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Thank you for your interest in pursuing a doctoral degree in Historical Studies from SIUC. The following explanation of the policies and procedures supplements the information about the Ph.D. program in Historical Studies that appears in the current edition of the SIUC Graduate Catalog. For basic information concerning admissions, graduation requirements, and financial assistance, please refer to that catalog.
The Departments of History at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and at Edwardsville have entered into a cooperative Ph.D. program beginning with the 1996-97 academic year. For further information, contact the Director of Graduate Studies at either campus.
Guidelines for Admission and Retention 1. In addition to meeting the basic admission requirements of the Graduate School, candidates for doctoral study should have outstanding graduate and undergraduate records in their history courses. At the master's level students must have a predominantly "A" record, especially in graduate seminars. They may be asked to provide research papers to demonstrate their potential for scholarship.
2. Students admitted to the program should have already demonstrated reading proficiency in one foreign language or in quantitative methods as provided under the department's research-tool requirement. Students who are unable to demonstrate research tool competency in the first semester are expected to do so at latest by the end of the first year. All students in the Ph.D. program are expected to have demonstrated proficiency in two research tools by the end of the second year of residence.
3. Accelerated entry into the Ph.D. program is encouraged for especially qualified M.A. students who have made an early commitment to doctoral study. After two semesters of residence, an M.A. student may petition for direct entry into the doctoral program. The petitioner must demonstrate the ability to perform at the Ph.D. level. This includes a GPA of 3.70 (A = 4.00) in graduate history courses, above average scores on the GRE general examination, three letters of recommendation from professors at SIUC, and submission of a seminar paper or a published article for evaluation by the Graduate Studies Committee. The student also must have completed at least one research seminar in history and the research tool requirement for the M.A. Upon approval of the petition, the History Department will recommend to the Graduate Dean direct admission into the Ph.D. program.
4. Direct entry into the Ph.D. program from baccalaureate studies is possible for students of exceptional ability. This can be demonstrated through extensive course-work of superior quality, excellent GRE scores, proficiency in research tools, previous research experience, and letters of recommendation.
5. Students may be dropped from the program at any time for academic reasons, including failure to perform at the level expected of Ph.D. aspirants or to maintain satisfactory progress toward the completion of degree requirements. This action can be taken most appropriately at the end of the first year of doctoral study, when each student's record will be thoroughly reviewed. Minimum satisfactory academic performance is measured by grade point average and regular completion of course work. Ph.D. students must maintain a grade point of at least 3.25. If, in any semester, a student's cumulative GPA falls below that standard the Graduate Studies Committee will consider the student's dismissal from the program. The Graduate Studies Committee may recommend a period of academic probation of up to two semesters. If the GPA is not brought up to 3.25 by the end of the second semester after it falls below that mark, the student may be dropped from the program. Students with more than seven (7) hours of incomplete work (INC grades) on their record may be dropped from the program, regardless of their cumulative GPA. Except in extraordinary circumstances, all INC courses must be completed by the end of the subsequent semester.
Course of Study and Advisement 1. General In preparation for preliminary examinations, the doctoral student must complete at least 24 graduate credit hours. These hours must be completed during a period of not more than four calendar years. All Ph.D. students must include in their twenty-four hours two colloquium-seminar sequences. Other courses should reflect the student's historical interests and examination fields. Students will be advised on proper courses to take by their faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. All students must complete at least six hours of graded graduate work in a field outside North America and Western Europe.
Ph.D. preliminary examinations are designed to test candidates' broad knowledge about a historical field and their ability to explain cause and effect in a variety of historical situations. Candidates are also expected to recognize and appreciate different historiographical approaches. Students must show an ability to analyze documents, both primary and secondary, and develop their own arguments and interpretations about these sources. Exams in each field will be based primarily on a reading list drawn up by the candidate in consultation with the supervising professor. The drawing up of the reading list is in itself a significant component of the examination process.
2. The Advisory Committee By the end of the second semester of study, the Ph.D. student will present to the Director of Graduate Studies a proposed examination advisory committee. The committee will be composed of the four faculty members who will supervise the written examinations, one of whom will be chair. In consultation with these faculty members the student will plan his/her course program.
Preliminary Examination Fields Students will select two general fields from the list below and will define one focused field in consultation with the advisory committee.
