, one from each of the relevant sections. (Students can obtain sample questions before the exam from the graduate advising assistant.)
The comprehensive examination will consist of two different parts. Part A will be drafted by the Advising Committee. Part B will be drafted by a committee of three faculty members appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies. Possible questions for Part B will be solicited from all U.S. history faculty.
Sample of exam for student with a dissertation topic set in the twentieth century:
Part A:
Topical/thematic question broadly related to dissertation in post-1877 period (compulsory question)
Question related to research on the dissertation (compulsory question)
Part B:
Question on a topic in the pre-1877 period (choice of questions)
Question on a topic in U.S. History with no chronological limits (choice of questions)
d. Examination Format
No answer to a single question can exceed 10 typed pages, double-spaced with standard margins and font sizes. Footnotes or endnotes do not count in the page totals, but should be used sparingly. Students must submit a hard paper copy of the exam essays and a floppy disk which includes the essays.
e. Grading
The Advising Committee will be responsible for grading both Part A and Part B of the examination. The student must receive a grade of Pass on each of the four questions attempted. The Advising Committee can award one of three grades for the whole examination: Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail.
d. Unsatisfactory Examinations
Students who submit an unsatisfactory examination on only one of the four questions must address that question in an oral examination before the Advising Committee. An unsatisfactory evaluation of the oral examination will result in the student taking that part over again the next time the examination is offered.
Students who fail two or more questions must retake the examination at the next examination period. If either Part A or Part B was completed successfully, the student need only retake the part of the comprehensive examination that was unsatisfactory.
A student taking the examination a second time, either in whole or in part, must submit satisfactory answers to all the questions asked.
An unsatisfactory examination on the second attempt will result in the student's dismissal from the program.
The dissertation should make a significant contribution to historical knowledge in the student's major area and should be based upon original, independent research. From the beginning of the doctoral program, the student should be investigating possible topics. Upon the successful completion of the candidate's comprehensive examination, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the student's advisor, will appoint a dissertation committee consisting of three members of the History faculty and one faculty member from another discipline.
The Dissertation Proposal
(This is a new requirement as of Spring 2005; students who passed the comprehensive examination in Fall 2004 or earlier are exempt, but all those passing the exam in Spring 2005 or later must meet this requirement.)
The approval of a dissertation topic is an important stage in the dissertation process. Students in U.S. history are to develop a topic in conjunction with their committee prior to taking the comprehensive exam. No U.S. student can take the comprehensive exam without a committee and an approved topic. Students in all fields are required to present a dissertation proposal to their departmental committee members no later than the next semester after successfully completing the comprehensive examination. Thus the student who passes the comprehensive exam in November has until the end of the following Spring term to submit a proposal and gain approval; the student who passes the exam in April has until the end of the following Fall term to do so. After that deadline, students will not be allowed to register for further dissertation hours until the proposal has been approved.
The dissertation proposal shall conform to the following format:
a. The proposal should be approximately 10-15 pages in length, in addition to a detailed preliminary bibliography of primary and secondary materials
b. The proposal should include the following elements: a statement of the historical problem being investigated; a review of the appropriate literature; a review of proposed methods and sources; preliminary discussion of possible argument/thesis; tentative outline of organization or topic areas; and timeline for completion. It is understood that elements of this proposal may well change as the dissertation is developed.
The dissertation proposal must be approved by all departmental members of the dissertation committee. At the discretion of the committee chair (the student’s advisor), the student may be asked to present the proposal at a formal proposal hearing, before the entire dissertation committee. Whether a formal defense is held or not, the student must obtain the signatures of the committee members and submit the approved proposal to the department. The proposal, along with a signed approval form, will be submitted to the graduate advising assistant for inclusion in the student’s file, and a copy of the approval form will be sent to the student’s advisor.
If a student does not present a dissertation proposal within the required time limit, this can be considered grounds for dismissal from the program. The student would be considered to be failing to make satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree.
The Dissertation Defense
In addition to approving the dissertation topic, the dissertation committee will read the manuscript before final printing, conduct the oral defense, and approve or disapprove the completed dissertation. The student will be required to defend the dissertation in a formal hearing before all four members of the dissertation committee. The defense committee will designate the student's achievement by awarding one of three grades: Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail.
Please note that, according to University policy, students must defend the dissertation within five (5) years of passing the comprehensive examination, or they will be required to take the comprehensive examination over again. Students must also defend the dissertation within the 10-year time frame for completion mandated by the University of Houston.
