William & Mary
Close menu Resources for... William & Mary
Popular Topics
Suggested Results
News Events
Apply Visit Request Info
W&M menu close William & Mary
Arts & Sciences
History

Graduate Regulations: September 8, 2005

Last Changed 9/8/2006

(These regulations and guidelines supplement the regulations published in the Graduate Arts and Sciences Program Catalog. Please refer to the catalog for information and regulations governing, among other things, tuition and fees, auditing courses, leaves of absence, medical withdrawals, and extensions to the time limit on completing degrees.)

The Master of Arts Program
  1. INTRODUCTION
    1. The M.A. program is offered in Early American, United States, European, and Comparative History.
    2. The Ph.D. program is offered in Early American and United States History.
    3. The M.A. program is designed to encompass the spring and fall semester of an academic year, and the following summer. By the end of this period, the student should have completed all course requirements and at least a first draft of a thesis.
    4. Upon approval by the Graduate Director, students may schedule up to six graduate credits in courses in other departments or programs not cross-listed under History. Such courses must fit logically into a student's overall preparation.
  2. PART-TIME STUDENTS
    1. Graduate students admitted to the Master of Arts Program on a part-time basis must complete all requirements for the degree within four years of the date they entered the program.
    2. Part-time students are not eligible for funding.
  3. CONTINUATION STANDARDS
    1. Any student receiving two grades of C or below will be dropped from the program.
    2. Candidates for the M.A. must achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students should note that the grade of B-minus falls below the required average.)
    3. In the event of a student's failure to complete all assignments in a course, instructors may, at their discretion, assign a grade of "I" (the grade of "G" is assigned only in History 700). (See the Graduate Arts & Sciences Program for definitions of grades.) The I becomes an F unless the student completes the work within one semester or the faculty member requests an extension of the I for another semester. The I cannot be extended for a second time without the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
  4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: AMERICAN HISTORY
    1. Candidates for the M.A. must complete 24 semester hours of Graduate History courses, not including History 700 (Thesis).
    2. All M.A. candidates in American History take a research seminar (History 710 or 711) in the fall semester.
    3. All students in American History take History 701-01 and 702-01 and register for directed research (History 758) in each semester.
    4. Students may take History 705 (Teaching History) in addition to their 24 semester hours of course work.
    5. M.A. students must take a Quantitative Methods course in another department if the methodology is required for the thesis.
    6. Normally, students will choose their electives from among the readings seminars (715-720).
    7. Advanced reading courses (History 721-746, 759) are reserved for special situations and must be approved by both the Graduate Director and the individual instructor.
  5. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: COMPARATIVE HISTORY
    1. Candidates for the M.A. in Comparative History must complete 24 semester hours of Graduate History courses, not including History 700 (Thesis).
    2. All M.A. candidates in Comparative History take a research seminar (History 713) in the fall semester.
    3. All students take History 701.
    4. All students take two Comparative or Transnational Readings seminars.
    5. All students register for directed research (History 758) in each semester.
    6. Students must take a Quantitative Methods course in another department if the methodology is required for the thesis.
    7. In addition to the 24 semester hours, students may take History 705 (Teaching History).
    8. Advanced reading courses (History 721-746, 759) must be approved by both the Graduate Director and the individual instructor.
    9. Upon approval by the Graduate Director, students may schedule up to six graduate credits in courses in other departments or programs not cross-listed under History. Such courses must fit logically into a student's overall preparation.
  6. TYPICAL MASTER'S PROGRAM IN AMERICAN OR U.S. HISTORY
    • Fall
      • History 701, 3 credit hours
      • Research Seminar (History 710 or 711), 3 credit hours
      • Directed Research (History 758) under seminar director, 3 credit hours
      • Thesis (History 700), 6 credit hours
      • Elective (Normally, 715, 716, or 720), 3 credit hours
    • Spring
      • History 702, 3 credit hours
      • Directed Research (History 758) under thesis advisor, 3 credit hours
      • Thesis (History 700), 6 credit hours
      • Elective (Normally, 715, 716, or 720), 3 credit hours
      • Elective (Normally, 715, 716, or 720), 3 credit hours
      • Note: Students who would like to do a directed readings or independent study course (721-746 or 759) need the permission of the Graduate Director and the instructor. Students should arrange such courses by the pre-registration period. Students who want to take courses outside the department need the permission of the History Graduate Director.
  7. TYPICAL MASTER'S PROGRAM IN COMPARATIVE OR EUROPEAN HISTORY
    • Fall
      • Historiography (History 701), 3 credit hours
      • Research Seminar (History 713), 3 credit hours.
      • Directed Research (History 758) under seminar director, 3 credit hours.
      • Thesis (History 700), 6 credit hours.
      • Transnational or Comparative Proseminar (720), 3 credit hours.
    • Spring
      • Directed Research (History 758) under thesis advisor, 3 credit hours.
      • Thesis (History 700), 6 credit hours (draft of thesis should be submitted to the advisor by May or August).
      • Transnational or Comparative Proseminar (720), 3 credit hours.
      • Elective (500-600 level course, 715, 716, 721-746 or 759), 3 credit hours.
      • Elective (500-600 level course, 715, 716, 721-746 or 759), 3 credit hours.
