Program Requirements

All programs must be approved by the Graduate Adviser to insure balance and focus in the program of each student.

With the written permission of the Graduate Adviser, students may take a graduate course in another department if this is appropriate for their program.

All candidates for the MA and PhD degrees must demonstrate a reading knowledge of a second language acceptable to the department in order to qualify for graduation. This will normally be a language relevant to the student’s research interests. The level of proficiency expected will be equivalent to a B or better in the reading courses (such as GER 390 or FRE 300) offered by the respective language departments. Students may also fulfill the language requirement by passing the department's written translation examination. Examinations will normally be of two hours duration and may be written with the aid of a dictionary. The examination will normally be administered in September and March. New students are strongly urged to take their language examination in the fall in order, if necessary, to enrol in a language course. Students who fail a language examination, may be required to take formal language instruction before writing another examination.

Note: Students will not be permitted to defend their theses until they have satisfied this language requirement.

Not all of the History graduate courses listed in the calendar will be offered in a particular year. All courses are variable content. With department permission, HIST 501 to 591 may be taken more than once. Students should consult the department concerning specific content of the courses offered in any given year.

MA Program

The History department offers both a thesis MA and a non-thesis MA. In both programs, students must take HIST 500 (Historiography) and 4.5 units of graduate History courses including at least 1.5 units in a topical field (e.g., HIST 510 to 526) and 1.5 units in a geographical field (e.g., HIST 501A to 509B). In both programs, at least one course must be outside the area of specialization.

Students in the thesis option will also take HIST 599 (thesis); students in the non-thesis option will also complete an additional 1.5 units of course work, normally in a geographical field, plus HIST 550 and HIST 598 (Extended Research Paper).

Students who obtain a 5.0 grade point average but who obtain less than B standing in HIST 500 must repeat HIST 500. They may repeat HIST 500 once only.

Part-time study is permitted, but the degree must be completed within five years of the initial registration.

Although there are no formal residence requirements, residence is recommended.

MA – Thesis Option

Course requirements (Unit Values)

Other Requirements

At the end of the first month of their fourth term of registration, students must submit a short historiographical report on their thesis topic to their supervisor. This must include an explanation of how they plan to complete their research. If this report is not completed by the first month of the fifth term of registration, the student will be required to meet with his or her supervisor and the Graduate Adviser. If the report is not submitted within a week following this meeting, the student will normally be required to withdraw from the program by the end of the fifth term.

Thesis

The thesis length must be between 70 and 120 typed pages.

Program Length

The thesis MA is designed to be completed in two years.

MA – Non-Thesis

Course Requirements (Unit Values)

At least 1.5 units must treat a geographical area outside that covered in the major research paper.

Final Project

Students will also complete a major research paper. This paper will normally be based on primary research and may emerge from a paper written for a graduate course other than HIST 550. The major research paper must be 40-45 typed pages and will be written in the form of a journal article. It will be graded by the supervisor and an additional faculty member. This second reader will be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. This paper will not be subject to oral defense.

Program Length

The non-thesis MA is designed to be completed in one year.

PhD Program

The PhD program will normally require one year of course work beyond the master’s degree and reading for three comprehensive fields. The fields will be examined by a combination of written and oral evaluations. The comprehensive exams, including the reading process, are organized under the rubric of HIST 693.

The degree requires the equivalent of 7.5 units of graduate geographical or topical field courses including HIST 500. A student who has completed HIST 500 or its equivalent at the MA level will not be required to take HIST 500.

Normally, students will take 3 units of course work in their major area of geographical interest. This will be the basis of the major field for the comprehensive examination. The geographical field courses are designed to cover major historiographical issues over a broad chronological period, within the various geographical areas: Canadian, British, American, European, Chinese, Japanese and World.

In addition to the 3 units of major geographical field courses (courses numbered HIST 501A to 509B), students will take either an additional 1.5-unit geographical field course and a 1.5-unit topical field course, or two 1.5-unit topical field courses (courses numbered HIST 510 to 526). In special circumstances students may be able to define a topical field as the major field for the comprehensive examination. Approval from the supervisor and Graduate Adviser is required.

Topical field courses examine the secondary literature on a significant theme, such as social, military, intellectual/cultural, family, women’s, Native, gender, religious, colonial, world, or maritime history. Topical field courses cover various geographical areas and chronological periods and will relate to particular themes to be pursued in the PhD thesis. Students who choose to take two 1.5-unit topical field courses must select at least one whose subject matter is largely outside their major area of geographical interest. In appropriate cases and with the approval of the Graduate Adviser, students may take 1.5 units of courses in another department.

In the 1.5-unit geographical field and topical field courses, a historiographic paper of 20-25 pages will be required, although with the instructor’s permission a student may opt to write a paper based on primary sources.

The geographical field courses and topical field courses will help prepare students for the comprehensive written and oral examinations. Once students complete their required slate of geographical and topical field courses, they are required to register in HIST 693, which covers the preparation and completion of the comprehensive exams. Readings for the comprehensive examinations will be broader than the course work and will be determined by the student and his/her advisers. The 3-unit geographical field course will be the basis of the major field for the comprehensive examinations, and the two 1.5-unit courses will be the basis for the two minor fields.

Before registering in HIST 693, the student must pass all required geographical and topical field courses with at least a B+ average. A student may repeat comprehensive examinations one time only.

Within three months after completing HIST 693, students must submit a short historiographical report on their dissertation topic to their supervisor. This must include an explanation of how they plan to complete their research. If this report is not completed by seven months following the completion of the comprehensive examinations, the student will be required to meet with his or her supervisor and the Graduate Adviser. If the report is not submitted within a week following this meeting, the student will normally be required to withdraw from the program by the end of the term in which the meeting occurred. Terms in which the student is withdrawn are not included in calculating this deadline.

In certain cases, requirements in addition to those already mentioned may be called for. The student and the student’s supervisory committee will work out these requirements.

Course Requirements (Unit Values)

Concentration in Cultural, Social and Political Thought (CSPT)

This interdisciplinary program is open to selected MA and PhD students in English, History, Political Science and Sociology. Students must meet the core graduating requirement of the individual departments. The Graduate Adviser in each department should be consulted for details.

To complete the CSPT MA program in History, a student must complete:

• 3 units of CSPT 500
• 15 units as required in the History MA program (including HIST 500 and the master’s language requirement)

The MA thesis (HIST 599) must be in the field of CSPT.

Descriptions of CSPT 500 and CSPT 590 are found in the course listings.

Admission to the CSPT program is subject to the written approval of the Program Director. Applicants must already have been accepted into the MA program in History.

The requirements for the program in the departments of English, Political Science and Sociology differ from those in History.

For information about the doctoral program in CSPT and History, please consult the History Graduate Adviser.

See also the entry for CSPT under “ Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies”.