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Location: Social Sciences Building, Room 656
Program number: 403.220.3839
Fax: 403.289.8566
Email address: histgrad@ucalgary.ca
Web page URL:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Arts (MA), course-based and thesis-based

Specializations:

• History and Philosophy of Science (MA, thesis-based only)*

*This specialization is offered in cooperation with the Departments of Philosophy.

Candidates should apply to the program of their choice, indicating the area of research (see section 5 below).

In addition to the requirements of the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts, the Department requires:

Master of Arts

a) Normally, a four-year undergraduate program with honours or a major in history. Usually this entails at least 42 units (7.0 seven full-course equivalents) of History courses. Credit may be given for up to 6 units (1.0 full-course equivalent) in other disciplines, if appropriate for the proposed area of study.

b) A minimum admission grade point average of 3.40 on a four-point scale over the final 60 units (10 full-course equivalents) of the undergraduate degree.

c) A copy of a historical research paper, preferably graded, normally at the senior undergraduate level.

d) A 250-word (minimum) statement of research interest including research topics in the major field and the reasons for pursuing a postgraduate degree in history.

e) Two reference letters.

Doctor of Philosophy

a) Normally, a completed four-year undergraduate program with honours or a major in history and a completed master’s degree or the equivalent in history or in a related discipline.

b) A grade point average of 3.70 on a four-point scale in history at the graduate level.

c) A detailed statement of research interests, career goals, and ideas for the thesis topic.

d) A sample of written work, normally a master’s thesis chapter or a major research paper completed at the master’s level.

e) Two reference letters.

Deadlines for the submission of complete applications:

January 15 for September admission and funding
April 15 for September admission only

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

In addition to the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts (thesis-based)

a) A minimum of one year of full-time study at the Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ.

b) Eighteen units (3.0 full-course equivalents) (including History 690) in two semesters of course work. Master's students will complete their coursework through regularly offered History seminars.

Areas of faculty research interests include: Canada, Europe, Latin America, United States, Britain, China, Atlantic History, History of Science, Intellectual History, Military-Diplomatic History, Political History, Popular Culture, Religious History, History of Gender and Sexuality, Social History, and Western Canada/Borderlands/Frontier.

In cooperation with the Department of Philosophy, the History Department offers a Master of Arts degree in the History and Philosophy of Science. Students who choose this specialization are required to take courses in the relevant departments. Candidates enrolled in the Department of History are expected to work with more than one instructor in History.

Students must take one seminar course (3 units or 0.5 full-course equivalent) in a field unrelated to the student's research interests. In instances where there are no seminars being offered in the student's research field, students may, with permission of the chair of graduate studies, take one 500-level undergraduate seminar but on the understanding that extra course work will be required.

c) A thesis of 80 to 150 pages, including notes, charts, tables and appendices, but excluding bibliography. Students begin thesis preparation as they undertake their course work and may fulfill the requirements for their Master of Arts degree in twelve months.

d) A demonstration of reading knowledge of a second language related to the major field of study prior to the oral thesis defence.

Master of Arts (course-based)

There is no full-time requirement for this program.

a) A minimum of 36 units (6.0 full-course equivalents); 12 units (2.0 full-course equivalents) may be senior undergraduate courses at the 500 level (but on the understanding that extra course work will be required), 12 units (2.0 full-course equivalents) must be graduate seminars and at least 12 units (2.0 full-course equivalents) are to be graduate seminars in a secondary field.

b) Completion of History 690 in the first year and History 651 and 653 in the final year of program.

c) A 50–60 page research paper prepared in the final year and defended in an oral examination.

d) A demonstration of reading knowledge of a second language related to the major field of study before the oral examination.

e) Completion of at least 3 units (0.5 full-course equivalent) per semester.

Doctor of Philosophy

a) A minimum of two years of full-time study at the Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ.

b) Eighteen units (3.0 full-course equivalents) at the graduate level, including courses in the primary, secondary and cognate areas. Doctoral students are required to complete 15 units (2.5 full-course equivalents) in History coursework at the graduate level, of which at least 6 units (1.0 full-course equivalent) must be completed in the primary area and 3 units (0.5 full-course equivalent) in the secondary area. Doctoral students must also complete 3 units (0.5 full-course equivalent) outside of History in a cognate area. The areas will be defined in detail by the supervisor and the student in consultation with the Supervisory Committee and must be approved by the Department Graduate Studies Committee. During the candidacy examination, the student will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the primary and secondary areas as well as his or her particular field of research. The secondary area will be selected from an area of history outside of the primary area. The cognate course will consist of a non-history discipline or thematic history subject. The length of the reading list will be 100-150 titles for the primary area (with the understanding that three articles or stand alone chapters in essay anthologies is the equivalent of one book), and 50-75 titles for the secondary area. The availability of secondary areas and cognate/thematic courses will depend on faculty members' expertise. Each of a student's areas must be taught by a different faculty member or as defined by the committee.

