PhD Requirements

The University of Oklahoma History Department prepares the next generation of professional historians—scholars with an understanding of and capacity for historical research, critical analytic and writing skills, and intellectual honesty and rigor. Drawing on the highest standards of our professional discipline, an OU graduate education involves the realization of an individual research agenda; diverse opportunities for professional career development; and active participation in an intellectual community.

ENROLLMENT AND REGISTRATION
ADVISING
TIME TO DEGREE
COURSEWORK
FIELDS OF STUDY
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS
DISSERTATION
FORMS 

Enrollment and Registration

Specific courses, course numbers, course descriptions, and special offerings will be emailed to the graduate students by the Graduate Program Administrator (Janie Adkins) each semester prior to enrollment for the following semester. For tuition waivers qualifying ts must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credit hours to qualify unless it is their final semester, and they are defending. Students must enroll in their own courses but require special permission for individual courses through Ms. Adkins. Students must include their OU ID number and the correct course numbers/section numbers for the corresponding course desired. Once they are granted permission, students must enroll in courses as instructed by email.

If a student is a GA enrolling in less than 5 hours your final semester, they must complete A Graduate Assistant Final Semester Declaration online form. This allows qualifying graduate assistants to declare their final semester and enroll in fewer than 5 hours and still be considered full-time for the purpose of maintaining eligibility for a tuition waiver and FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) tax exemption. This helps students avoid paying fees for coursework beyond the hours needed for completion of their degree.

Advising

Provisional Advisor

In a student’s first year, a member of the graduate committee will serve as their provisional advisor. The student will consult with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine who should serve in this role. The provisional advisor will advise the student about program requirements, coursework, and research plans and formally evaluate the student’s progress in the program at the end of the spring semester of their first year.
 

PhD Advisor

Preferably by the student’s second, but no later than the student’s third semester, the student will consult with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine who the student would like to ask to serve as their PhD advisor. This time period will give the student an opportunity to interact with the department’s professors and consider who best fits their area of study. The advisor must agree to serve as the student’s advisor.

The PhD advisor will guide the student through each stage of the program—including coursework, preliminary dissertation research, qualifying exams, grant and fellowship applications, and dissertation research, writing, and defense. The adviser also helps the student with career planning and applications for jobs, fellowships and research grants. The advisor will meet with the student at least once every semester and will formally evaluate the student’s progress in the program at the end of each spring semester, including an assessment of grades and other developments. The Graduate College requires that the graduate student receive a copy of this evaluation no later than two weeks after the end of the spring semester. The Graduate Administrator will prepare the template and distribute it to advisors by March 1. Other faculty members who teach the student also may prepare evaluations, with copies going to the student, the advisor, and the Graduate Studies Committee.

The advisor will chair of the student’s qualifying exam committee and their dissertation committee and will help the student construct these committees.

Time to Degree

The department of history believes all students with MAs should complete the PhD within five years or less. The Graduate College sets a maximum time limit for students with MAs to pass the qualifying examination within four years of entering the program and sets a maximum of five years for completing the dissertation after passing the general examination.

Course Work

The university requires 90 credit hours of course work for the PhD degree. The 90 hours will include 26–36 credit hours from MA work, up to 31 credit hours of graduate course work (nine of these hours can be outside the department), and 23–33 hours of dissertation research and writing.

PhD students must take at least 27 credit hours (nine credit hours—three courses—in each of their three fields). A minimum of 18 of these credit hours (six courses) must be graduate seminars. Other credit hours can come from additional seminars or from directed readings if seminars offered do not meet a need in one of the fields. Of the six required seminars, a minimum of three (one from each of the three fields listed above) must be taken during the doctoral program. Others may be transferred from the MA degree. (This transfer applies to only the PhD seminar requirement and does not change the total number of credit hours required for the PhD.) Up to nine credit hours (three courses) can be taken outside of the History Department. All students will consult closely with their advisors on which graduate courses to take.

HIST 5001: Navigating the Historical Profession

Every incoming doctoral student must enroll in this course for one credit hour unless they took it as an OU MA student. This course does not count as one of the required seminars or other graduate-level courses.

Research Seminar

All PhD students should take at least one research seminar.

The United States to 1865

Students in this field must take two seminars in pre-1865 U.S. history and one in post-1865.

The United States from 1865

Students in this field must take two seminars in post-1865 U.S. history and one in pre-1865.

