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Chair of the Department: Peter A. Fritzsche
Director of Graduate Studies: Frederick E. Hoxie
Department of History
309 Gregory Hall
810 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-2591
E-mail: judyp@uiuc.edu
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of History offers graduate courses leading to the master
of arts and the doctor of philosophy degrees, complete details of
which may be found in the department’s brochure on graduate
study in history, which is available on the department’s Web
site. Students are not normally admitted to a terminal master’s
degree program.
Approved areas of specialization are ancient Greece; Middle Ages;
Renaissance and Reformation; Europe and dependencies, 1648-1815; Europe
and dependencies since 1789; Russia; Eastern or Southeastern Europe;
British Isles to 1688; England and the Empire-Commonwealth since 1688;
Near East and Middle East; Africa; China; Japan; South Asia; Colonial
North America and Early United States to 1830; United States since
1815; Latin America; history of science; cultural/intellectual history;
colonialism and post-colonialism; military history; African-American
history; history of medicine; history of religion and pre-modern society;
history of women and gender; "race," ethnic identity formation,
and hybridity; and history of nationalism. Topical fields may also
be arranged with the consent of the graduate advisers.
Admission
Applicants should have a minimum of 20 semester hours of undergraduate
work in history and cognate disciplines with an overall GPA of 3.25
in the last two years. Applicants who have a master’s degree
should have a grade point average of 3.5 for previous graduate-level
work. All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) scores (verbal, analytical, and quantitative are mandatory;
history is optional). Language preparation may be weighted heavily,
depending upon the field of specialization. Foreign students whose
native language is not English need a paper-based Test of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 600 (250 on the computer-based
test). Most successful applicants have GRE verbal scores of over 80%
and/or TOEFL scores of over 630 (260 computer). Only in exceptional
circumstances are students admitted for the spring term.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience
in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience
in this program.
Master of Arts
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program can usually earn a Master of
Arts in History within three semesters. A minimum of 32 graduate hours
is required, 16 of which must be at the 500 level. At least one research
seminar with a grade of B or better must be included, and the candidate
must demonstrate ability to read one foreign language related to his
or her field of interest as approved by the graduate advisers.
Doctor of Philosophy
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree needs a minimum of 96 graduate hours
(including those offered for the master’s degree), of which
32 graduate hours may be for thesis research (HIST 599). For students
who enter the graduate program without a master’s degree in
history, these must include three research seminars, two "methods"
courses, and three additional courses at the 500 level (not 599).
For students entering the graduate program with a master’s degree
in history, these must include two research seminars, HIST 596, either
HIST 590 or HIST 591, and two additional courses at the 500 level
(not including HIST 599). A candidate must demonstrate ability to
read two foreign languages related to his or her field of interest,
as approved by the graduate advisers; students in American history
need only one foreign language. In certain circumstances, a student
in British history may substitute courses in quantitative skills for
the second language. For the preliminary examination, the candidate
customarily offers three fields in history, of which one must involve
a period of time before 1815. At least two geographical areas must
also be represented by the fields offered for the examination. One
of the three fields, however, may be in a specialization outside the
Department of History or may be a field of history specially designed
by the candidate in consultation with the major adviser. To fulfill
the minimum requirement of 96 graduate hours, 16 graduate hours in
disciplines other than history may be applied.
Medical Scholars Prgram
The department participates in the Medical Scholars Program, which
enables students to combine the study of medicine leading to the M.D.
with the attainment of a Ph.D. in History. Our strength in the history
of science and medicine provides a supportive academic environment
for these students. For more details about this joint program, and
admission requirements, see the entry for the Medical Scholars Program.
Concentration in American Civilization
The Department of History in the past administered an interdisciplinary
doctoral program in American civilization; this is currently under
review. Courses relevant to the field are currently offered in the
history department, including offerings in popular culture, regional
studies, film, women’s studies, and minority cultures.
Concentration in Science, Technology, Information, and Medicine
(STIM)
A special area of concentration in science, technology, information,
and medicine (STIM) is offered by the Departments of History, Philosophy,
and Sociology, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science,
the College of Medicine, and the Institute for Communications Research.
The STIM program supports interdisciplinary graduate training and
research at the forefront of work in the social sciences and humanities
addressed to questions about the relationship of science, technology,
and culture. STIM students enroll in and receive their master’s
and doctoral degrees from either the history, philosophy, or sociology
department, depending on the focus of their interests. Undergraduate
background requirements for admission to the program are flexible.
Although an undergraduate concentration in history, philosophy, or
sociology is usually desirable, so also is a strong background in
science. Students with strong science backgrounds, but only weak training
in history, philosophy, or sociology, will be considered for admission.
The admission procedures and requirements are the same as those stated
for each of the three departments. For students in this special concentration,
the normal departmental requirements for the master’s and doctoral
degrees are modified. Further information is available from the Department
of History.
Minor in Cultural Studies and Interpretive Research
Cultural Studies and Interpretive Research is an interdisciplinary,
intercollege concentration of 32 graduate hours or minor of 16 graduate
hours. It is open to Ph.D. students in affiliated programs who wish
to obtain expertise in cultural studies, social theory, and interpretive
research while completing their degree requirements within their home
departments. History students may include a 16 graduate hours minor
in their doctoral programs.
Facilities
The extraordinary University Library is the department’s main
research facility; within it, the History Library, the Rare Book Room,
and the area studies libraries (Slavic, Africana, Latin American,
Asian Libraries) all serve faculty and students with expert bibliographers
and focused collections. Among other special collections much used
by historians are Afro-Americana and Women’s Studies; the library
is also a major repository for government documents. The department
has its own computer laboratory open exclusively to history graduate
and undergraduate students.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is almost always awarded on an academic-year basis.
Applications by incoming students are considered with admission applications.
All fellowships and assistantships include a stipend plus tuition
and service fee waiver.
Both University and department endowment fellowships are available
to entering students and to advanced doctoral students embarked on
their research or the writing of their dissertations. Foreign Language
and Area Studies (NDEA VI) Fellowships support first- and second-year
students who have special interests in foreign area studies. Entering
students from underrepresented groups may be awarded one- to three-year
Graduate College Fellowships. The Illinois Consortium for Educational
Opportunity Program (ICEOP) offers renewable fellowships to underrepresented
minority students who are Illinois residents and plan academic careers
within the state.Half-time teaching assistantships are the department’s
primary form of financial aid for graduate students in the Ph.D. program.
Students who progress satisfactorily toward their degrees and demonstrate
effective teaching will have their teaching assistantships renewed
for a second, and usually a third, year. |
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