Graduate Program Guide

Program Description

PROGRAM FIELDS AND OPTIONS The program prepares the student in three selected fields of study: two fields of history (called the First Field and the Second Field), and one field in another discipline (called the Third or Outside Field). Students indicate their choice of the First Field of study at the time of application to the program, and they decide upon the Second and Third Fields by the end of the first year of study. Students are bound by the normative time requirements of the First Field declared at the time of application to the program. The Graduate Advisers Committee must formally approve the selection of these fields, normally by the end of the first year. (See Appendix VI -- Forms). The following are the history fields of study.

1. Africa
2. America since 1607
3. Ancient Greece OR Rome (MA)1
Ancient Greece & Rome (PhD)
4. Britain since 1509
5. Byzantine
6. Early Modern Europe
7. East Asia China
8. East Asia Japan
9. History of Science
10. Jewish History
11. Late Modern Europe Since 1789
12. Latin America
13. Medieval Europe
14. Middle East
15. South Asia
16. Southeast Asia
Note: (1) Students taking the MA in Ancient History define their field as Ancient Greece OR Ancient Rome while PhD students define their field as Ancient Greece AND Ancient Rome.

Selecting the Two History Fields
Option A - Established Fields of History. A first field and a second field may both be selected from the established fields of history.

Option B - Thematic Focus. With the approval of the Graduate Advisers Committee, students may give their second field a thematic focus: e.g., "Latin American Intellectual History," "U.S. Labor History," etc. The Graduate Advisers Committee will not approve programs in which the first and second fields focus exclusively on a single country or region.

Option C - Comparative Focus. A first field, selected from the "established fields of history" defined above, may be combined with a second field defined by a topic of interest studied in a comparative framework. Comparative fields should cover three countries or regions, one of which may be included in the first field, and should afford a broad geographic and temporal coverage. For example:

LENGTH OF STUDY Students can expect to spend three years completing coursework, one to two years doing dissertation research, and one to two years writing the dissertation. Students are expected to complete all PhD program requirements in six years. The exception is students in fields requiring extensive language preparation. These students have four years to complete coursework, one to two years to do dissertation research, and one to two years to write the dissertation. These students are expected to complete all PhD program requirements in seven years (i.e., Africa, Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine, East Asia, Jewish, Medieval, Middle East, and South Asia).

COURSEWORK See General course list: Appendix I.
Course details: http://history.berkeley.edu/graduate/courses/

Students complete a minimum of 34 course units, not including language, and maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 (3.5 or above in graduate history courses). Courses that are being applied to the program must be taken for a standard letter grade. Typically, students take a minimum of two graduate courses per semester, in addition to language preparation required by their field. Students holding a GSI appointment can opt to reduce their course load by one graduate course in the term of the appointment as long as they are able to complete all coursework requirements by the prescribed time to advancement to doctoral candidacy for their field. Separate fields may require additional coursework and may also define the nature of the third field more precisely. With the approval of the Graduate Advisers Committee, students may occasionally substitute History 299 courses for required courses defined above. The required coursework is distributed as follows:

(a) 12 to 16 units in the First Field: Two graduate seminars in any combination of 275's and 280's (both must be completed by the end of the first year) and two 285's (one should be completed by the end of the first year if possible).

Students in the field of East Asia have one additional required 4-unit seminar. Students with a China emphasis take a reading seminar (280) or a survey seminar (275) in Japanese history. Students with a Japan emphasis take a seminar in Chinese history. Exceptions require approval of the Graduate Advisers Committee.

Students in the field of History of Science must, in addition, take the Historical Colloquium (290, 1 unit, graded S/U) in each semester of their first two years.

(b) 8 to 12 units in the Second Field: Two graduate seminars in any combination of 275's and 280's; or one 285 and either one 275 or one 280. Students with equal first and second fields must take a minimum of two graduate seminars in any combination of 275's and 280's in each field and at least one 285 in each field. Students choosing this option must meet the language requirement in each field.

(c) 3 to 4 units in the Third Field: One graded graduate course in a field and department other than history.

(d) 4 units Methodology: History 283 (Historical Method and Theory). Students are strongly encouraged to take this course in their first or second year.

(e) 2 unit Pedagogy course required of first-time graduate student instructors. Students are urged to take the Department of History’s pedagogy course Spring semester of their first year.

