Guide to the PhD Program in History

Updated September 2024

Terms of the Fellowship 

 

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program are awarded fellowship packages renewable for up to six years. The program is the same whether or not the student has received an M.A. degree from another institution. 

During the first three years of the program, students complete the required coursework (including a master's essay), take the general examinations for the Ph.D., work as graduate teaching assistants, complete a prospectus for the Ph.D. dissertation, and begin dissertation research.  During the remaining years the student will research, write, and defend the doctoral dissertation. Students are expected, by the terms of their fellowships, to serve as half-time teaching assistants for an undergraduate course (defined as 10 hours per week) in 8 out of 12 semesters.  A funded student who receives an external award that pays the cost of living for a semester in which they would normally be expected to serve as a teaching assistant will not be required to teach during that semester. 

The graduate program in history is small, highly selective, and well supported by the University.  If a student is admitted, the University will provide a competitive financial package that will include a stipend for living expenses, remission of tuition, and cover the cost of University fees and single-coverage health insurance. The Ph.D. living support stipend for the 2024-25 acdaemic year is set at $31,518 per annum. Continuation in the program and renewal of the fellowship is contingent on meeting standards for academic performance judged in the annual evaluations mentioned later in this guide.  The University and the Department also provide other financial support, awarded on a competitive basis for student research including travel to archives, presentations of research at scholarly conferences, and language study at the University or at some other US or foreign institution.   

Coursework and the First Two Years

 

Students must complete 12 graded courses of graduate-level work, equivalent to 36 graded credit hours, by the end of the second year.  Students will determine a course of study with their advisors, who have broad discretion to approve a course of study that best supports the student’s preparation for exams, research, and college-level teaching.  We give no credit for M.A. or Ph.D. coursework at other institutions, and no transfer course credits can be applied to these requirements except for prior graduate-level coursework at the University of Virginia, approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. 

The typical student should enroll in three graded courses during each of their first four semesters. In addition to these 9 hours (36 in total), the student should have one course of non-topical research (HIST 8999), for a total of 12 hours of enrolled credit in each semester.  While this course has no specific requirements, the advisor will use it to attest that the student is undertaking the necessary additional work to advance in the program by granting a grade of “satisfactory.”  Some students use this slot to enroll in a language course rather than in non-topical research.  Students who wish to take more than 12 hours of coursework in a semester must make an overload request to the Director of Graduate Studies. 

Graded graduate-level courses fall into four categories:

Colloquia.  Numbered in the 5000- or 7000-series, these are small courses with a mix of lectures, guided readings, and discussions.  5000-level courses are open to advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students.

Tutorials.  Numbered in the 9000-series, a tutorial is a graduate course on a specialized subject offered by an instructor in response to student interests. There is no minimum enrollment for a tutorial. A typical tutorial may range from 3-6 students. Each tutorial must meet a minimum of 10 times during the semester.

Research Courses. We offer a single taught research course as part of our graduate curriculum.  Master’s Essay Writing (HIST 8001) is a faculty-led workshop taken by first-year students in the spring semester.  Students meet individually with their advisors throughout the first year as they propose, research, and write the master’s essay, an article-length work of original scholarship suitable for submission to a scholarly journal in the field of history.  Before the end of the first year, the advisor assembles an ad hoc seminar in the student’s research area attended by graduate students and faculty, to which they present a pre-circulated copy of the completed master’s essay for review and discussion.

Augmented undergraduate courses.  Numbered as a 9960, this is an undergraduate course augmented with additional requirements, developed with the course instructor, to earn credit as graduate-level work.  With the approval of the advisor, the student must petition the Director of Graduate Studies to register for this course.  (Undergraduate courses taken for graduate credit outside of History must be created and approved by that department.)

Supervised reading courses.  Numbered as a 9961, these courses can be developed at the initiative of students or faculty, must be supervised by a member of the faculty, and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.  Students typically take a section of HIST 9961 in the fall semester of the second year to revise the master’s essay for publication, undertake directed reading in the literature of the intended dissertation, or conduct other research-related work.  Students typically take a section of HIST 9961 in the spring semester of the second year as a guided readings course under the direction of a member of their exam committee when they have scheduled to take exams in that semester.

Specific Course Requirements

1. In their first semester of study, all students must take HIST 7001 - Approaches to Historical Study.

2. In their second semester of study, all students must complete HIST 8001 (Master’s Essay Writing) or its equivalent and present a pre-circulated copy of the master’s essay to an ad hoc seminar meeting convened by the advisor no later than May 1 of the first year.

3. Students must complete the language requirements as specified in the relevant descriptions of programs of study listed below. 

Foreign language requirements.  Mastery in a foreign language, when required, must be demonstrated by passing an examination, usually offered by the appropriate language department.  The Mastery exams usually consist of a short translation, a reading comprehension section (with short-answer questions), and a short essay.  Test results will be forwarded to the History Department. 

A Checklist for the First Two Years and the M.A. Degree

• Are there a total of twelve graded courses, with HIST 7001 slotted into the first semester?

• Has the student taken HIST 8001 or its equivalent in the second semester and presented the master’s essay to an ad hoc seminar by the end of the first year?

