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Graduate Guidelines GUIDELINES FOR GRADUATE STUDY (Revised April 2002) 1. The History Department admits students once a year, in January, although accepted students may begin work in either the Fall or Spring semester. Completed applications shall be received by the Graduate School no later than 5 January of the year they are to be considered. 2. For admission to the Ph.D. program, students normally shall have the M.A. degree in history. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Committee on Graduate Studies. 3. A student who intends to take both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina shall be advised that the M.A. program (including the thesis and comprehensive examination) shall be completed (and the student shall otherwise be qualified as outlined herein) before proceeding to the Ph.D. program. In addition, M.A. students must apply to the Ph.D. program; admission is not guaranteed. 4. Incoming Ph.D. student's who hold a master's degree from another university must complete our M.A. requirements or demonstrate that they have completed similar coursework. No formal transfer credit is given but the Graduate Committee normally takes previous graduate work in history into account, which may speed the student's progress toward the doctorate. ADVISING:
1. Every new student will be assigned an adviser. Normally, the student's adviser will remain the same until the student is ready to begin work on the thesis or dissertation. 2. ALL STUDENTS shall consult with the advisor prior to registering. Failure to do so could result in inappropriate course selections and could impede a student's progress toward the completion of the degree. 3. The student's advisor is responsible for counseling the student regarding coursework, preparation for examinations, and examining committees. 4. When the student has selected a thesis or dissertation topic, the
thesis or dissertation director will become the student's academic adviser.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY:
1. Candidates for the M.A. degree shall file a PROGRAM OF STUDY during their first semester of study and in no case file it later than 12 months after entering program. (See Appendix A for sample format). 2. Ph.D. candidates shall file a PROGRAM OF STUDY immediately after their admission to candidacy, which follows the successful completion of the qualifying examination or no later than 24 months after entering program. (See Appendix B sample format). 3. Programs of study shall include all courses that the M.A. or Ph.D. candidate has taken or plans to take, including thesis and dissertation credits. 4. Ph.D. candidates also shall submit forms for their various committees: program, orals, dissertation, dissertation defense with their program of study (See Appendix C for sample format). 5. Programs and committee forms will be submitted to the Director of
Graduate Studies and, after being approved, registered with the Graduate
School.
ACADEMIC STANDING AND RETENTION:
For the M.A., M.A. (Public), Ph.D., and M.A.T in Social Studies with a concentration in History degrees, a student shall finish the program with at least a "B" average. If a student produces any six hours of work with a grade below "B," or for any three hours receives an "F," that person will be dropped from the program and disqualified from receiving a graduate degree in history from the University of South Carolina. These rules do not apply to a "U" in a foreign language course. COURSES FOR GRADUATE CREDIT:
1. Normally, no more than 6 hours of courses in either the M.A. or Ph.D. programs may be taken at the 500 or 600 level. All other courses shall be at the 700 or 800 level. 2. Any 800 level course with the exceptions of 815 and 816 may be taken twice 3. Thesis or dissertation research and writing courses (799 and 899) may be taken as many times as deemed necessary by the student's adviser and with the approval of the Committee on Graduate Studies. 4. No more than 6 hours of credit for courses offered by television
or radio may be counted toward the M.A., M.A. (Public), or Ph.D. degree.
No more than 3 hours of such courses may be counted toward the M.A.T. degree.
MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY
The M.A. in History is offered in the following fields: Ancient World Medieval World Early Modern Europe Modern Europe History of Culture, Identity and Economic Development Middle East East Asia Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa US to 1877 US Since 1789
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Candidates for the M.A. will choose 2 fields. They will take an oral comprehensive examination and write a thesis in their major field. Masters candidates may not major and minor in U.S. History. 2. Candidates for the M.A. in History take a minimum of 30 semester
hours, of which not more than 6 hours are for the thesis. Credit hours
shall be distributed as follows:
a. Two reading seminars (from HIST 701-HIST 712) in the student's major field of study. 3. A foreign language or appropriate methodology (The latter must be approved by the Graduate Committee). 4. An oral comprehensive examination on the student's M.A. thesis. In this examination, the stuent will be asked to place her or his thesis in historiograhic perspective.