Latin America

Latin Americanists should take at least one seminar on the colonial era and two in the republican era (or in general Latin American history if specific time-period ones are not offered during the period the student is here).

Transnational Women’s and Gender History

Students in this field must take Contemporary Feminist Thought (WGS), offered each fall; Introduction to Transnational Women’s and Gender History (HIST), offered regularly during any student’s coursework; and at least one other graduate-level course in this core field offered in the History Department.

Directed Reading Courses

PhD students can enroll in directed readings courses listed as HIST 6050: Research Problems. HIST 6160, 6260, 6360, 6460, and 6560 are PhD Directed Reading Courses with specific titles such as “US Environmental History.” These directed readings courses are graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U). Students should only ask faculty to supervise a directed reading when seminars offered do not meet a need in one of their three fields.

Dissertation Hours

While researching and writing the dissertation, students should enroll in “HIST 6980: Dissertation Hours.” Once the candidate enrolls in dissertation hours, they must be continuously enrolled until they defend their dissertation. If they have previously enrolled in Dissertation Hours, they will not need permission to enroll again.
 

Fields of Study

Each student will develop three fields of study: a general field, a specialized field, and a comparative field. Choice of fields and the composition of the advisory committee is subject to the approval of the student's advisor and the graduate studies committee.

General Fields

One of the following fields will normally be selected for the general area requirement in preparation for the general examination: the United States to 1865, the United States since 1865, or Latin America. It is possible to substitute another general area field for United States or Latin American history with the approval of the graduate committee.

Specialized Fields

Students will normally select a specialized field from one of the department’s five “core” areas: the American West, Native American History, Environmental History, either Colonial or Modern Latin American History, or Transnational Women and Gender History.

Comparative Fields

The comparative field must be outside of the primary area of study (general field) and should reflect geographical and/or thematic diversity. US Americanist graduate students, for example, must choose a field that includes regional history outside of the geographical boundaries of the United States (e.g., a European or Asian country), or that includes transnational, cross-boundary connections (i.e. borderlands, Pacific Rim, comparative environmental history, Indigenous peoples, Atlantic History and Culture, settler societies, imperialism, etc.) Creativity in this field is encouraged. Comparative fields must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Public History Field

Beginning in Fall 2022, students may develop a field in public history as an alternative to the comparative field. The field will consist of three courses. Students completing this field are required to take Readings and Research in Public History.” The field may be completed with other courses, including an approved internship or a course in another department in addition to offerings by the department. Creativity and initiative in this field are encouraged.

 

Language Requirement

All students must demonstrate reading competency in one language other than English. Students should complete this requirement by the third semester of the Ph.D program; the requirement must be completed one semester prior to the dissertation defense. The student’s choice of language is subject to the approval of the student’s qualifying exams committee. Some advisory committees may require a student demonstrate reading competency in more than one language, depending on the research field. Students may satisfy the language requirement in one of the following ways:

1. Complete 3-semester sequence of MLLL or NAS courses in an approved language with a grade of “B” or better (Arabic, Cherokee, Chinese, Choctaw, Creek, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Kiowa, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish).

2. Complete MLLL course designed for graduate students with a grade of “B” or better (i.e., SPAN 2970 : Spanish for Reading)

3. Pass a language proficiency exam in the approved language administered by History Department faculty (French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Spanish).

If the student’s desired language is not taught at the University of Oklahoma, the student's advisory committee, with the approval of the graduate committee, will determine the best method for measuring language proficiency.

The language proficiency exam consists of an excerpt from a scholarly article or book section. The student will be given two hours to translate the excerpt into English with the use of a paper dictionary. The student must demonstrate a clear understanding of syntactical structures and a basic knowledge of cultural references in the translated text. If a student does not pass the language exam on the first sitting, a re-examination can be scheduled for the subsequent semester. Language exams may not be taken more than one time per semester.