      • Note: Students who would like to do a directed readings or independent study course (721-746 or 759) should ask the instructor if he or she would be willing to direct the course by the pre-registration period. Students who want to take courses outside the department need the permission of the History Graduate Director.
  8. ADVISING
    1. Students will initially be assigned a graduate advisor on the basis of information in their applications. During the summer before they arrive on campus, students will receive information about the program and a pre-advising form, which they must return by August 15 at the latest.
    2. Students should meet with their assigned advisors by the end of the orientation period to plan their two semester program and discuss possible thesis topics.
    3. Students should also schedule a meeting with their advisors during the week before graduate registration to discuss any changes in their plans.
    4. Students may change advisors by informing the Graduate Secretary of the change. (Students normally switch to the professor best suited to serve as thesis director. Normally the thesis director is a member of the history department.) A second change requires the approval of the Graduate Director.
    5. Upon approval of the student's thesis prospectus, the thesis director will become the student's advisor.
    6. In the second semester, students enroll in 758 under the supervision of the thesis director.
  9. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
    1. In addition to an adequate command of English, each Master of Arts student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of one other language in which there is significant historical literature before he or she will be advanced to candidacy for the degree.
    2. This requirement will be fulfilled by departmental examination in a foreign or classical language: normally Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish (click here for samples of past language exams).
    3. Students should discuss requirements with the faculty member administering the examination in a particular language beforehand.
    4. The examination, which will be given at least once each semester, will consist of translating a passage, depending on the language, of approximately 500 to 1,000 words with the use of a dictionary in two hours.
    5. It is strongly recommended that students satisfy the language requirements during the first semester, however, students who do not pass the test may repeat it.
  10. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
    1. Each candidate must choose a thesis director and submit a thesis prospectus and a draft of at least a significant section of the thesis (normally completed in the student's fall research seminar) to the thesis director by the last day of classes in the fall semester. The student will then submit the approved prospectus and thesis section to the Thesis Committee and the Graduate Secretary by February 1 of the second semester of graduate study.  For a description of the Thesis Prospectus, see Appendix V.
    2. For candidates in Early American, United States, and European History the examination committee will consist of the thesis director as chair, another faculty member in the broad area of the thesis, and a third outside the broad area in which the thesis is written. For candidates in Comparative History the third reader may be in any area but should be chosen in consultation with the advisor.
    3. A one-hour oral prospectus defense is required for the M.A. The examination will be held before Spring Break in the spring semester. The examination will be on the student's thesis prospectus and the draft of the thesis section. See Appendix V and 11 (A) below.
    4. After the defense, the committee members complete a Thesis Recommendation form, which should be submitted to the Graduate Secretary.
  11. THESIS
    1. The final text of the thesis should not be less than forty pages or more than seventy, excluding footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. Edited documents may exceed one hundred pages and may have an introduction as short as forty pages. Historical archaeology apprentices have the option of submitting a thesis composed of an archaeological report combined with a historical analysis.
    2. Faculty members will not be available for the supervision of theses during the summer months except by prior arrangement.
    3. A Caution: Drafts of theses take time to read and revise. Students should secure the approval of their thesis directors before circulating drafts to other members of the thesis committee. The remaining members will receive only the final, completely revised draft. Since normally directors and other committee members are concurrently teaching a full schedule, allow as much as four to six weeks for a director to complete a reading (more if revisions require further reading) and two to three additional weeks for other committee members to read the final draft. When students submit a draft, they should ask the reader for an approximate date the manuscript will be returned. Students also should ascertain well in advance when readers will be on leave.
    4. Deadlines: Many graduate students need a summer beyond the completion of their two semesters of coursework to finish the MA thesis. Students who take more time than that should be aware that full-time MA students must have fulfilled all the requirements of William and Mary's master's degree program (the language requirement, all course work, and a completed thesis approved by the full MA committee) by March 15th of the second year.  Eg. If students enter the program as a terminal MA student in the Fall 2006, they must complete all requirements of William and Mary's master's degree program by March 15, 2008.  Students admitted into William & Mary's doctoral program fall under the deadlines for that program. See 5.D.ii below.
    5. See Appendix III: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations
    6. SEE ALSO:
      1. APPENDIX IV: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED (M.A.)
      2. APPENDIX V: MA PROSPECTUS GUIDELINES
      3. APPENDIX VII: APPRENTICESHIPS & INTERNSHIPS
THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

