History, Ph.D.
Degree Requirements (60 hours post-baccalaureate, 30 hours post-Master's)
The PhD in History requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree (i.e., post-baccalaureate). Students enrolled in the post-baccalaureate PhD program will concurrently work toward an master's degree (MA) while completing the requirements for the PhD. Thus, a minimum of 30 of the 60 hours of coursework will be applied to the MA.
Students pursuing an PhD in History can focus on a variety of disciplinary pathways, including U.S. History, European History, Latin American History and the Ancient World. Students can also pursue thematic areas such as Science, Technology, and the Environment (STE), Global, Comparative, and Connective History (GCC), or Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary History (PDI).
Ph.D. candidates select three disciplinary pathways: a major and two minor pathways.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Historiographic and Theoretical Coursework | 6 | |
| Introduction to the Study of History | ||
| History and Theory | ||
| 800 level Research Prospectus | 3 | |
| Dissertation Prospectus Seminar | ||
| Major Disciplinary Area Select 12 hours of coursework from one of the following major disciplinary areas | 12 | |
| U.S. to 1877 | ||
| Reading Seminar in Colonial American History | ||
| Reading Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | ||
| Select 2 from the following: | ||
| Topics in History | ||
| Readings in American Colonial History | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| American Historiography | ||
| U.S. Since 1789 | ||
| Reading Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | ||
| Reading Seminar in American History since 1876 | ||
| Select two from the following: | ||
| South Carolina History | ||
| Topics in History | ||
| Contemporary United States | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| American Historiography | ||
| Latin America | ||
| History of Mexico | ||
| Atlantic World History, 15th to 19th Century | ||
| Comparative History of Slavery in the Americas from the 15th to the 19th Century | ||
| History of Brazil | ||
| Comparative History of Time | ||
| History of Science, Technology and Environment | ||
| Science, Technology, and Environment: A Historical Introduction | ||
| Reading Seminar in Special Fields | ||
| Material Culture Studies | ||
| Theory and Methodology of Religious History | ||
| Global Comparative and Connective Histories | ||
| Approaches to Global History | ||
| Readings in the Social History of Sport | ||
| Readings in the Social History of Sport | ||
| Atlantic World History, 15th to 19th Century | ||
| Theory and Methodology of Religious History | ||
| Comparative History of Slavery in the Americas from the 15th to the 19th Century | ||
| Comparative History of Time | ||
| Global History of Capitalism: Approaches and Issues | ||
| With advisor permission, select up to 6 credits of Independent Study in the Regional and Area Studies Courses listed in the Academic Bulletin. | ||
| Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary History | ||
| Take 12 credits from the courses listed below. Credits may come from a single topic or draw from both topics as deemed necessary by the advisor. Normally, students may apply up to 6 hours non-HIST courses to their degree. Students specializing in Public History must complete a portfolio project and 145 hour internship in addition to their qualifying exam. | ||
| Spatial Approaches to Historical Research | ||
| Historic Preservation Field Experience--Charleston, S.C. | ||
| History and Theory of Museums | ||
| Comparative Applied History, U.S. and U.K. | ||
| Material Culture Studies | ||
| Memory, History, and Space | ||
| Historic Site Interpretation | ||
| Seminar in Historical Archaeology | ||
| Public Archaeology | ||
| History of American Architecture | ||
| Data Visualization | ||
| Social Justice Storytelling and Advocacy | ||
| Administration and Management of Museums | ||
| Exhibition Development | ||
| Collecting, Collections Management, and Curatorial Practice | ||
| Science, Technology, and Environment: A Historical Introduction | ||
| Historical Research Methods | ||
| Special Topics in U.S. Film and Media | ||
| Special Topics in African American Literature and Culture | ||
| Feminist Theories and Epistemologies | ||
| Seminar in Women's Studies | ||
| Secondary and Tertiary Disciplinary Areas | 15 | |
| In order for graduate students to be trained broadly in the discipline of history, the secondary or tertiary disciplinary area should be clearly distinguishable as a separate area of study. Students may pick their secondary and tertiary areas from the the above listed major disciplinary areas | ||
| 800 level Research Seminars | 6 | |
| Select two of the following: | ||
| Topics in History Research | ||
| Research Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | ||
| Research Seminar in American History, 1876-Present | ||
| Research Seminar in Latin American History | ||
| Foreign Language Competency or Methodological Equivalent | ||
| Four Qualifying Exams | ||
| HIST 899 | Dissertation Preparation | 12-18 |
| Total Credit Hours | 54-60 | |
Additional Information
Ph.D. candidates must file a program of study immediately after their admission to candidacy, which follows the successful completion of the qualifying examination or comes no later than 24 months after entering the program. Students are required to complete 24 hours of course work, at least half at the 700-level or above.
Doctoral students are required to take a minimum of 18 hours of course work beyond the M.A., but additional hours may be specified by their advisor and approved by the Committee of Graduate Studies. Ph.D. students should expect to take at least 12 hours of dissertation preparation (HIST 899).
The Graduate School allows students to take up to two independent studies. In most cases, independent studies will be limited to tertiary fields and/or less commonly taught areas within the approved bulletin fields. Normally, students will be allowed to apply up to 6 credits of non-HIST courses to their coursework.
Every Ph.D. student shall prove competency in at least one foreign language or appropriate methodology. Additional languages and/or methodological requirements will be determined by the student’s program advisory committee when the chosen fields or research interests demand more.
For qualifying exams, the major field will have two examiners, and there will be two four-hour examinations. Students will complete four written exams in three fields. These are the three fields in which courses have been taken, though the exams cover more than just coursework. There are four exams and four examiners – two in the primary field and one for each of the minor fields. All requirements for attaining the degree (except for completion of the dissertation) shall be accomplished prior to taking the comprehensive examination in the major field. This includes the satisfactory completion of the language requirement and the removal of any grades of incomplete. If a student fails, the exam may be retaken one time and must be administered by the same examiner(s).
If a student fails, the exam may be retaken one time and must be administered by the same examiner(s).
Oral examinations covering the major and minor fields will be scheduled after the successful completion of written examinations in all fields.
In order to achieve official ABD status, all students shall orally present and defend a written dissertation proposal to their committee and other interested members of the department. The dissertation prospectus defense will take place while the student is enrolled in HIST 815 or, with the approval of the committee, shortly after completion of the course.
Finally, candidates will prepare for submission a dissertation that is expected to represent a substantial contribution to historical knowledge.
Master's Degree enroute to or in lieu of the PhD
Students who earn 30 hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree may earn the master’s degree enroute to or in lieu of the Ph.D. The MA comprehensive assessment, as required by the Department and the Graduate School, is fulfilled by the successful completion and oral defense of an MA thesis.