Applicable only to students admitted during the 2011-2012 academic year.

History

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of History offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in History.

Admission

Program Name

History

Address

6265 Bunche Hall
Box 951473
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1473 

Phone

(310) 206-2627 

Email

gradoffice@history.ucla.edu  

Leading to the degree of

M.A., Ph.D.

The History department admits only applicants whose objective is the Ph.D. 

Admission Limited to

Fall 

Deadline to apply

December 1st 

GRE (General and/or Subject)

GRE: General 

Letters of Recommendation 

3 

Other Requirements

Applicants normally are expected to hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in history from an accredited college or university, with at least a B+ average in upper division coursework. For applicants to the Ancient field, demonstrated proficiency in ancient Greek and Latin is expected. For applicants to the European field, demonstrated proficiency in at least one foreign language (usually French or German) is expected; prospective students are strongly urged to have proficiency in two foreign languages.

Applicants who have had a year or more of graduate study at other institutions should have attained a grade-point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale) if they wish to work toward the Ph.D. degree.

Admissions are limited to the number of openings each year in the field in which the applicant expects to specialize. Applicants are urged to correspond with a member of the History faculty in the field in which they intend to work.

Students are expected to work in the field for which they are admitted. A change of fields after admission requires approval of the relevant admissions committee. 

Master's Degree

Advising

See under Doctoral Degree.

Areas of Study

The comprehensive examination covers one of the following fields: (1) ancient (includes ancient Near East) and late antiquity); (2) medieval; (3) European history, ca 1450 to present (also includes British history, Jewish, Russian, East Central and Southeast European history); (4) Africa; (5) Near East (includes Armenia); (6) South and Southeast Asia; (7) China; (8) Japan; (9) Latin America; (10) U.S.; (11) history of science; (12) Jewish history; (13) special fields (students in the history of religions or history of Christianity are normally examined in one of the above fields).

Foreign Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of one foreign language approved by the department is required for the M.A degree. It is recommended that this requirement be met in the first year of graduate work, except for students in the European field, who should meet this requirement during the first quarter of graduate work. Students of U.S., Near East and African history may take a departmental translation examination in French, Spanish, or German. Students of European history must take a departmental translation examination in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, German, or Russian, preferably during the first quarter of graduate work, as noted above, but no later than the beginning of the sixth quarter of full-time study. Students of Chinese history must have a minimum of three years of Chinese. Students of Japanese history must have a minimum of three years of Japanese. For other languages, students arrange to take a language examination administered by a faculty member in the History department or a foreign language department at UCLA; certification of competence is made in accord with the standards of the language department faculty. Departmental foreign language examinations are administered during the Fall and Spring quarters.

Course Requirements

The department requires a minimum (and prefers a maximum) of nine upper division and graduate courses in history, at least six of which must be graduate courses. The six graduate courses must include at least one continuing two- or three-quarter research seminar which must include the preparation of a substantial research paper.

For students in U.S. history, the minimum of nine courses must all be at the 200 level, including History 246A-246B-246C, at least two continuing two-quarter seminars, one seminar in another field in this department, and one graduate level course in another department.

Students in European history must take History 225 and two continuing two-quarter seminars.

Students in African history must take History 275A and at least one continuing two- or three-quarter seminar.

Students in the history of science must take two two-quarter research seminars, and must complete History 200O twice, in the fall quarters of their first and second years.

Students in Chinese history must complete one two-quarter research seminar, History 282A-282B, in the major field.

Students in Jewish history must complete the following: three seminars in cognate fields within the department; at least one continuing two- or three-quarter research seminar in the Jewish history field, including preparation of a substantial research paper; and one graduate seminar with at least one faculty member in the Jewish field other than the student's primary adviser.

Students in Medieval history must take History 200C or its equivalent, and must complete at least one continuing two- or three-quarter research seminar which must include preparation of a substantial research paper.

Students of Latin American history must complete a two-quarter research seminar (History 266, 267, 268). The completion of two graduate seminars in the same subfield (colonial or modern) may be applied to satisfy the two-quarter research requirement if a relevant two-quarter seminar has not been offered during a student's term of pre-candidacy (i.e., within two to three years).

Students of Near East history must complete one continuing two- or three-quarter seminar, and two of the following seminars: Historiography of the Pre-Modern Middle East, Historiography of the Early-Modern Middle East, and Historiography of the Modern Middle East.

Students in South and Southeast Asian history must complete one two-quarter research seminar.

For students in fields other than U.S. history, only one 500-series course may be applied toward both the total course requirement and the minimum six graduate (200-series) course requirement. This may be either four units of 596 or four units of 597. History 495 and courses in the 300 series are not applicable toward course requirements.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

The department follows the comprehensive examination plan. Individual fields specify the fulfillment of the examination requirement by (1) a three-hour written examination designed to assess the candidate's ability to synthesize a broad field of knowledge; or (2) the submission of three essays written for at least two different professors as part of the candidate's program of study. At least two of these papers must have been submitted for graduate courses in the 200 series. In addition, some fields have examination formats that differ from the above, and specify dates when the examinations are given, as follows:

The U.S. field requires students to achieve a satisfactory pass of the doctoral written qualifying examination following 12 months in academic residence. Students who fail the examination may retake it once by petition when it is offered again at the beginning of the next Fall Quarter.

The European field requires a three part four-hour comprehensive examination to be completed at the end of the student's fifth quarter.

The African field requires a four-hour comprehensive examination to be completed in May of the second year of study. Students entering the program with an M.A. degree must complete the examination by May of the first year of study.

The History of Science field requires students to achieve a satisfactory pass in the doctoral written qualifying examination administered at the end of the sixth quarter of study.

