StudyQA — PhD: History — University of Massachusetts at Amherst

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

The program is a formal collaboration between the history departments of the University of Massachusetts and Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges. Participating faculty teach graduate courses, sit on dissertation and examination committees, and serve as advisers and mentors. Through Five College cooperation, the program offers an extensive range of opportunities for the study, teaching, and practice of history.

Course Work
Four to eight courses in the 600-800 series, including two graduate research seminars, are generally required, the precise number depending on the field and background of the candidate.

Language Proficiency
Candidates must pass the departmental examination demonstrating reading ability in one foreign language. Students specializing in areas for which knowledge of more than one foreign language is usual for scholarly work must demonstrate reading proficiency in the relevant languages.

Preliminary Comprehensive Examination
Candidates must pass the general examination in three fields. Not more than two can be in the candidate’s area of specialization. With the approval of the major adviser and of the departmental Graduate Program Director, the candidate may pursue one field in a department other than history.

Dissertation
A dissertation, based on original research and making an original contribution, is required for the fulfillment of the degree.

Residence
Minimum: full-time residence at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for one academic year.

Courses

600 European Historiography to the Enlightenment
601 European Historiography: The Enlightenment to the Present
602 American Historiography Through the Civil War
603 American Historiography: 1865 to the Present
605 Approaches to World History
607 Latin American Historiography: Colonial Period
608 Latin American Historiography: National Period
611 Topics in Ancient History I
612 Topics in Ancient History II
613 Topics in Medieval History
615 Topics in the History of Early Modern Europe
616 Topics in the Age of the Enlightenment
621 Topics in Recent European History
626 Comparative Memory
636 Topics in Russian History
646 Topics in Early American History
648 Topics in the National Period
649 Topics in the Civil War
650 Topics in the Gilded Age
651 Topics in the Progressive Era of the United States
652 Topics in American Diplomatic History
653 Topics in the United States Between the World Wars
654 Topics in Recent American History
655 Topics in United States Intellectual History
657 Topics in United States Urban History
658 Topics in American Social History
659 Public History
661 American Material Culture
662 Museum and Historic Site Interpretation
664 Digital History
665 Writing History for Popular Audiences
671 Topics in Modern and Contemporary Latin America
676 Topics in Modern Middle-Eastern History
696 Special Problems in History
697 Special Topics in History
698 Practicum in Public History
699 Master’s Thesis
700 Seminar in Medieval History
701 Seminar in Renaissance and Reformation
703 Seminar in the Enlightenment
715 Seminar in Social History of Early Modern Europe
716 Seminar in Modern Germany
717 Seminar in Modern France
718 Seminar in Russian History
719 European Politics and Diplomacy Since 1815
731 Seminar in Early American History
735 Seminar in the Progressive Era in the United States
736 Seminar in the United States Between World Wars
737 Seminar in Recent American History
738 Seminar in American Diplomatic History
739 Seminar in American Intellectual History to the Civil War
740 Seminar in American Intellectual History Since the Civil War
751 Seminar in the Colonial History of Latin America
753 Seminar in Mexican History
761 Seminar in Modern Middle-Eastern History
771 Seminar on the Art and Technique of Biography
796 Special Problems Seminar in History
797 Special Topics Seminar in History
899 Doctoral Dissertation

A completed Application Form.
A $75 application fee. This fee cannot be waived or deferred.
International Student Sponsor Statement is required of all international students.
One official transcript from all colleges/universities attended, undergraduate and graduate, where (nine) 9 or more credits were taken are required. If they are not mailed directly from the college/university, they should be enclosed in sealed envelopes signed by the college/university. If the official transcripts and/or degree certificate(s) are not in English, notarized English language translations in duplicate must accompany them. Do not list colleges/universities where (eight) 8 or fewer credits were taken.
Letters of recommendation (academic references) from two (2) professors or instructors who have taught you in courses in the field you are applying to here. After submission of the electronic application, we will send an email to each referee giving them instructions on how to electronically deliver the recommendation to the Graduate School. All recommendations will be considered confidential unless the applicant doesn't waive his/her right of access.
Scores from the following standard examinations:
- GRE (Graduate Record Examination)-General Test required by nearly all graduate programs - (refer to Degrees and Programs Offered)
- GRE SUBJECT TEST (not a universal requirement-refer to the Programspage for those programs requiring a Subject Test)
- GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test)-for graduate applicants to Management, Hospitality & Tourism Management, and Sport Management  
- English Language Test: Either TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or IELTS (International English Language Testing System)-only the academic version of test is accepted, or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English)