*WAIVING CREDITS A student who has completed graduate coursework at another institution, may petition to have typically no more than two courses used in lieu of our PhD course requirements. The request must be accompanied by copies of syllabi and written work from the course to be transferred and approved by the Head Graduate Advisor. Courses from another university, if accepted, will be accepted internally and will not be transferred to the Berkeley transcript. Units used towards fulfillment of the MA degree must be Berkeley courses, with the exception of language courses.

PHD FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT(S) The language requirement(s) for the PhD vary with the field of history from one to four languages. Students whose field requires two or more languages are advised to come to the program with significant preparation in the languages most critical to the field (for instance, students in medieval history should already have had intermediate Latin upon entry). Students should attempt to complete one foreign language applicable to the selected field by the end of the first year. See Appendix II for a list of "Language Requirements by Field" and Appendix III for Options for Fulfilling the Language Requirement." Students must satisfy all language requirements before taking the doctoral qualifying examination. Faculty in the field can help students make a plan for completing the requirements.

THIRD SEMESTER EXAMINATION AND PROGRESS REVIEW

3RD SEMESTER EXAMINATION. In the third semester, all students are examined for general command of the history and scholarship in their first field. Students taking the exam will be expected to display, at minimum, textbook level knowledge of their fields and/or a thorough mastery of the materials covered in the courses they have taken at Berkeley. A minimum program of three seminars or its equivalent (275s, 280s, and/or 285s), two of which must be in the first field, is a prerequisite to the examination. Examinations may be oral or written or both, depending on the field, and are graded pass/fail. The Graduate Advisers Committee appoints third semester exam committees consisting of three faculty members, and chaired by a member of the Graduate Advisers Committee. These committees draft and grade the written examinations, administer the oral examinations, and report the results to the Graduate Advisers Committee. Students who are approved for two equal first fields will be expected to have taken two courses in each field and to be examined by faculty in each field.

Fields with oral third semester examinations (one hour): Africa, Britain Since 1509, Early Modern Europe, Jewish, Late Modern Europe since 1789, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Fields with written third semester examinations: America since 1607 (see *); Ancient Greece or Rome, Byzantine, East Asia (see **); History of Science (see ***); Latin America; Middle East. Except for History of Science, written exams are 3 hours in length and are closed book.

* America since 1607: Candidates are also required to attend a half hour interview with the Americanist members of the Graduate Advisers Committee (which will ordinarily be held in the fourth semester). In the interview, faculty will review and discuss the candidate’s progress and future study plans.

** East Asia field: The third semester examination in East Asian history is a three hour written exam designed to test the candidate's knowledge of both Chinese and Japanese history. It consists of five sections, three of them dealing with Chinese history (Early China, the Middle Period, and Modern China) and two with Japanese history (pre 1600, post 1600). Each section offers a choice of two essay questions so that a total of ten questions are posed. Students must answer two questions: one about Chinese history, one about Japanese history.)

***History of Science field: Students take two three-hour written third semester examinations on successive days; they may use books and notes.

Fields with oral and written third semester examinations: Medieval Europe. The examination in medieval European history has two parts: a three-hour written exam and a one-hour oral (scheduled approximately two weeks after the written exam). The written exam is closed book. The examiners will normally include the two medievalists with whom the student has taken coursework during the first year. Both parts of the examination are considered in determining the final outcome. ONE determination/grade (or "outcome") will be assigned based on an evaluation of both parts of the exam, written and oral.

3RD SEMESTER PROGRESS REVIEW. The Progress Review generally takes place during the semester of the third semester examination. It is a comprehensive evaluation of student performance in courses and seminars, progress in fulfilling language requirements, and third semester examination results. Based on the review, the student will be continued or terminated from the program. Students who are earning the MA while progressing toward the doctorate will at this point either be (a) Continued in the program with award of the MA degree (if the above requirements are fulfilled); (b) Discontinued with award of the MA degree (if the above requirements are fulfilled; (c) Discontinued without degree.

MA REQUIREMENTS (en route to the PhD)

Students who do not already have a master's degree in history have MA/PhD as their designated degree goal and should file for MA candidacy at the beginning of the term in which they will have fulfilled MA degree requirements as stated below.

1. MA Coursework (minimum requirements) Coursework counted toward the MA degree
must be taken at Berkeley.

a) 12 course units in the first field. Two graduate seminars in any combination of courses numbered 275 or 280; and one numbered 285. Take the 285 by the end of the first year, if possible.