• Is there a plan to accomplish necessary language study?

In this program the Master of Arts degree is ordinarily an en route degree that can be granted on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy. It can also be awarded under other circumstances.  In any case, to be granted an M.A. degree in History the student must have completed:

• 12 graded courses;

• and a completed Master’s Essay—a paper of the kind and quality that could be submitted as an article to a refereed journal for publication—approved by the advisor and a second History graduate faculty member.

Students can apply to receive the M.A. degree once these requirements are complete.

Milestones and Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree

 

The General Examination.  Through their courses and independent reading over the first two years, students should attain a strong foundation of expertise in their chosen fields.  In cases in which the advisor determines that the pedagogical demands of the fields of study require more extensive coursework and language preparation, the DGS can grant exceptions to this exam schedule on a case-by-case basis or a specific exam schedule can be specified in the summaries of program requirements in this guide. Students should take their general exams by the end of their sixth semester.

The general examination tests the student’s acquaintance with the events and historiography of a given period or topic, grasp of major issues and questions, and the ability to follow, construct, and criticize historical interpretations.  The general examination consists of three written exams, conducted by three examiners, including the advisor, covering three separate fields of study. 

Each field examination will pose a question or questions to which students will write responses that, taken together, are no longer than 5,000 words (the total writing for all three fields exams should not exceed 15,000 words).  Each of the three written examinations is to be completed within an eight-hour period, administered by the graduate coordinator, and pledged under the University’s honor code.  Once cleared by the advisor to take their exams, students may schedule the specific days on which each exam is given, but must complete all of them within a one-week period.  If—and only if—the examiners agree that all three parts of the written examination have been completed satisfactorily, the advisor will schedule an oral examination as soon as possible following the submission of the written exam in which all three examiners must participate.  Following this oral examination, the three examiners will decide whether the student qualifies to pass, or pass with distinction, to the dissertation stage of the doctorate.  A student who fails the general examination can retake those parts of it (one or more of the written exams or the oral exam) deemed unsatisfactory, but only once, and must do so within four months of the date of the original written exam submission.  If the student passes the written portion of the exam after retaking that part of it deemed unsatisfactory for a second time, the full examination committee must convene as soon as possible for an oral examination.  The second evaluation can proceed as scheduled before an unsatisfactory exam is retaken, and the Director of Graduate Studies can request a writing portfolio as a basis for evaluation.

The Dissertation Prospectus. After completing comprehensive examinations, each Ph.D. student will submit a dissertation prospectus develoepd in consultation with their advisor in preparatoin for a prospectus defense with members of their committee. In total, three committee members must approve the prospectus.

Once coursework, comperhensive examinations, and the prospectus defense are complete, the student has advanced to "candidacy." 

To the Ph.D. Degree:  Teaching and Scholarly Research

 

As a Ph.D. candidate, each student focuses on dissertation research and continues their pedogogical development as a graduate teaching assistant. 

During candidacy, the student should enroll in 12 credit hours of HIST 9999 Non-Topical Research (Preparation for Doctoral Research), unless they are enrolled in additional courses, in which case they should enroll for the number of credits of HIST 9999 necessary to have 12 credit hours total.

From the third year onward, students are encouraged to apply for internal and external research grants that will allow them to develop their doctoral dissertations and conduct research trips. Those awarded financial support sufficient to defray the costs of their living expenses through such grants or fellowships may not be required to teach during that funded period. Students also receive four "fellowship" semesters in which they are not required to teach as part of their package. Generally, the first fellowship semester is taken in the first semester of the program. Currently, the Ph.D. program follows a continuous enrollment model, meaning that external funding may replace a semester or year of graduate teaching assignments, but those assignments may not be deferred, i.e. whether or not a student receives outside funding, they are expected to finish their Ph.D. within the six-year term.

In their final year of the program, students will focus on completing and defending their dissertation while applying for postdocs, jobs, other postgraduate opportunities. The Ph.D. candidate defends their dissertation before a committee chosen by the advisor in consultation with the student.  The advisor should set an intended date for the dissertation defense taking the Graduate School's established graduation deadlines into account, and set a date for the submission of a final draft to members of the committee (typically three-to-four weeks prior to the defense).  At minimum, the committee, chaired by the advisor, must consist of three current members of the graduate faculty in History as well as a UVA member of the graduate faculty from another department who serves as the “dean’s representative.”  Other qualified members, from within or beyond the University, may be appointed in addition to this required minimum.  The dissertation should represent an original and significant contribution to historical knowledge, be concise and well written, and display strong primary research.  If the dissertation is successfully defended, it can be approved as is or with required revisions completed. 

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree should be completed within seven years after enrollment in the graduate program. Exceptions to this time limit must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Administration

 

The Department’s Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) oversees the graduate program and the application of this Guide, advised by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Chair of the Department.  The Graduate Studies Committee makes final decisions on admission to the program and continuation in the program. If a student seeks some exception to the rules in this Guide, a written petition should be addressed to the DGS.

A Timeline for Graduate Study

Click here for a list of milestones and accompanying forms.