History (PhD)
The Department of History supports graduate study in Public History and US and Social and Cultural History with specialties in Urban history, Digital history, and Women’s and Gender history. We offer a doctoral program in history and public history. History doctoral students work closely with faculty in and out of the classroom as they train to become academic historians, public historians, teachers, archivists, museum professionals, and researchers as well as possess sufficient preparation to pursue other career pathways.
Curriculum
PhD in History Course Requirements
The PhD in History requires 60 credit hours of coursework, demonstrated competency in two research tools, comprehensive examinations in major and minor fields, and writing and defense of a dissertation. Students will select a major field in United States history or Non-US (Trans-national Urban) History, and two minor fields in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
HIST 400 | Contemporary Approaches to History | 3 |
Two 500-level research seminars (one must be in Major Field) | 6 | |
Six Major Field courses | 18 | |
Three courses in First Minor Field | 9 | |
Three courses in Second Minor Field | 9 | |
Four Directed Studies or Electives | 12 | |
HIST 598 | Dissertation Proposal Seminar | 3 |
Total Hours | 60 |
Advanced Standing
Students who enter the PhD in History after completion of a master's degree in history will have slightly adjusted coursework requirements.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
HIST 400 | Contemporary Approaches to History (if equivalent not taken for Master's degree) | 3 |
One 500-level research seminar in Major Field | 3 | |
Three Major Field courses | 3 | |
Three Minor Field courses | 9 | |
One Directed Study or Elective | 3 | |
HIST 598 | Dissertation Proposal Seminar | 3 |
Total Hours | 24 |
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
PhD in Public History/American History Coursework Requirements
The PhD in Public History/American History requires 60 credit hours of coursework, demonstrated competency in two research tools, comprehensive examinations in both Public History and American History major fields, a Public History Portfolio, and writing and defense of a dissertation. Public History/American History PhD students have two major fields, thus they do not have any minor field examinations.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
HIST 400 | Contemporary Approaches to History (if equivalent not taken for Master's program) | 3 |
HIST 403 | Professional Lives of Historians | 3 |
One 500-level US History Research Seminar | 3 | |
US Social & Intellectual History | ||
Studies in American Cultural History | ||
U.S. Local History | ||
Six US History Courses | 18 | |
Seven Public History Courses | 21 | |
Three Directed Study or Elective Courses | 9 | |
HIST 598 | Dissertation Proposal Seminar | 3 |
Total Hours | 60 |
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Research Tools
Students must demonstrate competency in two research tools.
United States History Research Tools
- One tool must be within public history and may include HIST 483 Oral History: Method and Practice or HIST 479 Public History Media. When taken for the research tool requirement, History 483 and History 479 cannot be counted toward the minor field in Public History. In special circumstances, students may petition the Graduate Program Director to substitute another research tool in place of the public history research tool requirement.
- The second research tool requirement may be fulfilled in two ways: a) reading knowledge of a foreign language appropriate to the student’s major field or b) mastery of a special skill required by the student’s doctoral research. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may demonstrate mastery in one of the following areas: statistics, computer science, GIS, and paleography. Courses taken in these subject areas at Loyola or another academic institution may be used to show mastery of a special skill but require prior approval by the Graduate Program Director.
Non-United States History Research tools
- A reading knowledge of two foreign languages appropriate to the student's major field. The first language requirement should have been met at the MA level.
- A reading knowledge of one foreign language appropriate to the student's major field and demonstrated mastery of a special skill required by the student's doctoral research. Either the language or the skill should have been completed at the master's level. HIST 479 Public History Media and HIST 483 Oral History: Method and Practice may fulfill the special skill requirement. When taken for the research tool requirement, History 479 and History 483 cannot be counted toward the minor field in Public history. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may demonstrate mastery in the following areas: statistics, computer science, GIS and paleography. Courses taken in these subject areas at Loyola or another academic institution may be used to show mastery of a special skill but require prior approval by the Graduate Program Director.
Public History/American History research tools
- One tool must be within public history and may include HIST 479 Public History Media or HIST 483 Oral History: Method and Practice.
- The second research tool requirement may be fulfilled in two ways: a) reading knowledge of a foreign language appropriate to the student’s major field or b) mastery of a special skill required by the student’s doctoral research. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may demonstrate mastery in one of the following areas: statistics, computer science, GIS, and paleography. Courses taken in these subject areas at Loyola or another academic institution may be used to show mastery of a special skill but require prior approval by the Graduate Program Director. Paleography may be taken at the Chicago Inter-University Consortium for Advanced Studies in Renaissance and Early Modern History at the Newberry Library.
Comprehensive Examinations
Near the end of their graduate coursework, PhD students must pass a take-home written examination and a two-hour oral examination in their major field. For the written examination, the student will produce three 10–15 page historiographical essays based on a reading list developed in conjunction with a three-member committee of history faculty of their choosing. The committee should be established no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to take the examination. Students will have two weeks to complete the exam, which will be evaluated by the committee. The two-hour oral exam will occur within two weeks of completing the written exam.
For the major field examination in US history, students should choose two of the three designated chronological areas:19th Century America, or 20th Century America.They should also choose two thematic areas for the examination. Thematic areas include: Urban, Women/Gender, Sexuality, Indigenous America, Religion, African-Americans/Race, American West, Immigration/Ethnicity, Labor, Environmental, or Legal. Other thematic fields are possible with the approval of all committee members.