The Ph.D. program is offered in Early American and United States History. Students should also consult the general regulations governing the Ph.D. degree in the Graduate Arts and Sciences Program Catalog.

  1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS (See Also, Appendix I: Progress Checklist)
    1. Arriving doctoral students will be assigned an advisor based upon field of interest.
    2. By April 15 of the second semester of Ph.D. study each student must select an appropriate doctoral advisor and register the choice in writing with the Graduate Committee. Normally, students will have taken (or will be taking) a course from the advisor by the time they register this choice. /li>
    3. Students who have not completed an M.A. degree at another institution must fulfill all the requirements for the M.A. degree described above, including a master's thesis.
  2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
    1. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must complete at least 27 hours of graduate coursework in History (not including History 800) beyond the master's level.
    2. Students who did not have historiography in their master's year should register for History 701-702.
    3. Normally, students take three Readings seminars (715, 716) in each of the two chronological fields, two graduate-level courses in their thematic field, and two in their outside or comparative field. Courses may be used to fulfill more than one requirement (for example, a readings seminar in Modern Women's History may be counted as a post-1815 course and toward a thematic field in Women's History).
    4. With the approval of the Graduate Director, students may take six graduate credits in other departments or programs toward the 27-hour minimum.
    5. Normally, students take at least three courses (not including History 800 or 705) each semester before Comprehensive Exams.
    6. Doctoral students must take two research seminars in separate fields (710, 711 or 713). One of these may be fulfilled in William & Mary's History MA program. Students who satisfied a research seminar requirement in an M.A. program elsewhere, may appeal to the Graduate Director to have the second research requirement waived. Research seminars are offered only in the fall semester.
    7. Doctoral students must take a Quantitative Methods course in another department if the methodology is required for the thesis.
    8. Doctoral students must take History 705 (Teaching History) if they have not previously done so.
    9. Normally, doctoral students take at least one transnational or comparative course (720).
  3. TYPICAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM
    • For 1st Graduate Year, See Typical Master's Program
    • 2nd Year (for students doing an MA at William & Mary)
      • Fall
        • Research Seminar (710, 711 or 713)
        • Readings Seminar (715, 716)
        • Transnational or Comparative Course (720)
        • Dissertation Credits (Hist800 9 credits)
        • TAship
      • Spring
        • Readings Seminar 3 credits
        • Readings Seminar 3 credits
        • Readings Seminar or course in another department?
        • History 705 (if not taken as MA) 1 credit
        • Dissertation Hist800 8 credits
        • TAship
    • 3rd Year
      • Fall
        • Readings Seminar or other Elective
        • Readings Seminar or other Elective
        • Readings Seminar or other Elective
        • TAship
      • Spring
        • Comprehensive Exams
    • 4th Year
      • Fall
        • Teach course this semester or next.
        • [Dissertation Prospectus Defense?]
      • Spring
        • Dissertation Research
    • 5th Year
      • Fall
        • Dissertation Research and Writing
      • Spring
        • Dissertation Research and Writing
  4. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
    • Doctoral students are required to pass a departmental language examination in one foreign language. No credit will be granted for language requirements passed at other institutions, but students who have fulfilled the departmental language requirement as M.A. candidates at William and Mary need not repeat the process at the doctoral level. For further details, see the description of the language requirement under the Master's Program (see 9.A-E).
  5. CONTINUATION STANDARDS
    1. Any student receiving two grades of C or below will be dropped from the program.
    2. Degree candidates must achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students should note that the grade of B-minus falls below the required average.)
    3. In the event of a student's failure to complete all assignments in a course, instructors may at their discretion assign a grade of "I" (the grade of "G" is assigned only in History 700 and 800). (See the Graduate Arts & Sciences Program for definitions of grades.) The I automatically becomes an F unless the student completes the work within one semester or the faculty member requests an extension of the I for another semester. The I cannot be extended for a second time without the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
    4. Graduate students will be reviewed annually in April by the Graduate Studies Committee.
      1. For the first review, the Graduate Director will verify that students have the minimum grades required for a master's degree and that they have successfully defended their MA prospectuses by Spring Break. All faculty who have taught students will be asked to evaluate their performance. Students who seem weak in particular areas will receive a letter from the graduate director, which outlines the committee's concerns. In rare cases, students who don't show improvement, may be asked to leave the program.
      2. In preparation for the second review, students must have fulfilled all the requirements of William & Mary's master's degree program (the language requirement, all course work, and a completed thesis approved by the full MA committee) by March 15 of the second year in residence (or first in the case of a student with an MA from another university).
    5. These requirements will, however, be considered minimal for continuation. In addition, students must have demonstrated that they have the intellectual promise and skills to pursue a Ph.D. Faculty will again be asked to evaluate the students they have taught or advised. Students who do not appear to have the potential to succeed in the program will not be allowed to continue.