5. The M.A. Thesis will be a revised version of the student's 800 level research paper, submitted as an article-length, potentially publishable essay. The thesis shall be prepared for submission according to the current regulations of The Graduate School. MASTER OF ARTS IN PUBLIC HISTORY
The M.A. in Public History offers a choice of three areas of concentration
for the major field: historic preservation, museums, and archives. In addition,
students complete course work in a minor field within the general graduate
history curriculum, usually but not exclusively US to 1877 or US since
1789. The curriculum integrates traditional graduate study in history with
professional training in the skills used in the public and private sectors.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Candidates for the M.A. in Public History shall choose a major and a minor field. They will take an oral comprehensive exam, produce a portfolio and write a thesis. They will take a minimum of 36 semester hours, of which 21 hours will be in Public History courses and 15 hours will be in the history core. 2. Major Field in Public History (21 hours)
a. 15 hours of course work chosen from one of the three concentrations: c. 3 hours of thesis preparation (HIST 799)
a. 3 hours of historical research methods (HIST 788)
5. An oral comprehensive examination on the student's M.A. thesis. In this examination, the student will be asked to place his or her thesis in historiograhic perspective. a. Grades on the M.A. examination are given on the following scale: A, A-, B+, B, B-, and F.
7. As explained above under "Programs of Study," candidates for the M.A. in Public History shall file a Program of Study during their first semester and in no case later than 12 months after entering the program. A student in the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint program should prepare and file separate forms for each degree but should submit them to the Graduate School together. All students enrolled in the Public History Program may also enter the
Museum Certificate Program coordinated by the university's McKissick Museum.
Students in the archives track may also enter the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint degree
program offered in conjunction with the College of Library and Information
Science.
MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (MAT) in Social Studies with a concentration in History The MAT (History) is a joint program run by the College of Education
and the Department of History. All questions concerning Education courses
and other requirements shall be directed to the MAT adviser, College of
Education.
REQUIREMENTS (HISTORY)
1. Students must take 18 hours of graduate history. Of these, only 6 hours may be at the 500-600 level. 700-level courses are most appropriate for MAT students. They may take 1 television course (if offered). Courses shall be chosen to enhance knowledge in fields pertaining to the subject matter taught in schools. 2. Students shall meet with the MAT (History) adviser to discuss course choices. 3. A Program of Study shall be drawn up in consultation with the MAT adviser, College of Education, and filed within 12 months of entry into the program. The MAT (History) advisor is responsible for signing this document. 4. During their last semester, students shall contact the MAT (History)
adviser to make arrangements for their oral comprehensive examination.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY
The Ph.D. is offered in the following major fields: Ancient World Medieval World Early Modern Europe Modern Europe History of Culture, Identity and Economic Development US to 1877 US Since 1789 REQUIREMENTS: 1. Ph.D. candidates will choose three fields of specialization. The major field in which the dissertation is written shall be one in which the Ph.D. is offered; the second and third fields may include two of the following special fields: African American studies, diplomacy, Latin America, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Middle East, public history or one of the component areas of specialization in public history (archives, museum studies, historic preservation), military, legal or constitutional history, US South, women's history, gender studies, industrialization, labor, rural studies, environmental history, ethnicity, nationalism, or one cognate field in another discipline. a. The major field shall reflect the student's main interest and shall be a chronologically and/or geographically-defined field.
a. Two courses in the student's third field. 3. All Ph.D. students shall prove competency in at least one foreign language or appropriate methodology (the latter with the approval of the Graduate Committee). Additional language and/or methodological requirements for students whose chosen fields or research interests demand more language and/or methodological training will be determined by the students' Program Advisory Committee. 4. Written comprehesive examinations in three fields. Comprehensives will be administered in January, May and August of each year.
5 . Oral examinations covering the major and minor fields will be scheduled after the successful completion of written examinations in all fields. 6. 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 during or, with the approval of the committee, shortly after the completion of HIST 815. 7. A dissertation which shall be prepared for submission according to the current regulations of the Graduate School. The dissertation is expected to represent a substantial contribution to historical knowledge. 8. In order to establish residency for graduation, a Ph.D. student shall
be enrolled for a total of 18 hours in consecutive semesters.