The Medieval field requires two three-hour written examinations in the student's primary field and an oral examination in the minor fields and on the prospectus.

The Near East field requires students to achieve a satisfactory pass of the doctoral written qualifying examination.

The comprehensive examination, regardless of format, is graded (1) pass to continue for the Ph.D.; (2) pass, subject to reevaluation for continuance for the Ph.D.; (3) terminal M.A. pass; or (4) fail. In cases where the M.A. degree is awarded with pass subject to reevaluation, the field M.A. committee conducts a special reevaluation of the candidate's progress after no more than three additional quarters of study.

All students must file a petition for advancement to candidacy with the Graduate Office within the first two weeks of the quarter in which they expect to receive their master's degree.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Completion of the requirements for the master's degree is designed to meet requirements for admission to the department's doctoral program. Students are advised to complete the requirements within six quarters of full-time study. The department will recommend to the Graduate Division that students who do not complete the requirements for the master's degree within six quarters be terminated from graduate study, unless, by petition, the Graduate Affairs Committee grants an extension of time.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Entering students must select and submit the name of a faculty adviser to the graduate adviser by the end of the sixth week of the first quarter. Students are expected to meet with the adviser no less than two times a quarter during the first year. By the end of six quarters, students must submit the name of a dissertation chair and committee members to the graduate counselor. During the third year, students are expected to maintain contact (at least two times during the quarter) with the dissertation chair and all committee members, including the faculty member from the outside field. Upon advancing to candidacy, students are expected to maintain contact (at least three times during the year) with the dissertation chair. Failure to maintain contact with the dissertation chair and committee members will result in departmental probationary status and may result in a recommendation for termination of graduate study. The department's graduate adviser, a full-time staff member, monitors the progress of students in their programs. Students are encouraged to consult the graduate adviser about requirements and procedures for progress toward the Ph.D. degree.

There is a departmental Graduate Affairs Committee, consisting of five faculty members and one graduate student, all appointed by the chair of the department, which reviews and makes recommendations regarding all doctoral programs and any petitions in request of exceptions from the regular program requirements. The vice chair for graduate affairs is an ex officio member of this committee and channels all petitions and programs for review to the committee. The student's committee chair is normally consulted about petitions and exceptions.

The following evaluation procedures determine whether continuing students may proceed to the Ph.D. degree:

Students who enter the graduate program with a B.A. degree: an evaluation comparable to the M.A. comprehensive examination must occur within the period of six quarters.

Students who enter with a master's degree from another department: an evaluation must be completed by the end of three quarters of study in the History Department in order to determine whether or not they are permitted to continue toward the Ph.D. This evaluation is conducted in the same manner as described under the M.A. program.

All students must present to the Graduate Affairs Committee a field approval form signed by the faculty member who has agreed to support their work for the Ph.D., and in accord with the following schedule: by the end of the seventh quarter or earlier for those who enter with only a B.A. degree, and by the end of the third quarter or earlier for those entering with an M.A. degree from another department. Students who do not meet the time limits for proceeding to the Ph.D. degree are subject to dismissal.

An annual review of all graduate students is made each Spring Quarter by the Graduate Affairs Committee. Letters are written to those students with program or grade-point deficiencies or other academic problems.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Ancient Greece; ancient Rome; medieval constitutional and legal; medieval social and economic; medieval ecclesiastical and religious; medieval intellectual and cultural (specialists in medieval history may offer no more than two of these fields in medieval history); Byzantine; Russia since 800; East Central and Southeast Europe since ca 1450; England prior to 1485; Britain since ca 1450; European Colonialism and Imperialism; ancient Near East; the Near East, 500 to 1500; the Near East since 1500; Armenian; survey of African history; topics in African history (preferably on a regional basis); history of science since ca 1450; Europe, Renaissance/Reformation; Europe, Reformation to the French Revolution; Germany since ca 1450; France since ca 1450; Italy since ca 1450; Spain and Portugal since ca 1450; Europe since 1740; European socioeconomic history since ca 1450; European intellectual and cultural history since ca 1450; European Women's history since ca; 1450,, The Netherlands since ca; 1450; China 900 to 1800; China since 1800; early modern Japan; modern Japan; pre-modern Korea; modern Korea; South Asia; Southeast Asia; Latin America, 1492 to 1830; Latin America since 1830; Latin America and globalization; history of religions; Jewish history; history of Christianity; comparative history; U.S.: (1) mastery of the general field of U.S. history sufficient to teach a college-level survey course and (2) a specialized field chosen from the following: Afro-American, American diplomatic, American West, American Indian, Asian American, California, history of the South, Civil War and Reconstruction, Colonial, cultural, economic, immigration, intellectual, Jeffersonian and Jackson Ian America (1800 to 1850), labor, Mexican-American, social, the new nation (1763 to 1800), 20th century, urban, women's history. Both the general and a specialized field must be offered by specialists in United States history and only two fields in United States history are permitted. Either field (1 or 2 or both) may be chosen as minor fields for the Ph.D.

Comparative history Ph.D. students may choose comparative history as one of their four fields. This means choosing one topic across three existing Ph.D. fields. The topic should be chosen with the help of the student's Ph.D. advisers; among possible topics are labor history, women's history, history of religions, economic history, and many others. The geographical/temporal fields covered may correspond to some or all of the student's other three Ph.D. fields. The comparative field is more intensive and involves genuine comparisons. It is highly recommended (and comparative chairs may require) that those majoring in a Western field choose one non-Western field and vice versa. Two or three professors may, if needed, supervise a comparative program, and may help examine the candidate either on the orals or by written examination.

Students in the history of science program are examined in three distinct fields: core field, field specific to research, and a field outside the history of science.

PAGE 2 -- Doctoral Degree (con't)