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:

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