Students in the field of East Asia have one additional required seminar. Students with a China emphasis take a reading seminar (280) or a survey seminar (275) in Japanese history. Students with a Japan emphasis take a seminar in Chinese history. Exceptions require approval of the Graduate Advisers Committee.

Students in the field of History of Science must, in addition, take the Historical Colloquium (290, 1 unit, graded S/U) in each semester of their first two years.

b) 12 other course units chosen from any combination of graduate history courses taken for a letter grade. Toward this 12 unit course requirement, students may apply one upper-division undergraduate course in history or language, and one graduate course in a field other than history. (The outside graduate course may also satisfy the third field PhD requirement).

(Students should carefully calculate their units to meet the 24 unit MA requirements, as some upper-division and outside courses are only worth 3 units. It is recommended that students look ahead to the PhD program, and select courses that will meet their future PhD course requirements.)

2. Language Students must complete one foreign language in their major field to be eligible for the MA degree, and they are advised to enroll in language course(s) beginning in their first semester. Those who are unable to keep to this timetable should consult with their Adviser and devise a plan. (Note that all language requirements must be fulfilled before taking the PhD qualifying exam.) See Appendix II for a list of "Language Requirements by Field" and Appendix III for "Options for Fulfilling the Language Requirement."]

3. Passing of Third Semester Exam
______________________________________
N.B. : MA Degree Conferral Master's degrees are conferred at the end of fall and spring semesters. They are not awarded automatically. If you are planning to earn an MA, you must formally file for advancement to MA candidacy by the end of the fifth week of classes in the semester in which you expect to complete the requirements for the MA degree. Advancement to MA candidacy applications may be picked up from the History Graduate Office or the Graduate Division. They should be completed by the student, signed by the Chair of the Graduate Advisers Committee, and returned to the Graduate Division. Diplomas will be available at the Registrar's Office approximately 5 months after conferral of the degree.

YEARLY EVALUATIONS Students in the Graduate Program (pre- and post-Qualifying exam) are evaluated yearly by the Graduate Advisers Committee. Those in the pre-orals stage will complete a Review of Progress form and those advanced to doctoral candidacy will complete the Berkeley Graduate Council's Report on Progress in Candidacy in the Doctoral Program and must meet with a member of their dissertation committee to complete the form unless they are not in residence. The Graduate Assistant makes available these forms in the spring semester. There will be two categories of evaluation: "satisfactory progress" and "unsatisfactory progress." Students deemed to be making "satisfactory" progress will be eligible for fellowship and teaching awards. Students not making satisfactory progress will be notified in writing, and may be terminated from the program or may lose any guaranteed funding previously offered. Students must maintain a 3.5 gpa or above in graduate history courses to be eligible for department funding.

PHD QUALIFYING EXAMINATION The doctoral examination (PhD Oral Qualifying Examination) is taken by the end of the third year (sixth semester) in fields with a 6-year normative time, and by the end of the fourth year in fields with a 7-year normative time. Failure to complete the qualifying exam and advance to candidacy within normative time has serious financial consequences, including loss of departmental and university aid. All language requirements and coursework must be fulfilled and all incompletes removed before taking the examination. In planning for their qualifying examination, students should consult with their proposed committee members to make certain that they will be available to participate in the examination. The student should notify the graduate assistant by completing the form called “Constitution of PhD Qualifying Exam Committee” in 3310 Dwinelle. This form should be submitted at least 2 months in advance of the proposed examination date. (Exceptions require the approval of the Graduate Advisers Committee; see Appendix VI-Forms.) The examination committee is composed of two history faculty members who will examine in the major field, two history faculty members who will examine in the second field, and a faculty person from another department who will examine in the third field. A first field professor who is not the student’s proposed dissertation adviser will normally chair the committee. The Chair and outside member must be a member of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate (tenured or tenure track faculty). Be sure to check that each professor meets this requirement. The Graduate Advisers Committee and the Dean of the Graduate Division must formally approve the composition of the examining committee (see Appendix VI--Forms).

The examination tests the candidate's mastery of the factual information and theoretical concepts absorbed through coursework and seminar research in the three fields approved for the doctoral program. It also assesses the candidate's readiness to enter the dissertation research phase of the program.