    6. Students who have completed the course requirements for the master's degree in another accredited institution of higher education must complete all the requirements for that master's degree program, as well as William and Mary's language requirement, by March 15 of their first year of William & Mary's doctoral program. These will, however, be considered minimum requirements for continuation. In addition, students must have demonstrated that they have the intellectual promise and skills to pursue a Ph.D. Faculty will evaluate the students they have taught or advised. Students who do not appear to have the potential to succeed in the program will not be allowed to continue.
    7. Students who are not allowed to continue will lose their funding and be dropped from the Ph.D. program at the end of the semester. Those who have completed the requirements for the M.A. degree at William & Mary will be awarded an M.A. degree. Those who have not completed the M.A. requirements will have six years from the date they first enrolled in the History graduate program at William & Mary to complete the requirements.
    8. To qualify to take the comprehensive examinations, students must have completed all coursework and any outstanding requirements by the end of fall semester.
  6. RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
    • Students receiving a stipend who wish to reside outside the Williamsburg area must request permission from the Graduate Director.
  7. TERMS OF STIPENDS
    1. Doctoral students are expected to serve as teaching assistants for three semesters. In addition, students normally teach one course (either 121 or 122, depending on the Department's needs) in the year after they satisfactorily complete their comprehensive qualifying examination. Students may apply to the Graduate Director if they prefer to postpone this teaching assignment until the following year. For an exemption from the teaching fellowship altogether, the student must apply to the Director of Graduate Studies for a research or teaching assistantship assignment.
    2. Students are assigned to research in the semester in which they take the comprehensive qualifying examination, in one semester the following year, and during their final year on stipend.
  8. COMPREHENSIVE QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
    1. Preparing for the Comprehensive Qualifying Examination
      1. The comprehensive exam requires students to demonstrate their command of the history and historiography in the two chronological fields, one thematic field, and one outside or comparative field (such as Latin American history, African History, Slave Trade, or Atlantic World). For examples of possible thematic exam fields, see Appendix II.
      2. Since each student is expected to acquire an expert knowledge in the major field and in the specific area of the dissertation, he or she should plan to prepare that field in more depth. In no field should the comprehensive exam be considered merely an examination of coursework already taken.
      3. No later than the third semester of doctoral study (or the fifth semester for students who did the M.A. program at William & Mary), the student should consult faculty about serving on his or her examination committee. The Graduate Director will make every effort to comply with the student's request in making assignments to the committee consistent with the need to distribute assignments equitably among the faculty.
      4. The comprehensive examination committee will be composed of four faculty members, one for each field offered, and will include the student's dissertation advisor, who will serve as chair.
      5. With the approval of a student's comprehensive qualifying examination committee, a faculty member from another program or department from whom a student has taken specialized training (for example, historical archaeology) may sit as a secondary examiner with the department examiner in one of the examination fields.
      6. The student will work with each member of his or her committee to generate a reading list for each examination field. Each professor may choose whether to have a preset list or to require students to create their own lists as part of the comprehensive preparation process. Such lists will normally be 30-40 books or article equivalents, though faculty may sometimes require more depending on the student's preparation.
      7. Each student is expected to consult with the examination committee members in preparation for the exam.
    2. The Timing of the Exam
      1. Students must take the comprehensive qualifying examination for the doctorate during the spring of their second year in residence (or third in the case of students who did the MA at William & Mary).
      2. A student who for any reason fails to qualify to take the comprehensive exams in his or her fourth semester of doctoral study must wait until the sixth semester of doctoral study, will be ineligible to pass the exam with distinction, and will forfeit his or her stipend immediately.
    3. The Exam Itself
      1. The exam has two parts--one written and one oral. Students must pass both parts.
      2. The written portion of the exam tests the depth of a student's knowledge and ability to present his or her ideas coherently. Some examiners may require a student to write several essays. Others may call for one essay. Likewise, the questions may be specific or sweeping. To name just two possibilities, one question may require a student to discuss debates within a particular field; another may call upon a student to draft a lecture on a given subject.
      3. Each member of the examination committee is solely responsible for preparing the questions and evaluating the answers for one of the four fields on the written portion of the examination. An examiner may but is not required to request the assistance of other faculty members in preparing questions and evaluating answers, but each examiner alone determines the result for the field. A secondary examiner from outside the department in a field will report his or her opinion to the departmental examiner in that field.
