History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (PhD)

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Program Description

A joint degree PhD program is available with the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Admission to this joint degree program must be granted by both the Department of History and the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies upon entry or at the point of screening. For more information on and requirements for this degree, please see the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies section of this Bulletin.

The PhD is a research degree. The principal objective of graduate training concerns the development of professional skills in historical research, and the principal source of professional employment for a holder of the PhD in history is teaching. The department seeks to prepare doctoral students for research and teaching, but we are also dedicated to preparing students for a variety of other careers, including public history and archival management.  The program includes 1) broad exposure to a general area of interest and its current literature and debates; 2) more intensive training in a special field, in which the student intends to conduct research and undertake his or her primary teaching; 3) a sound introduction to a second field; 4) training in research methodology; 5) appropriate linguistic competence; 6) completion of a dissertation judged to be a significant work of historical research and writing; 7) preparation for classroom teaching; 8) for those who so choose, ways of presenting historical knowledge in other settings. 

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See History for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
MEIS-GA 1687	Prob & Meth in Mideast Studies	4
HIST-GA 3603	Approaches to Historical Research and Writing I	4
Electives
Other Elective Credits		64
Total Credits		72

Additional Program Requirements

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For PhD Students without an MA

Students who enter the department’s PhD program without an MA must complete either a thesis or (with your advisor’s approval) two seminar papers, as specified below under Requirements. This work is normally completed by the end of a student’s second year of full-time study. Such students may register for a maximum of 4 credits of Thesis Research, to free them from regular coursework so that they can implement their research project or write their seminar papers.

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Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one Middle Eastern language, in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, as well as a reading knowledge of at least one other language. A student may be required by his or her dissertation adviser to learn additional languages, in keeping with the student’s specific research needs.

Field of Study

Students should begin defining the fields of historical study in which they wish to specialize as early as possible. Between their second and third year of full-time study, students must take and pass a comprehensive examination in each of two major fields of history. One field must be Middle Eastern; the other may be Middle Eastern or one of the other fields defined by the Department of History. Subject to the availability of faculty, Middle Eastern fields may include modern Middle Eastern history (1750-present), early modern Middle Eastern history (1200-1800), and early Islamic history (600-1200); other Middle Eastern history fields may be approved later. Each student’s choice of fields must be approved by the directors of graduate studies of both departments.

Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination in a Middle Eastern history field will be followed by an oral examination, administered by the two readers. Students who do not pass a comprehensive examination may petition for permission to take it one more time. Students preparing for an examination in any of the fields for which the Department of History prescribes “literature of the field” courses must take those courses. For Middle Eastern history fields, preparation for examinations in those fields may be done in formal “literature of the field” courses, if offered, or through reading courses arranged with faculty. In either case, students prepare for their examinations by course work in the field and by working through a reading list for the field under the supervision of the faculty member who will examine them; each examination will have a second reader as well.

Dissertation Prospectus Defense

You may defend your dissertation proposal after you have completed all coursework (including all Incompletes), fulfilled your language requirements and passed your comprehensive exams. The three faculty members conducting the dissertation proposal defense may approve the proposal outright, require revisions or reject the proposal, as they see fit. Once you have successfully defended your proposal you will be considered to have attained ABD status and may be granted the MPhil degree. 

Dissertation

After successfully completing his or her comprehensive examinations, the student should begin to formulate a dissertation proposal, in consultation with the student’s primary dissertation adviser. On completion of all course work and the fulfillment of all language requirements, the student must successfully defend the dissertation proposal, with the student’s adviser and two other faculty members serving as examiners. The completed dissertation must conform to departmental and Graduate School of Arts and Science standards, be read and approved by the student’s supervisor and two other faculty members, and be defended in a public oral defense in which three readers and two examiners participate.

Departmental Approval

All Graduate School of Arts & Science doctoral candidates must be approved for graduation by their department for the degree to be awarded.

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid

1st Semester/Term		Credits
MEIS-GA 1687	Prob & Meth in Mideast Studies	4
HIST-GA 3603	Approaches to Historical Research and Writing I	4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
2nd Semester/Term
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
3rd Semester/Term
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
4th Semester/Term
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
5th Semester/Term
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
6th Semester/Term
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	12
	Total Credits	72

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course.  All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have:

1. The ability to make a significant and original contribution to the field.
2. Proficiency in one or more of the disciplinary perspectives offered in the department, and in the theories and methods of inquiry associated with that discipline.
3. Proficiency in the language(s) relevant to the student's specific area of inquiry.
4. The ability to produce written work of publishable quality based on the standards of the discipline.
5. Proficiency in basic pedagogical approaches and classroom techniques appropriate to the field.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.