The examination is an oral examination lasting from two to three hours. As a general rule, each examiner has 20 minutes to ask questions. A shorter follow-up round is possible after each examiner has had his/her 20 minutes. The oral examination may also, at the student's option, have a written component. Two weeks prior to the oral examination, students who choose the written option will be offered three topics in each of the two history fields. The candidate will select one topic in each field as the subject of an essay of the approximate scope of an upper-division undergraduate lecture and will be given a week to write the essays, using any reference material or other resources desired. The examining committee will then read the two essays and, as part of the oral examination, ask the candidate to discuss and defend the ideas presented therein. This written component is an integral part of the PhD examination and not a separate test to be passed or failed alone. Students who choose this option must inform the Graduate Assistant no later than five weeks prior to the date of the oral examination, after consultation with their Graduate Adviser and examiners in the two history fields. A copy of each essay will be placed in the student's folder at the time of the PhD examination.

Outcomes At the conclusion of the PhD qualifying examination, the committee may advise the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student has either

(a) Passed the PhD qualifying examination and should be continued in the program;
(b) Failed the examination but should be re-examined after at least three months;
(c) Failed the examination and should be discontinued without re examination

REGISTRATION FOR DIRECTED DISSERTATION RESEARCH: After passing the PhD Oral Qualifying Examination, students register for History 296, Directed Dissertation Research, unless on approved withdrawal status, until the dissertation is completed and filed with the Graduate Division.

ADVANCING TO PhD CANDIDACY The student will obtain the Graduate Advisers Committee's approval of a dissertation committee consisting of two members from the History Department and one member from another department (see Appendix VI Forms). The student will compose and present to the committee a written prospectus describing the contours and aims of the proposed research project, including a discussion of the major sources to be used. After the committee has met with the student and approved the prospectus, the student will be advanced to candidacy for the PhD. Students are required by the Graduate Division to be advanced to candidacy within six months of passing the PhD examination; however, to qualify for the "Dean's Normative Time Fellowship (DNTF), they should aim to advance in strict accordance with the timetables outlined below under “Advancing to PhD Candidacy and the Dean's Normative Time Fellowship." The degree of Candidate in Philosophy (C. Phil.), which gives formal recognition to the completion of all requirements for the PhD except the dissertation, will be awarded to students after they have advanced to candidacy. The C. Phil degree diploma will be available at the Registrar’s office at the end of the following semester. Human Subjects and Animal Protocol: If your research project involves human subjects (including interviews) you must take the online Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) course and print out the certificate of completion BEFORE you can submit the paperwork to advance. If your project involves vertebrate animals, you must obtain prior approval from the Animal Use and Care Committee and the Graduate Division.

Advancing to PhD Candidacy and the Dean’s Normative Time Fellowship (DNTF). The Graduate Division awards a Dean's Normative Time Fellowship or DNTF consisting of two semesters of stipend and fees to students who advance to PhD candidacy within the normative time established for their field. Students in a 6-year normative time field are awarded the DNTF provided that advancement is completed by June 30th of their third year. Students in a 7-year normative time field are awarded the DNTF provided that advancement is completed by June 30th of their fourth year. Those with a full year DNTF award can take it as individual semesters. Students must use their DNTF within three years of advancing to candidacy.

Advancing to Candidacy and Reduction of International Student Non-Resident Tuition International students are eligible for a 100% reduction in non-resident tuition for three consecutive years from the date they advance to PhD candidacy, whether registered or not. Any such student who continues to register after receiving the reduction for three years will be charged the full non-resident tuition rate effective at the time. Advancement does not reduce in-state fees.

PHD DISSERTATION How and When to File the Dissertation. A booklet of instructions on preparing and submitting a dissertation is available at Graduate Degrees and Petitions, 318 Sproul and on the UC web site: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/degrees/index.shtml

The booklet specifies the required margins, acceptable papers, density of printer type, and copyright information. Students completing requirements for a fall degree must file their dissertation with Graduate Division by the last working day of the fall semester (specific deadline dates are available at the beginning of the academic year). Those completing requirements for a spring degree must file by the last working day of the spring semester. It is strongly recommended that a copy of the final draft of one's dissertation be given to each committee member.

Dissertation Filing. Students must be on approved filing fee status or be registered in the term the dissertation is filed. Students registering in the summer must enroll in three units of a summer session and have until the end of that session to file. The degree, however, will be conferred in the following fall.