      4. Normally, examiners will be expected to provide students with options on the written portions of the comprehensive exam.
      5. The examiner should make copies of his or her questions available to the chair of the comprehensive examination committee several days before the beginning of the written exam.
      6. Students may pick up all sections of the written examination after 8 a.m. on the first day and must return all sections by 4:30 p.m. on the fifth day.
      7. Students may take the four fields of the examination in any order and at any time during the five-day period. Students are on their honor to observe the following stipulations:
        1. They may not open the sealed envelope containing the examination for a field until they are ready to begin the examination for that field.
        2. At no time after they have opened the sealed envelope for a field may students consult any personal notes or printed, microform, or computerized sources (except spelling and grammatical programs) or consult any person other than the department chair, the chair of the examination committee, or the Graduate Director about any aspect of the examination before submitting their answers.
        3. Students will be allotted eight hours per field, from the moment they open that field's exam to the moment they complete it (including breaks, editing, and printing).
      8. Typically, answers range from 3,000 to 5,000 words per field.
      9. By the Wednesday following completion of the written exam, examiners will normally inform the chair of the student's committee whether the student passed or failed and will have discussed with the chair the strengths or weaknesses of the student's performance. The chair of the committee only will communicate these results to the student and to the Graduate Director as soon as possible after receiving them from committee members.
      10. The student must pass the written portion of the examination in all four fields before going on to the oral section.
      11. A student who fails the written portion of one field will be re-examined in that field only.
      12. A student who fails the written portion of two fields will be re-examined in all fields.
      13. If the four committee members are unanimous that the student passed the written portion of the examination and may proceed to the oral portion, the committee chair will inform the student and the Graduate Director without a meeting of the committee. If the student fails any field, or if there is disagreement over any issue, the committee chair will convene the committee to set the approximate time for the written reexamination and to seek resolution of any disagreement before informing the student of the results of the examination.
      14. The oral portion of the exam is a two-hour examination, wherein the members of the committee ask questions on a wide range of subjects. Faculty may further examine a student's knowledge of subjects covered on the written exam. They may ask the questions that the student chose not to answer on the written portion of the exam, or they may devise entirely new questions. Each student will be judged on the depth and breadth of his or her knowledge and also on his or her ability to present that knowledge clearly and coherently.
      15. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange with the committee a mutually convenient date and place for the oral examination before administration of the written portion of the comprehensive qualifying examination. Oral examinations normally will be scheduled no earlier than the second Monday after completion of the written exam and no later than one month after the written exam.
      16. On successful completion of the written and oral examinations, committee members will complete and sign the Comprehensive Examination form, which should be submitted to the Graduate Secretary.
      17. A student who fails the oral portion of one field will be re-examined in that field only. The entire comprehensive examination committee will normally be present when the student retakes the one oral field that he or she initially failed.
      18. A student who fails the oral portion of two fields will be re-examined orally in all fields.
      19. The final evaluation of the comprehensive exam will take into account the student's performance on both the written and oral portions of the exam and will use the following categories for evaluation: distinction, pass, or fail.
      20. A student who fails to pass the exam in the fourth semester of doctoral work will forfeit stipends at the end of the fourth semester.
      21. Only one re-examination will be permitted for the written portion of the examination and only one for the oral portion. The graduate program committee may waive this rule only under the most unusual and compelling circumstances. It is the responsibility of the student to bring such conditions to the attention of the Graduate Director no later than two weeks after notification of failure on the first re-examination.
      22. No comprehensive qualifying examinations or re-examinations will be administered during the summer session.
      23. No doctoral student may serve as an instructor in the History Department until he or she has passed the comprehensive qualifying examinations.
  9. DISSERTATION
    1. Each candidate for the doctorate must submit a dissertation that is based on original research and which makes a contribution to historical knowledge. By the first day of classes in the fall semester after comprehensive exams, a doctoral student must submit a dissertation prospectus to his or her dissertation advisor, using the instructions in Appendix VI as a guideline.
      1. When the advisor has approved the prospectus, the student will give copies of the prospectus to the two other internal members of the dissertation committee (these members may be different than the comprehensive examination committee members) and to the Department. The student will then schedule a one-hour colloquium to discuss the prospectus by the end of the fall semester (if the student is teaching in the spring or later) or by the end of the spring semester (if the student is teaching in the fall).
