Admitted Students with MAs

Students with who enter with an MA (A direct admit to the PhD program)

Progress to Degree:

You have four semesters after your arrival to become ABD.  During your second year, you should finish all course work, write your comprehensive exams, complete your language requirements, and defend your dissertation proposal by the end of your fourth semester.

Your first four semesters in the department should be devoted to satisfying:

Course Requirements: Some fields have specific course requirements that will help you prepare for your comprehensive exams. You should consult the web page for your major field for the relevant requirements.  PhD students in all fields are required to enroll in a graduate level research seminar, which can be taken either your first or second year.

Second field: You will need to take 2 courses in another field of history other than your major field. For example, a student whose major field is U.S. history could choose to study Modern Europe or Global History.  Please note: your second field cannot duplicate the thematic field for your comprehensive exams.  For instance, a student in U.S. history whose thematic field is intellectual history may not choose intellectual history as a second field. You should have completed this requirement by the end of your first year.

Foreign language requirements: It is advisable that students begin working on these requirements during their first semesters. You will find more information here. You must have completed all foreign language requirements before advancing to candidacy.

Comprehensive exams: During your first year, you should take courses to help prepare you for your comprehensive exams and to build relationships with faculty members who will serve as your committee members. You should have compiled your reading lists, in consultation with the faculty examiners, by the end of your second semester. Comprehensive exams are normally written during your third semester (although some students have written exams as early as their second semester and others have extended this into their fourth semester).

Each field has specific requirements and formats for the exam. You will find more information here.