For general requirements, see the section on “Degree Regulations ” in this Bulletin.

Course Requirements. Course and dissertation research unit registration must equal 72 units total. The student must complete with grades of B or better at least 48 units of work in history courses taught by the graduate faculty of The Claremont Colleges, including HIST 300 and Tutorial Reading courses but excluding research courses in the 400 range. If a student has completed graduate work in history at another institution, transfer credit for up to 24 units may be permitted. For requirements in American studies or European studies, see the appropriate sections below.

Transdisciplinary Course Requirement. All students who enter the doctoral program after the fall 2004 semester are required to complete the transdisciplinary course requirement within the first two years of their program. For details on the requirement, see the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” section in this Bulletin.

Residence Requirements. For residence and other requirements, see the section on “Degree Regulations ” in this Bulletin.

Supervisory Committee. A student admitted into the doctoral program in history will be assigned an advisor. With faculty approval, the student’s advisor may be changed.

Research Papers. Before a student can take the qualifying examinations, he/she must complete two substantive research papers that come out of research seminars, graduate reading courses, or tutorials with grades of B+ or better. The student’s advisor will determine whether credit is given for a particular paper. Ph.D. students are expected to complete one substantive research paper by the end of their third semester.

Languages and Research Tools. The student must demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages or in one foreign language and an approved research tool. Foreign language proficiency is demonstrated when the student passes a language exam for reading comprehension. European studies students must demonstrate proficiency in French and German; at the discretion of the supervisory committee, an alternative language may be substituted if particularly pertinent to a student’s area of interest.

With the advisor’s approval, a Ph.D. student may substitute the second language requirement with Digital Humanities (HUM 340), (research tool). No degree units will be given for this research tool. This workshop is normally offered during the summer session.

With the approval of the supervisory committee, a student majoring in American history or American studies may substitute a research tool for the second language, but no degree credit can be given for courses taken as substitute research tools.

Qualifying Examinations. A demonstration of competence in three fields (a major field and two minor fields) is required of all history and American studies students. Students are eligible to take qualifying exams upon completion of the required units of coursework and completion of language requirements. Before a student can take the qualifying examinations, he/she must complete two substantive research papers, as noted above under “Research Papers.” The student should check with the doctoral support secretary to make sure that his/her file is complete and reflects eligibility for the qualifying exams.

The major field exam is four hours and each minor field exam is three hours. Students are expected to take all three exams within the same week and to take the one-hour oral exam (attended by all three committee members) within two weeks of having completed and passed the written exams. Scheduling exams takes time and energy and should be planned ahead with some flexibility. Include the doctoral support secretary in the scheduling discussions with committee members because he/she reserves the room and computer and oversees the paperwork. Students may not take any notes, books, or computer disks into the exam room unless by prior written permission of the professor giving the exam.

Dissertation Requirements. Every student must submit an acceptable dissertation prospectus for approval by his/her dissertation committee. This committee, recommended by the History Department chair in consultation with the student, consists of no fewer than three members, one of whom serves as dissertation supervisor. Each candidate must prepare an acceptable dissertation under the guidance of the supervisory committee, to be defended in a final public oral examination. A draft of the dissertation, which takes into account the criticisms by the major advisor and is acceptable to the major advisor, must be completed by the deadline listed in the academic calendar located in the front of the Bulletin. This draft must be in a form suitable for submission to the other readers. Deadlines for completion in final form are also listed in the academic calendar.

Concentrations

American Studies Program

The History Department offers advanced degrees in history with a specialization (concentration) in American studies, designed for graduate students who prefer a multidisciplinary approach to the history and character of American culture and society. The core of the CGU American studies program is American history. The assumption of the program is that multidisciplinary studies enhance the study of American history, and degree programs are intended to reflect that. Minor fields will be arranged individually between the student and his/her advisors to take advantage of the extensive resources of The Claremont Colleges and to reflect the student’s interests and desired emphases in studying the history of civilization in America. The minor fields should support the major and can be drawn from existing faculties and disciplines represented in The Claremont Colleges consortium.

Fields of Study. Students must demonstrate competence in three fields (a major field and two minor fields). The major field encompasses a period or thematic aspect of U.S. history (e.g. the colonial period or western history). Students may choose their two minor fields from among the following categories: thematic approaches to U.S. history (e.g. Chicano history); a related discipline in the social sciences or humanities (e.g. American literature); a comparative topic outside the major field (e.g. modern history); or an interdisciplinary thematic topic of the student’s creation (e.g. urban problems, popular culture, science and technology, and American women’s literature). Students are expected to work in disciplines other than history. At least one minor field must reflect the multidisciplinary vantage point of American studies. The student’s supervisory committee in consultation with the chair of the program must approve the selection of fields. At least one, but no more than two, U.S. historians serve on a student’s committee.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree. See the “Degree Regulations ” section in this Bulletin for residence and other general requirements. A candidate for the M.A. in American Studies must complete a minimum of 36 units; at least 16 of these must be in American history. The remaining 20 units must be taken in at least two fields of American studies, one of which must be in an allied subject or discipline, to be determined by the student in consultation with a faculty advisor; at least 12 units must be taken in one of these fields. For definition of fields of study, see above. Every master’s program must include HIST 300. Two seminars must be in American history.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree. For general requirements, supervisory committee, research tools, preliminary examinations, qualifying examinations, and dissertation requirements, see the“Doctor of Philosophy Degree” section above. The student must complete at least 48 units of work in American studies courses taught by the graduate faculty of The Claremont Colleges, including Tutorial Reading courses but excluding research courses in the 400 range. At least 28 units must be in the major field of American history and the remaining 20 units in two allied minor fields agreed upon by the student in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee. If a student has had graduate work in American history or American studies at another institution, transfer credit for up to 24 units may be recommended, but in no instance will such credit be sufficient to meet any field requirements in the doctoral program of Claremont Graduate University. Courses, transfer credit, and dissertation research must equal at least 72 units.

European Studies Program

The student may bring to the European studies program an undergraduate background in one of several disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. For both the doctorate and the master’s degree, every effort is made to encourage the student to create an individual course of study in close consultation with an advisor.

The program equips the student with new and traditional methods of research and with the skills to teach general courses in European civilization, general humanities courses, interdisciplinary courses, and specialized courses in European cultural and intellectual history.

Course offerings are tailored to the needs and concerns of students in the program, but the program’s emphasis lies in modern and early modern European cultural and intellectual history.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree. Eight of the required 36 units of graduate study must be in history, and at least five seminar courses must be in the 300 range, including HIST 300.Two fields must be presented,with 16 units accumulated in the major field and 8 in the minor. See the“Master of Arts Degree”section above for thesis and language requirements.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree. The student will be required to take at least 72 units of graduate courses including dissertation research. Each student must complete at least six 300-level seminar courses,half of which must be in history, at or under the auspices of Claremont Graduate University. A reading knowledge of a second European language must be demonstrated before the student can take the qualifying examinations. Two major fields and one minor field will be covered in both written and oral exams to be passed after the conclusion of formal coursework. For the minor field, a student may choose to design an area of study; for example, the history of philosophy from Kant to Heidegger or the development of the novel. See the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree” section above for requirements for qualifying examinations and the dissertation.

Oral History (research tool)

Since 1962, the Graduate University has offered training in oral history, in recognition of the value of oral history as a research technique for developing and preserving historical materials. The program was the third university program of its kind to be established in California and one of the earliest nationwide.

The department offers an oral history research tool course once a year. Students may take this course to fulfill a Ph.D. research tool, but will not receive unit credit if they choose to do so.