      2. The advisor should submit a Dissertation Prospectus Defense form, signed by the committee members to the Graduate Secretary when the prospectus has been revised to the committee's satisfaction, but no later than March 15th of the spring semester in the academic year following comprehensives. Students who want to change their advisor after this date, must apply to the Graduate Studies Committee to do so.
    2. Students are advised to register their dissertation topics with the American Historical Association as soon as the prospectus is approved.
    3. The dissertation committee will be composed of four faculty members, including the advisor. Normally, two will be American historians in the department, one will be a non-Americanist in the department, and one will be an "outside" reader (either a faculty member from another department at William and Mary or from another institution.) Students will decide upon their committees in consultation with their advisors; all committees must be approved by the Graduate Director and the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.
    4. At least one member of the doctoral dissertation committee other than the director must read and approve the draft of the dissertation before it is submitted to the other members of the dissertation committee.
    5. Students who have student loans and want to delay payment while they are completing their degrees must register for 9 credits per semester to be considered fully enrolled.
    6. Faculty members will not be available for the supervision of dissertations during the summer months except by prior arrangement.
    7. A Caution: Drafts of dissertations take time to read and revise. Students should secure the approval of their dissertation director before passing the dissertation draft to the second reader and then that person's approval before circulating it to other members of the committee. Since normally directors and other committee members are concurrently teaching a full schedule, students should allow as much as four to six weeks each for a director and second reader to complete a reading (more if revisions require further reading) and two to three additional weeks for other committee members to read the final draft. When students submit a draft, they should ask the reader for an approximate date the manuscript will be returned. Faculty are not available to read dissertations or hold defenses of dissertations over the summer except by prior arrangement. Students should be certain to discover well in advance when readers will be on leave.
    8. See also, Appendix III: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations
  10. DISSERTATION DEFENSE
    • After the dissertation has been accepted by the committee, the student must defend his or her dissertation in a final oral examination before the dissertation committee.
  11. SEE ALSO:
    • APPENDIX I: PROGRESS CHECKLIST
    • APPENDIX II: POSSIBLE COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION FIELDS
    • APPENDIX III: RULES FOR SUBMITTING THESES AND DISSERTATIONS
    • APPENDIX IV: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED-MA
    • APPENDIX V: PROSPECTUS FOR MA THESIS
    • APPENDIX VI: PROSPECTUS FOR DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS
    • APPENDIX VII: APPRENTICESHIP AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
    • APPENDIX VIII: TEACHING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
    • APPENDIX IX: WRITING PRECEPTORSHIPS
    • APPENDIX X: GLUCKSMAN FELLOWSHIP
    • APPENDIX XI: FORMS TO BE COMPLETED (Ph.D.)
APPENDIX I: Progress Checklist
  • 1ST SEMESTER M.A.
    • Take language exam (if appropriate)
    • Submit draft of M.A. prospectus and section of thesis to thesis advisor.
  • 2ND SEMESTER M.A.
    • Take language exam (if necessary)
    • Submit revised prospectus and thesis section to thesis committee.
    • Defend M.A. prospectus
  • 1ST SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Submit draft of MA thesis to advisor if you haven't already
    • Attend Dean's T. A. Orientation
    • Take Language exam (if necessary)
    • Review plan of course work with advisor
  • 2ND SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Complete all requirements for M.A. (including thesis approved by full committee) by March 15.
  • 3RD SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Submit comprehensive exam committee to the graduate director by the end of the first full week of classes
    • Complete bibliographies for comprehensive exams
    • Complete all outstanding work of courses graded "I" or "G"
    • Take Teaching History (705) if you haven't already
  • 4TH SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Take comprehensive exams
  • 5TH/ 6TH SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Take Dean's Orientation on Teaching
    • Teaching Fellowship in fall or spring
    • Defense of dissertation prospectus
  • 7TH/8TH SEMESTER Ph.D.
    • Work on dissertation
    • Apply for internal and external funding opportunities 
    • Graduate?
APPENDIX II: Possible Comprehensive Examination Fields
  1. Chronological American fields (required):
    • Early American to 1815
    • U.S. History, 1815 to the Present
  2. Thematic fields include but are not limited to:
    • African American
    • The US South
    • The Backcountry to 1860
    • Business History
    • Cultural and Intellectual History
    • Foreign Relations
    • Gender/Women's History
    • Native American History
    • Religion
    • Sexuality
    • Immigration/Migration
    • Labor
    • Material Culture
    • Popular Culture
    • Urban
    • The West
  3. "Outside", Transnational or Comparative Fields:
    • Africa to 1800
    • Africa: 1800 to the present
    • England to 1485
    • England: 1485-1714
    • England since 1714
    • Medieval Europe: 400-1450
    • The Modern Middle East: 1500-1800
    • The Modern Middle East: 1800 to the present
    • Europe: 1400-1648
    • Europe: 1648-1815
    • Europe: 1815-1945
    • Europe: 1945-present
    • Eastern Europe
    • Russia: 1905 to present
    • Western Civilization
    • Latin America (Colonial)
    • Latin America (National)
    • East Asia: 1600-1850
    • East Asia: 1850 to Present
    • South Asia
    • Slave Trade
    • Empire and Imperialism
    • Nations and Nationalism
    • Atlantic World
    • World History
    • Comparative Revolutions
APPENDIX III: Rules for Submitting Theses and Dissertations

Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations is available on the College web site: http://www.wm.edu/graduate/theses.html

  1. In order to meet the College deadlines for submission of the thesis or dissertation to the Dean of Graduate Studies in Arts and Sciences, the candidate should deliver one copy the signed and approved work to the Department of History by the date specified in "Dates to Remember." After checking the manuscript, the Graduate Secretary will forward it to the Dean of Graduate Studies, where it will be checked again. Only upon receiving notice of the manuscript's readiness, should a student proceed to print three copies. Those copies must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary in the History Department for proper processing.
  2. The thesis must be accompanied by a receipt from the College Cashier for the cost of binding the three copies required by the College. (Please check each year for the correct price). The student must arrange for binding additional copies on his or her own; the College will not bind additional copies for students.
APPENDIX IV: Forms To Be Completed (M.A.)

The responsibility for the completion and submission of the following two forms rests with the thesis supervisor:

  1. Prospectus Defense Form --three copies should be signed by all members of the examining committee at the time of the examination and filed with the Graduate Director.
  2. Thesis Recommendation Form --this form must be signed by all members of the student's committee when the thesis is accepted. This form is needed in addition to the approval sheet that is bound into the thesis. The form should be returned to the Graduate Director after all committee members have signed.

The responsibility for the completion and submission of the following two forms rests with the student:

  1. Notice of Candidacy for a Degree -- this form should be filed by the student with the Registrar sixty days prior to the commencement (August, December, or May) at which the student hopes to receive a degree. If degree requirements have not been completed by the second Monday before commencement cancellation must be made by the student in writing. A new form must be submitted for the commencement at which the degree will be awarded.
  2. Approval Sheet -- three copies on acid-free paper (prepared by the student--see Guide for Writers of Master's Theses) must be signed by all three members of the thesis committee and by the student. When submitted for binding each of the three required copies of the thesis must include an approval sheet.
APPENDIX V: M.A. Prospectus Guidelines

Your prospectus should be typed and double-spaced, and it should include a bibliography and the following:

  1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1-2 paragraphs discussing your research questions. In other words: What questions are you bringing to the sources? What questions are you trying to answer with your research? Why did you choose this particular topic?
  2. HISTORIOGRAPHY: 2-3 pages on the major historiographic trends with which your research project will engage. This section should not be a detailed account of each piece of scholarship that relates to the historiographic context for your work; rather you should focus more broadly on the general lines of argument within the historiographies that are most relevant to your study.
  3. SOURCES: 1-3 three pages discussing how your sources will help you answer your research questions. Also be sure to make clear how the sources you have chosen (or found) will help you engage with the historiographic trends previously discussed. In other words, this section should not be just a list of your major sources, but rather an analytic explanation of how your sources can be used both to answer your research questions and to support arguments that engage with and offer an original way of thinking about your topic historically.
  4. PRELIMINARY THESIS: One paragraph. A prospectus is the means by which you tell others why you are doing this topic. i.e.. Why the research you are doing, and the project you have constructed is important.  Drawing from the above discussion, this paragraph should state your (preliminary) main argument/claim/contention and why your particular take on this topic is critical to our understanding of history.
APPENDIX VI: Dissertation Prospectus Guidelines

The propectus is the means by which you tell others what you are doing, how you are going about it, and why the project you have constructed is important. It should be roughly 2,000-3,000 words, not including a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and a research and writing timetable.