Filing Fee Status. The Filing Fee permits eligible doctoral students to pay one-half the University Registration fee (around $197) in lieu of full registration fees when they submit their dissertations. Students must apply to the Graduate Division for this status, and it is approved only for students who have been continuously enrolled during all periods of study and research that have required use of University facilities or faculty consultation and who were registered in the previous semester. Students must apply for the Filing Fee by the end of the first week of classes of the semester in which they intend to file. Filing Fee status is not equivalent to registration (students may not take coursework or use any University facilities not accorded the general public) and is approved only once for eligible students. If they do not complete final degree requirements by the end of the term, students must register and pay regular fees during the semester in which they do complete those requirements. Students on approved filing fee status can purchase health insurance and a library card with a memo from the Graduate Assistant.

NORMATIVE TIME TO DEGREE. The normative or expected time-to-degree of a history PhD candidate is six or seven years, depending on the field of concentration declared upon admission to the program. Students in fields in which the language requirement can be fulfilled within the first three years are expected to complete their coursework and language requirements, pass the orals, and advance to PhD candidacy in three years, and to research and write the dissertation in an additional three years, for a total of six years to obtain the degree. Students whose fields demand extensive language training have four years to advance to PhD candidacy and an additional three years to research and write the dissertation, for a total of seven years to obtain the degree. Failure to complete the qualifying exam and advance to candidacy within normative time has serious financial consequences, including loss of departmental and university aid. Unless on approved withdrawal status, students must register until they complete all requirements for the PhD degree.

Fields with a six year time-to-degree (3 years to the qualifying exam, 3 years in candidacy): Britain since 1509, Early Modern Europe, History of Science, Late Modern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, United States.

Fields with a seven year time-to-degree (4 years to the qualifying exam; 3 years in candidacy): Africa, Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine, East Asia, Jewish, Medieval, Middle East, and South Asia.

REGISTRATION. Students are required to register throughout their graduate careers. The only exceptions are those semesters during which they officially withdraw from the University or are on Filing Fee status. Students may not register and enroll after the award of the degree for which they are admitted unless they have been approved for a new degree goal or major. Students are expected to register full-time in each semester (12 graduate units or its equivalent).

WITHDRAWAL STATUS Unless on approved withdrawal status, students must register until they complete all requirements for the PhD degree. Those with outstanding loans should consult with their lender regarding deferment of loan payments. Students are eligible to purchase student health insurance as a withdrawn student for up to two semesters. International students should consult with Berkeley International Office (BIO) about maintaining visa status while withdrawn. Students withdraw by cancelling their registration for the following term through TeleBears. Students remain on withdrawn status until they apply for readmission. Withdrawn students can arrange to have their Berkeley email address extended for up to two years and can purchase a library card by contacting the Graduate Assistant.

LAPSING Students who do not complete requirements for the degree within five (5) years after advancing to candidacy will have their candidacy lapsed by the Graduate Division. Students have the opportunity to request an extension of candidacy for up to one year. Lapsing is a probationary status that usually lasts two years. Lapsed students can request reinstatement at the time a complete draft is submitted to his/her committee if previously completed requirements, such as coursework, languages, and qualifying exam, are still valid. The Dean of the Graduate Division reviews requests for reinstatement.

ACADEMIC JOB PLACEMENT History graduate students should begin preparing for the academic job market spring semester prior to the fall semester in which they will begin to apply for jobs which will start the following fall. They should plan to have at least a couple of dissertation chapters done by the time they start to apply, and they should be prepared to file before they start a job. The department provides resources to facilitate the process, including a series of workshops (in May, September, and December) on preparing for the job market and one-to-one advising by faculty and staff. The Berkeley Career Center also offers assistance in looking ahead to the job search. Students should be in contact with the job placement assistant 3 semesters prior to anticipated job start date. Sample timetables:

6-yr fields: Year 1 to Year 3 – Coursework; End of Year 3 – Orals; Year 4 – Research; Year 5 –Continue research and begin dissertation write-up; Spring of Year 5- Prepare for the job market; Fall of Year 6 - Apply for jobs while continuing to write-up dissertation. If successful in obtaining a job, prepare to move to new job fall after Year 6.

7-yr fields: Year 1 to Year 4 – Coursework; End of Year 4 – Orals; Year 5 – Research; Year 6 –Continue research and begin dissertation write-up; Spring of Year 6- Prepare for the job market; Fall of Year 7 - Apply for jobs while continuing to write-up dissertation. If successful in obtaining a job, prepare to move to new job fall after Year 7.