PDF version of this chapterGraduate Degrees
The major objective of the graduate program in history is to provide advanced training in the methods and techniques of historical research and writing leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The department offers specialization in numerous and diversified fields which are normally defined according to regions, nation states, themes (social, economic, etc.), and time periods.
Admission Requirements
Prerequisites
An applicant should normally have an undergraduate or master's degree in history or a related discipline, but promising students in other fields will also receive consideration. An interest in acquiring historical knowledge and pursuing historical research is often as important in admission decisions as prior training.Criteria
All applicants must take the general test of the Graduate Record Examinations; the subject test in history is not required. At least three letters of recommendation from college-level instructors and a sample or samples of written work from a college-level history, social science, or humanities course should be submitted to the Director of the Graduate Program, Department of History.Procedure
For complete information on master's and doctoral programs, prospective applicants should address inquiries to Graduate Admissions, Department of History, SOS 254, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0034. Information on the programs is also available on the Web at www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/history/GraduatePages/GraduateProgram.html.Degree Requirements
These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the USC Graduate School section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.Master of Arts in History
The department does not accept applicants for a Master of Arts degree in history. The M.A. degree is intended only as a transitional degree in the process of completing requirements for the Ph.D. in history.The degree may be either terminal or one achieved in progress toward the Ph.D.
Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirement
Students are required to demonstrate competence in one foreign language, with the exception that none is required of majors in United States history.Course Requirements
All students must enroll in HIST 500 Introduction to Graduate Historical Studies, and it is recommended that it be completed in the first year of residence.Thesis Plan
Students must take a minimum of six graduate courses, including HIST 500 plus HIST 594ab Master's Thesis. No more than two 400-level courses may count toward this total. A thesis must be written and defended.Comprehensive Examination Plan
This plan requires the approval of the student's guidance committee chair to substitute a comprehensive examination for the thesis. If approved, the student completes eight graduate level courses, including 500, with no more than two 400-level courses counting toward this total, plus written exams in three fields, one of which may be in another department. Examinations are normally offered in October and April. An oral examination may be given at the discretion of the guidance committee. Examinations are graded on an honors, pass or fail basis. Any student who receives a grade of fail in two examinations is considered as not having qualified for the degree. A student who receives one fail must retake an examination in that field at the next scheduled examination period. An examination cannot be retaken more than once.Doctor of Philosophy in History
Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirements
Students are required to demonstrate competence in two foreign languages to be selected in consultation with the guidance committee. The language requirement for the M.A. degree may be applied toward the Ph.D. Students in United States or Latin American history may substitute a program in computer or statistical research skills for one of the languages. The requirements in this category must be met before a student is eligible to take the qualifying examinations.Course Requirements
HIST 500 is required of all doctoral students, and it is recommended that it be completed in the first year of residence. Two 600-level graduate seminars are also required for the degree. Members of the student's guidance committee may also specify the completion of certain courses in order to prepare for the qualifying examinations. Competence in broad areas and fields is determined by qualifying examinations, for which two years of full-time course work, or eight courses, is considered the minimal preparation time.Screening Procedures
The performance of every doctoral student is formally evaluated by the full faculty of the History Department, normally at the end of the spring semester and before a student has completed 24 units toward the degree. Unsatisfactory progress toward the degree requires either remedy of the deficiencies or termination of the student's graduate program. After successfully passing the screening procedures, each student establishes a guidance committee which then supervises preparation for the qualifying examination.Qualifying Examination
Students seeking the Ph.D. will select four area-fields, one of which will be outside the Department of History or in a field in the Department of History outside the student's geographic area of emphasis, for examination. This allows students both to broaden their historical training and to obtain a background that is helpful for them as teachers once they obtain their degree. Competence in these area-fields is determined by comprehensive examinations, and not in terms of particular courses previously taken. In preparing for the qualifying examination, a student is permitted to repeat a seminar in the field of the dissertation upon the approval of the guidance committee. Qualifying examinations are normally offered in October and April. Examinations are graded honors, pass, low-pass or fail. The qualifying examination has two phases: written examinations in each field followed by a single oral examination on all four fields. Students with one fail, a low-pass in their dissertation field, or more than two low-pass grades on the written examinations will not be permitted to enter the oral phase of the examination process. The guidance committee determines whether the candidate may retake any exams graded low-pass or fail.At the end of the oral examination, students cannot be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree with more than one dissenting vote, which must not be in the dissertation field. The guidance committee determines whether students with more than one dissenting vote will be allowed to retake the failed examinations or be dropped from the program.
A student must wait at least six, but not more than nine, months to retake examinations. An examination in any given field cannot be retaken more than once.