Primary Areas: Canada; History of Science; Latin America; Medieval and Early Modern Europe; Military/Diplomatic; Modern Europe and Britain; United States; World.

Secondary Areas (to be chosen from outside of Primary Area): Canada; History of Science; Latin America; Medieval and Early Modern Europe; Military/Diplomatic; Modern Europe and Britain; United States; World.

Cognate Course: Students will complete 3 units (0.5 full-course equivalent) of graduate-level coursework in an area outside of History. A student's cognate course will be determined in consultation with the supervisor.

c) A thesis normally of 400 pages, including notes, charts and tables, but excluding bibliography and appendices.

d) A demonstration of reading knowledge of a second language relevant to the student's research prior to the candidacy examination.

e) Written and oral candidacy examinations in primary and secondary areas. The Supervisory Committee consists of the primary and secondary area supervisors with the third member being a faculty member whose area of expertise is in the field of study for the student. The History Department urges candidates to take candidacy examinations within 16 months of first registration. Examinations must be completed within 20 months of first registration.

The doctoral program consists of two terms of coursework relevant to the primary and secondary areas, and cognate course. During the third and fourth terms, students read for the candidacy examinations. Four to five terms of thesis preparation will normally follow. Students who have not taken History 690 or its equivalent will be required to take it as part of their program in the first year and in addition to the requirements above.

Copyediting

The graduate program in the Department of History does not permit the use of third-party editors in the preparation of papers and theses.

None.

Students enrolled in the part-time course-based Master of Arts program may take two of the required 36 units (6.0 full-course equivalents) at the 500 level.

Students enrolled in the Master of Arts thesis program may apply for no more than one 500-level course for graduate credit, subject to the approval of the Department. Graduate students taking a 500-level course for graduate credit will be required to complete additional assignments.

Expected completion time is 12 to 20 months for the Master of Arts thesis program, and four years for the doctoral program. Maximum completion time is four years for the Master of Arts thesis program and six years for the course-based Master of Arts and doctoral programs.

Upon acceptance into the program, students are assigned an interim supervisor. Each student should select a permanent supervisor, subject to the consent of the faculty member, within three months of entering program. Admission to the master’s and the doctoral programs is dependent upon the agreement of a faculty member to supervise in an interim capacity.

The supervisor establishes a doctoral supervisory committee in consultation with the student. The Supervisory Committee consists of the primary and secondary area supervisors with the third member being a faculty member whose area of expertise is in the field of study for the student. The supervisory committee must be selected within three months of the supervisor’s appointment (no later than March of the first year of a program).

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the Department requires:

Candidacy

Doctoral candidacy examinations have a written and an oral component and are taken upon completion of all course and language requirements. Students will write exams for their primary and secondary areas. There will be a closed-book exam in each field. (Primary area closed book format will require that the student write a three-hour exam on campus with no sources, answering two questions from a range of questions provided by the primary area supervisor. Secondary area closed book format will require that the student write a two-hour exam on campus with no sources, answering two questions from a range of questions provided by the secondary area supervisor). Area supervisors will decide whether to emphasize historiography or teaching in setting exam questions. The supervisory committee, in consultation with the student, sets the subjects. A level of general knowledge consistent with teaching an introductory survey course is expected for each area. The oral candidacy examination is taken no later than twenty calendar days after the last written examination. The department strongly recommends that students take their candidacy examinations within 16 months of their first date of registration. Examinations must be taken within 20 months of first registration.

Thesis Examinations

Final thesis oral examinations are open.

Scheduling of the Examination

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.

Composition of the Committee

The Internal Examiner may be internal to the home program.

Each doctoral student is required to submit a Dissertation Proposal to their graduate supervisory committee no more than four weeks after the oral examinations. The proposal will be approximately 2500 words in length, with three pages for the bibliography listing the most relevant primary and secondary work for the thesis. Within two weeks of receiving the dissertation proposal, the supervisory committee will have a meeting of up to one hour with the student to discuss it. The date for the proposal meeting will be set prior to the filing of the Notice of Candidacy. All of the members of the supervisory committee will sign off on the student’s research proposal following the meeting, should they consider the proposal satisfactory. To be considered as making satisfactory progress in the PhD program, students must have their supervisory committee sign off on their dissertation proposal. Elements of a successful proposal include the problem or question that the research seeks to answer; the historiographic significance of that problem; a hypothesis as to how the problem might be addressed; a method for exploring that hypothesis; and an inventory of the most relevant evidence for the method.

Students should plan their courses in consultation with their supervisors, complete the Course Registration Form supplied by the department, obtain the supervisor’s signature, and bring their course program to the Graduate Program Director for approval before registration.

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their online applications to the Department by February 1.

Since resources are limited, the Department may, in any year, admit fewer applicants than those who are qualified to undertake graduate studies.

The research interests of current faculty can be found at: .