To schedule a language exam administered by History Department faculty, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jennifer Davis: jennifer.j.davis@ou.edu

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying Exam Committee

The student and the advisor will select a qualifying committee composed of OU History Department faculty members in each of their three fields of preparation and one member from outside the department, known as a graduate college representative or “outside member.” Usually, the advisor will be the faculty member from the general or specialized field. The student will meet with the members of the qualifying exam committee at the beginning of each academic year to review progress and plan coursework and exam lists. The student may petition to change the committee once it is established, but changes can be made only with the approval of the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. The qualifying exam committee will administer the student's exams under the general guidance of the advisor. An additional fifth external member from another university may be invited to serve on a student’s committee (this member will be known as a “special member”), but the department is not responsible for funding any expenses that may be incurred should the special member be invited to attend the oral exam portion of the student’s qualifying exam. The special member may participate in meetings, the oral exam, and the dissertation defense remotely. A majority of the committee must be members of the OU History Department, as per Graduate College rules.

Timing of Examinations

A full-time student will ordinarily take the qualifying examination in their third year of study, in either October or March, when these exams are given. The student must have successfully completed a seminar or directed readings course with each member of the qualifying exam committee, except the graduate college representative (“outside member”).

The general examination consists of two parts: three written examinations and a two-hour oral examination.

Once the student’s request to take their qualifying examinations has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, the Graduate Program Administrator (Ms. Adkins) will schedule the written and oral examinations and ask the qualifying exam committee members to submit questions for the examination.

Lists

In the third or fourth semester of the program, the student will craft reading lists with each of their three examiners. These will generally have 50–150 books (or their equivalent) each. We encourage each examiner to look at all three bibliographies to ensure that they complement one another. These lists should ideally be set two semesters before the exam will take place (e.g., for a Fall 2023 exam, the lists should be set by the end of the Fall 2022 semester). The student and the examiner will meet regularly over the course of the semester-and-a-half leading up to the exam to discuss the material and possible questions.

Professional Development Statement

The student will share with the faculty members of their qualifying exam committee a 750-word statement describing their development as a scholar and the development of their dissertation project. The student may share the statement in advance of the oral exam but no later than the final day of classes in the semester in which they take exams. If shared in advance of the oral exam, the committee should add 30 minutes to the oral exam for discussion of the statement. If shared at the end of the semester, the student should send it by email to committee members who should return it with written comments within two weeks. While the student prepares the statement during the semester they take exams, the statement is not part of the exams. Rather the statement should facilitate the student’s progression from coursework and exams to dissertation.

Written Examinations

Qualifying examinations will be given only once a semester, in October during the fall semester and in March during the spring semester, and the three fields must be taken within a three-week period. The Graduate Program Administrator (Ms. Adkins) will provide information on the details of administering the examination.

Students will take three qualifying examinations, one per field. For each exam, the student will have four days to respond to the examiner’s questions with full access to books, notes, and other scholarly resources. Each exam must be at least 4,000 words and no longer than 6,000 words, including footnotes. In consultation with the examiners and Ms. Adkins, students will decide which four days of the week they will take the exams. In all cases, they will receive the questions at 9:00 AM on day one and will turn their answers in by 5:00 PM on day four (e.g., from Monday at 9:00 AM to Thursday at 5:00 PM). The exam will take place over three successive weeks.

The members of the qualifying exam committee grade the student’s examinations. Students are graded Pass with Distinction, Pass, Marginal or Fail. To take the oral examination the student must have a grade of pass in all three fields or a grade of pass in two fields and a marginal in one field on the written portion of the examination. In the latter case, the student does not need to rewrite the field in which a marginal grade was received. If the student receives a marginal grade in two fields, or a grade of failure in any field on the written portion of the examination, the student may not go on to the oral examination. In this case the student will retake the written examination only in those fields graded fail or marginal no later than the following semester. However, if the student receives more than two grades of marginal, or a grade of failure in two or more fields, then the student must retake the written examination in all three fields no later than the following semester. The student has two semesters to complete both the written and oral portions of the general examination. A student may take the general examination only twice. Failing the written portion constitutes an attempt at the examination. If the student, after failing the written portion on the first attempt but passing on the second attempt, should then fail the oral examination, the student will not be permitted to take the oral portion a second time.

Oral Examination

A two-hour oral examination will take place within two weeks after the successful completion of the written examinations. During the oral exam, each examiner will have the opportunity to question the student about the portfolio and the written exams. At the end of the oral exam, the committee asks the student to leave the room and determines whether the student has passed their qualifying exams (written and oral). Decisions on whether the student passes the exam must be unanimous.

Next Steps

Upon passing the qualifying examination, the OU Graduate College admits the student to candidacy for the doctoral degree the student becomes a “doctoral candidate.”