In addition, students satisfy the minor field examination requirements by passing a take-home written examination in which they will produce two 10–15 page historiographical essays based on a reading list developed in conjunction with a two-member committee of history faculty of their choosing. The committee should be established no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to take the examination. Students will have one week to complete the exam, which will be evaluated by the committee. Those who select a minor field outside of history must successfully pass a comprehensive examination in that discipline. The Public History minor field examination is a two-hour oral examination before a two-person faculty committee, one of whom must be either the Public History Program Director. Students must schedule an exam date during the semester they are finishing their Public History field courses. The Public History Portfolio (see below) is submitted to the faculty committee a minimum of two days prior to the oral exam. Students entering the PhD Program with Advanced Standing take only one minor field exam. The other minor field requirement is satisfied by the successful completion of three courses (nine credit hours) with at least a B (3.0) average.
For the major and minor field examinations in areas outside of US history (such as medieval, modern Europe and other thematic fields with a Transnational Urban focus), students should work closely with their committee members to create reading lists with a broad chronological sweep and a set number of thematic areas.
PhD students in the Public History/American History Program must take two series of comprehensive exams, one for each major field. The Public History major field examination is a two-hour oral examination before a two-person faculty committee, one of whom must be either the Public History Program Director. Students must schedule an exam date during the semester they are finishing their Public History field courses. The Public History Portfolio (see below) is submitted to the faculty committee a minimum of two days prior to oral exam. Usually, students take their Public History oral exam before moving on to take their exams for American History.
The American History major field examination, taken near the end of their graduate program, is a take-home written examination and a two-hour oral examination. For the written examination, the student will produce three 10–15 page historiographical essays based on a reading list developed in conjunction with a three-member committee of history faculty of their choosing. The committee should be established no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to take the examination. Students will have two weeks to complete the exam, which will be evaluated by the committee. The two-hour oral exam will occur within two weeks of completing the written exam. The designated chronological areas are nineteenth-century U.S. history and twentieth-century U.S. history. They should also choose two thematic areas for the examination. Thematic areas include Urban, Women and Gender, Sexuality, Indigenous America, Cultural, African Americans and Race, American West and Borderlands, Immigration and Ethnicity, Labor, Environmental, and Legal. Other thematic fields are possible with the approval of all committee members.
Public History Portfolio Requirement
The portfolio, which represents the capstone of the Public History major field, documents the achievements of master’s students and thereby identifies their strengths, weaknesses and abilities as professional historians. Students begin compiling their portfolio during the first semester in the program. The portfolio will be evaluated by the student’s faculty advisor annually, and the final version will be submitted to the faculty committee a minimum of two days prior to the oral exam. Successful completion of the portfolio is required for admission to PhD candidacy for the Public History/American History program.
Dissertation
Students will develop a dissertation field within their major field. For students in the Public History/American History program, their dissertation will be in their American history major field, although it can have a Public History focus. This field must be designated before students conclude their required coursework (typically not more than 18cr beyond the MA, and at the end of the first year of the doctoral program). They will present a dissertation topic and proposal to their major advisor (HIST 598 Dissertation Proposal Seminar) for review and approval. Students formalize their proposed committee with approval from the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate School.
Following the successful completion of doctoral examinations and the portfolio requirement, students will make a public presentation of their dissertation proposal to a dissertation committee, which will include the dissertation director and at least two other faculty members acquainted with the research areas of the dissertation. In discussing the proposal, students and members of the committee should work out problems and address questions the committee members may have. Upon successfully completing the dissertation proposal review, students submit a formal dissertation outline to any relevant research compliance bodies (IRB) and to the Graduate School. Following its approval by the Graduate School and the successful completion of all other degree requirements, students are admitted to PhD candidacy. Once students have advanced to candidacy, they will enroll in HIST 600 Dissertation Supervision each semester to maintain standing with the Graduate School while completing their research and writing the dissertation
The PhD dissertation must be completed, approved by the designated committee members, and successfully defended orally at a public defense.
Upon completion of the PhD in History, graduates will be able to:
- Use the historical method to solve historical and historiographical problems while applying the perspectives of class, race, gender, etc. to historical events and trends;
- Identify and criticize interpretive paradigms and methodologies relevant to historical scholarship and the historical profession;
- Perform historical research in archives and libraries and evaluate the provenance, context, validity, and biases of these sources from the past;
- Apply the necessary research skills to produce original scholarship on a chosen historical topic using primary sources while evaluating the validity, context, and biases of secondary source literature produced by other scholars;
- Demonstrate the ability to deploy multiple forms of communication (written, oral, and new media) to discuss their own historical scholarship and graduate-level knowledge of their chosen fields;
- Advance the knowledge of the discipline;
- Conduct cutting edge research;
- Engage respectfully in debates about the nature of the past in order to enrich historical understanding and generate new questions and investigatory avenues.
In addition, upon completion of the PhD in Public History/American History program graduates will be able to:
- Use public history methods and theories to share historical interpretation with a broad range of public audiences;
- Apply new media digital tools to the preservation and presentation of archival material;
- Utilize the best professional practices to preserve, catalog, and present historical artifacts and records;
- Understand and employ local, state, and federal preservation rules to establish the significance of historic properties;
- Demonstrate the ability to work with public history institutions to make the past relevant to diverse communities.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supercede school policies.