REVALIDATION OF COURSES AND EXAMINATIONS:
"Any student who fails to complete his/her program in the period allowed becomes subject to changes in degree requirements adopted up to a date six years prior to his/her graduation" (Graduate School Bulletin). 1. M.A. courses are valid for six years, therefore the thesis shall be completed in a timely manner. However, with the approval of the thesis director and second reader, the Committee on Graduate Studies will support, without requiring a repetition of the comprehensive examination, a one year extension for the submission of a thesis. Beyond this extension, the comprehensive examination and all out-of-date courses shall be revalidated. 2. M.A. comprehensive examinations are valid for 2 years. 3. Language examinations for M.A. students are valid for 6 years. 4. Ph.D. courses are valid for eight years, therefore the dissertation shall be completed in a timely manner. However, with the approval of the dissertation director and all other readers and the Director of Graduate Studies reader, the Committee on Graduate Studies will support, without requiring a repetition of the comprehensive examination, a one year extension for the submission of a dissertation. Under extraordinary circumstances, a second one-year extension may be granted under the same terms, but other conditions, including the revalidation of comprehensive examinations may be imposed. Extensions beyond a second year will not be supported by the Committee on Graduate Studies without revalidation of applicable courses and comprehensive examinations. 5. Ph.D. comprehensive examinations are valid for 5 years. 6. Language examinations for Ph.D. students are valid for 8 years. 7. Individual history courses in a student's program may be revalidated
by:
a. a written and/or verbal examination administered by an appropriate member of the faculty; or
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
1. The Department of History grants a limited number of graduate assistantships each year. 2. Application for assistantships shall be made on the department's form for financial aid (See Appendix E). 3. Deadlines for application are as follows:
a. For incoming students: 5 January.
5. A student will be eligible for financial assistance from the department for a total of EIGHT SEMESTERS. The eight semesters limitation does not include summer sessions, non-departmental funded assistantships or one-semester research assistantships for students in ABD status. 6. A subcommittee of the Committee on Graduate Studies reviews all applications and makes recommendations to the Director of Graduate Studies who, in turn, makes the appointments with the approval of the Chair of the Department. 7. The Director of Graduate Studies, with the approval of the Committee on Graduate Studies, assigns assistants to members of the faculty. 8. The duties of an assistant are specified by the professors to whom they are assigned. No set number of working hours is prescribed, but an average of 12 hours a week is normal in the Department of History. No assistant can be required to work more than 20 hours a week (Graduate School regulations). 9. Graduate students who have achieved ABD status may apply to teach an introductory level course. Graduate Teaching Assistants are selected in the same manner as other graduate assistants. 10. Provided there is sufficient funding, the department will award several research assistantships to advanced doctoral students. Graduate Research Assistants are selected in the same manner as graduate assistants. 11. Provided there is sufficient funding, the department will make several post-doctoral appointments (of no more than one year) to new Ph.D.s, to give them experience teaching upper division undergraduate courses in their major field. 13. Assistantships may be canceled at any time for reasons of unsatisfactory performance as an assistant or sub-standard academic performance, which include failure to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of a thesis or dissertation. 14. All graduate students receiving financial aid from the department are entitled to reduced fees (including tuition) regardless of residence status. Those who hold assistantships for the spring semester or have letters of notification for the fall semester are entitled to reduced fees during the summer terms. MISCELLANEOUS: 1. The normal course load for a full time graduate student is nine (9) credit hours per semester. 2. Any student who uses university facilities at any time during a semester or requires advice from a faculty member shall be registered for at least one hour of coursework. 3. For purposes of the GI Bill and other government requirements, a full-time student is defined as one carrying 9 hours (6 if an assistant); a half-time student is one carrying 6 hours (3 if an assistant); and a quarter-time students is one carrying 3 hours. 4. In addition to the number of copies of the thesis and dissertation required by the Graduate School, one bound copy shall be provided for the Department of History. 5. All major fields may also be selected as second or third fields.
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