Within two weeks of the completion of the qualifying examination, the student meets with their advisor to discuss their performance on both the written and oral portions of the exam.

The student’s dissertation prospectus meeting must take place in the semester after exams are completed.

Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is the final and most important component in the academic experiences that culminate in the awarding of the doctoral degree. The dissertation must be a work of original research and scholarship that contributes to existing historical knowledge. It must demonstrate the candidate’s mastery of research methods and tools of their field.

A history dissertation involves an original and compelling topic, outlines one or more research questions that require and facilitate analysis and construction of a historical narrative, and makes an argument or arguments in response to those questions based on extensive research and analysis, drawing on and engaging with the work of historians and scholars in other disciplines. Research questions, arguments, historical and historiographical positioning, sources, methods, and chapters should be outlined in the introduction. The chapters are the building blocks of the story and argument. They narrate the story the introduction previews, drawing on rich and diverse primary and secondary source material. The conclusion should reiterate the dissertation’s primary arguments, framing them in the context of history and analysis presented in the chapters and reaching out to comparative and interdisciplinary discussions.

According to Graduate College regulations, the dissertation must be completed, approved by the adviser and the dissertation committee, and defended in a public examination within five years of the time the student has completed the general examination.

Prospectus

The student prepares a prospectus of the dissertation and presents it to the dissertation committee members for comments and approval no later than four months following the successful completion of qualifying exams. The doctoral candidate’s dissertation committee will meet with the student to review and approve the student's dissertation prospectus and research plan. While the details of a prospectus may differ depending upon the expectations of individual advisers, the graduate committee recommends that the student prepare the prospectus in the form of a grant proposal adaptable to different funding sources. A prospectus generally illustrates the importance of the topic; lays out a primary research question; situates the dissertation topic and approach in the context of relevant scholarship (including a bibliography); identifies potential archives, funding sources, and oral history subjects (as applicable); offers a preliminary chapter outline; and sets out a research plan timeline.

Dissertation Committee

The dissertation committee may, but does not need to, consist of the members of the student’s qualifying exam committee. The dissertation committee is formed as soon as the student passes the general examination. It consists of at least four members, three OU History Department faculty members and one member from outside the department, known as the graduate college representative or the “outside member.” An additional fifth external member from another university may be invited to serve on a student’s committee (this member will be known as a “special member”), but the department is not responsible for funding any expenses that may be incurred should the special member be invited to attend the student’s dissertation defense. The special member may participate in meetings, the oral exam, and the dissertation defense remotely. A majority of the committee must be members of the OU History Department, as per Graduate College rules. Students often ask the members of their Qualifying Exam Committee to serve on their Dissertation Committee, but the composition need not be the same.

Dissertation Defense

When the dissertation is accepted and a degree check indicates that the student has completed all course work with acceptable grades, the student may schedule the final oral examination. This examination is a defense of the dissertation and is open to the public. The candidate may apply for the oral examination after presenting a reading copy of the dissertation, showing preliminary approval of the dissertation director, and showing receipts indicating that all fees have been paid. The final examination must be taken during the semester it is authorized to be given. The student and at least four members of the doctoral committee, including the outside member and dissertation director, must be present to conduct the examination. Any changes in membership of the doctoral committee require the approval of the original committee, the new committee members, the graduate liaison (Director of Graduate Studies), and the graduate dean. Changes must be approved at least thirty days prior to the final examination.

The dissertation committee may accept or reject the dissertation based on these three criteria: i) it is a work of original research and scholarship that contributes to existing historical knowledge. ii) it demonstrates the candidate's mastery of research methods and tools of the special field; and iii) It demonstrates the student's ability to address a significant intellectual problem and arrive at a successful conclusion.

If the committee rejects the dissertation, the student will be given another opportunity to submit an acceptable dissertation to the committee. The dissertation committee may also accept it, pending required changes and corrections.

Open Access

Per Graduate College rules, dissertations produced at the University of Oklahoma will be made available at OU’s Open Access site. Students have the option of deferring (embargoing) publication for three years. If you plan to pursue publication and/or an academic job, you will probably want to exercise the embargo option. Make sure you discuss this option with your dissertation director and/or the Director of Graduate Studies before your dissertation defense. If you wish to embargo your dissertation, please choose that option on the “Request for Authority to Defend” form.
 

Forms

When Ms. Adkins contacts you to complete these forms or for any reason, it is essential that you respond to her promptly.