General Examination Fields
Focused Fields Focused fields should be related to the dissertation and the main general field/s, with examples being: Women and gender / Labor and radical / Rural and environmental / Local and regional / American studies African-American / National and ethnic identity / Business and economic / Diplomatic
Diagnostic Examinations The student's advisory committee may require the student to take a diagnostic examination on a field in order to clarify expectations and guide preparations for the actual preliminary examinations.
Research Tools Two research tools are required by the Graduate School. Information about research tools can be found here.
The Practicum Internship In its commitment to preparing its students for future professional placement, the Department of History has instituted an optional practicum-internship program. Programs will be defined by students in consultation with their advisory committees. Program proposals include
The Preliminary Examinations 1. Written The preliminary (general) examinations will be taken no later than the fourth semester beyond the M.A. Normally, students will take their preliminary examinations at the end of the second year in residence, over the period of one week. The student will be examined for four hours in each of three fields. Two or three of these examinations must be in the major fields listed above, delineating broad areas of United States, European, Latin American, Asian, and African history. The third examination will cover the narrower focused field. Notes are not allowed on preliminary examinations, nor may these exams be completed at home.
Each field examination will be prepared by the advisory committee member who has supervised the student's work in that field. Each written examination will be read by at least two persons, including the field supervisor. The written preliminary examinations will be graded pass or fail. All written examinations must be passed before the student may take the oral examinations.
With the unanimous consent of the chair of the student's advisory committee, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Chair of the Department, a student may retake the failed portions of the written preliminary examinations once, provided that the supervisors of the failed fields also agree. At least one semester must elapse before a student may be re-examined in a previously failed field.
2. Oral Exams A tentative date for oral exams should be set when the date of the written exams are set. If the committee agrees that the student has passed the written portion of the exams, the student and committee will proceed with the oral exam, which must be scheduled for at least one hour. Immediately after the oral exams, the committee will decide (by consensus and in the student's absence) whether the student has passed. The committee chair will inform the student and the graduate secretary of this decision. If the exam's outcome is successful, the secretary will then meet with the student to proceed with graduation.
3. Ph.D. Candidacy Within one semester of passing the preliminary examinations, the student will present a dissertation prospectus to an open meeting of the student's dissertation committee for discussion and recommendation. After the committee approves the prospectus, the student will be recommended for Ph.D. candidacy. (See next section on the dissertation committee and prospectus.)
The Dissertation 1. Dissertation After being admitted to candidacy, the student must write a dissertation demonstrating professional competence in research and writing. Dissertation subjects must be chosen from American history, Latin American history, or European history. The topic must be approved by the student's advisory committee and the Director of Graduate Studies. The title should be registered with the graduate secretary and the American Historical Association. In preparing the doctoral dissertation, the candidate must comply with the university's rules on research involving human subjects and the stylistic guidelines of the Graduate School.
2. Dissertation Committee Upon passing preliminary examinations, the student should form a dissertation committee which must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The dissertation committee will be composed of at least five professors, at least three of whom must be from the History department. The committee's composition must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
After a dissertation topic has been approved, the student will present to the dissertation committee for its consideration and recommendations a detailed prospectus, which will include a statement on the nature, scope, and objectives of the study, a preliminary bibliography, and a plan of work. Each of the student's dissertation committee members should see the first chapter of the dissertation as soon as the first draft is completed. The advisor/chair will see all subsequent chapters as they are produced. All committee members are entitled to see the chapters in draft form.
3. Dissertation Defense Upon completion of the dissertation there will be an oral defense. Each of the committee members will receive a completed copy at least four weeks before the defense. The student should meet with each of the committee members before the defense. The dissertation defense will be open to the interested public, including other graduate students and faculty members. All members of the dissertation committee (allowing one dissent) must approve both dissertation and the candidate's performance at the dissertation defense before the student will be recommended for the Ph.D. degree.
Eligibility for Financial Aid To be eligible for consideration for financial aid a student must be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Satisfactory progress is determined by timely completion of the research tool requirement; maintenance of an acceptable grade point average, without excessive INC grades (INC grades should be completed by the subsequent semester); and passing the preliminary examinations within the expected time. Ph.D. students who do not take their preliminary examination in the fourth semester will normally be given a one-semester contract for the following academic year. If they take their exams in the fifth semester they will be eligible to receive aid the following semester. Each student's progress toward the degree will be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee each semester.
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