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Department of History and Philosophy
Important Links for Graduate Students
History and Philosophy Graduate Handbook 2008-2009
*Please contact Diane at
with questions about our graduate programs.
Current History Ph.D students:
Michael Fox
Betsy Gaines-Quammen
Robert Gardner – draft dissertation abstract – Constructing Forests: The Nature and Technology of American Reforestation
Jerry Jessee
Robin Patten
Paul Sivitz
Diane Smith – draft dissertation abstract- “Animals and Artifacts: A History of Animal Exchanges and Displays in Yellowstone National Park and the Nation’s Leading Zoos 1872-1929”
Bradley Snow – draft dissertation abstract- Fully Leaded: Work, Bodies, and Environment in Three Rocky Mountain Smelter Communities
Constance Staudohar
Wendy Zirngibl
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
The Department of History and Philosophy awards the degrees of Master of Arts in History and Doctor of Philosophy in History. These degrees conform to the general requirements in the MSU-Bozeman Bulletin. Every graduate student must be familiar with these requirements.
The information that follows below supplements the MSU-Bozeman Bulletin with specific requirements that pertain to graduate degrees in History. The admission requirements and deadlines for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs are different. Please read the following information carefully.
Master of Arts Degree
Admission Requirements
- Baccalaureate degree in History or closely related field
- 3.0 Grade Point Average
- Official undergraduate transcripts from all universities attended
- Three letters of recommendations
- Acceptable Graduate Record Exam
- Letter of application that addresses the applicant’s areas of intended study and the applicant’s qualifications for master-level work.
- Writing Sample
M.A. applications can be obtained on line here or from the Department of History and Philosophy. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. M.A. applications for students wishing to be considered for a teaching assistantship for the fall semester will be due by March 1. Applications for fall semester will be accepted until July 15, but no guarantees of financial assistance can be made. Applications for candidates wishing to begin in spring semester will be due in the department by November 1. International degree and non-degree seeking applications are due April 15 for Fall Semesters and September 1 for Spring Semesters.
Course Requirements
The M.A. degree requires a total of 30 credit-hours. All students must take History 503, History of America Before 1860 (3 credits), History 505, U.S. History 1860 to the Present (3 credits), History 512, Topics in World History (3 credits), and History 540, Historical Methods (3 credits). In addition to the courses listed below, students may also take 400-level courses in history and in related disciplines, for instance historical geography, and internships at museums and historical societies.
Mastery of Subject Matter
Mastery of the major field will be determined by 1) a thesis or professional research paper; 2) a record of excellence in all courses taken as part of the graduate program; a 4-hour written exam generated by the faculty; 3) a two-hour final oral examination with the student’s graduate committee.
Examinations
Written and oral examinations are normally taken during the student’s last semester.
Doctor of History Degree
Admission Requirements
- M.A. degree in history or related field or equivalent professional experience
- Letter of application that addresses the applicant’s areas of intended study and the applicant’s qualifications for doctoral-level work
- Three academic letters of recommendations
- Acceptable Graduate Record Exam Scores
- Writing Sample (major research paper or M.A. thesis chapter)
- Official undergraduate and Graduate Transcripts
Ph.D. applications can be obtained on line here or from the Department of History and Philosophy. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applications are due no later than January 16th for admission for the Fall Semester.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. in History requires a minimum of 25 credit hours above the M.A. degree and a minimum of 18 credits of History 690 (Dissertation Writing). The 25 course credits must include History 507 (Advanced Historical Writing) and History 601 (Dissertation Workshop). Note that the precise credit/course requirement will be determined by the student’s doctoral committee chair in consultation with the student and the other committee members.
All students will declare a Major Field of emphasis (normally 12 credits of course work), a Supporting Area (normally 9 credits of course work), and a Thematic Area.
Major Fields include:
- History of Science, Technology and Society
- Environmental History
- History of the American West and Montana
Supporting area
Supporting Area must be a national, regional, or area studies category, and include courses drawing from the following areas:
- United States
- Japan or East Asia
- South Asia
- France
- Britain
- Germany
- Latin America
- Ancient Greece
- Rome
Thematic Areas
- gender
- race
- class and economy
- religion
- imperialism
- historical theories and methodologies
- comparative frontiers
- comparative slavery
- science and technology
- environmental studies
- philosophy of science
- science and religion
The Ph.D. program in History offers students the opportunity to obtain a Minor Field in Public History. To obtain the minor, students are expected to take an additional 15 credits that include History 502 (Public History and Material Culture). Students are normally expected to complete at least 9 credits of History 576 (Internship).
Mastery of Subject Matter
Mastery of the major field will be determined by
- the Dissertation
- a record of excellence in all departmental courses
- submission of a “Syllabus Requirement,” in which student designs and defends a detailed course syllabus in their major field or the submission of another applied exercise, such as the design (script) of a museum exhibit
- a four-hour written exam generated by the faculty
- a two-hour final oral examination with the Graduate Committee
Examinations
All written examinations must be completed prior to enrolling in History 690 (Doctoral Thesis). The Major Field written exam will be four hours in length and administered by the student’s major advisor and read by the student’s committee. The Supporting Area written exam will be two hours in length and administered by the student’s supporting area advisor; the Thematic Area written exam will be two hours in length and administered by the student’s thematic area advisor.
Foreign Language Requirement
All students are required to demonstrate reading knowledge of at least one foreign language as determined by an examination administered by the Department
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