  1. The text should include the following:
    1. YOUR PROPOSED TITLE
    2. A 150-WORD SUMMARY OF YOUR PROJECT AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
    3. YOUR TOPIC and RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What is your topic? What question are you trying to answer with your research?  Why did you choose this particular topic? Why is it significant?
    4. RELEVANT HISTORIOGRAPHY: What are the major historiographic trends or debates with which your research project will engage? This section should not be a detailed account of each piece of scholarship that relates to the historiographic context for your work; rather you should focus more broadly on the general lines of argument within the historiographies that are most relevant to your study. What are you doing that hasn't been done before? What is the significance of your particular approach?
    5. YOUR SOURCES and METHODOLOGY: What are your sources and how will you use them to answer your research questions? Also be sure to make clear how the sources you have chosen (or found) will help you engage with the historiographic trends previously discussed. In other words, this section should not be just a list of your major sources, but rather an analytic explanation of how your sources can be used to offer an original way of thinking about an important topic. What are the limits of your sources?
    6. YOUR PRELIMINARY THESIS: Drawing from the above discussion, this paragraph should state your (preliminary) main argument/claim/contention and why your particular take on this topic is critical to our understanding of history.
  2. To this prospectus, you should attach:
    1. RESEARCH AND WRITING TIMETABLE
    2. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
APPENDIX VII: Apprenticeship and Internship Programs
  • In cooperation with the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Earl Gregg Swem Library, the Department of Anthropology, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Department of History sponsors Apprenticeship Programs in the Editing of Historical Books and Magazines, Archives and Manuscripts Collection, Humanities Computing, Vernacular Architecture, and Historical Archaeology.
  • The programs in archaeology, architecture, and archives run from July 1, the program in editing from August 1, and the program in humanities computing from the beginning of fall classes, in each year to June 30 of the next. During periods before fall classes begin apprentices participate in a full-time program of on-the-job-training. They also work full-time during the week and a half before registration for the second semester in January, and during the remainder of May and, at the discretion of program directors, during all of June after final examinations in the spring.
  • While classes are in session, apprentices pursue the normal course of study for the M.A. and are responsible to their supervisors for approximately ten to twelve hours of work per week.
  • Doctoral students and students in the M.A./Ph.D. track should be aware of the opportunities for an internship in editing or archaeology described in this appendix.
  • All Doctoral students participate in the Internship in College Teaching. (See Appendix X)
APPENDIX VIII: Teaching Internship Program
  1. Selected students in the master's program and all students in the doctoral program are enrolled in the Teaching Internship Program, which is designed to prepare them for college classroom teaching. Students initially are assigned as Teaching Assistants.
    1. Their duties are:
      1. to attend all classes of the courses to which they are assigned.
      2. to hold weekly office hours and tutorial sessions before upcoming examinations.
      3. to grade quizzes and sections of examinations preparatory to the instructor's reading of the examinations for the final grade.
      4. to assist in class as the instructor requests.
    2. Instructors will discuss aspects of class preparation with assistants, such as devising reading assignments, drafting syllabi, and composing examinations.
    3. Assistants are normally asked to give one or two lectures in the course which the instructor helps them prepare. The instructor will evaluate and discuss their delivery.
    4. Normally, assistants will be assigned as discussion leaders in the "blowup" section of a large survey class at least once. The instructor meets weekly with assistants to talk about discussion assignments and to prepare examinations, which are partly based on the discussions.
    5. Discussion leaders hold weekly office hours and grade examinations and papers for their sections with the faculty instructor assigning the final grade. Discussion sections are evaluated separately from the class lectures in the College's student evaluation system.
  2. Doctoral students must enroll in History 705 "Teaching History" unless they took the course as Master's students.
  3. After successfully completing their comprehensive examinations doctoral students are normally appointed as Teaching Fellows and assigned as instructors of record to teach their own sections of a survey course, normally History 121 or 122, depending on the department's needs. Students who prefer to teach History 111 or 112, may apply to do so.
    1. Fellows meet with the department chair or a designated representative at the beginning of each semester for orientation as new faculty members.
    2. In addition, fellows appointed for either semester of an academic year must attend the orientation offered by the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies each fall. (NOTE: the orientation is not offered in the spring.)
    3. The Graduate Director, the student's dissertation supervisor, and the department coordinator for the survey course to which the fellow is assigned will supervise the fellow and advise on such matters as preparation of syllabi, selection of texts, and other relevant issues.
    4. The coordinator and/or the dissertation supervisor will each attend two of the fellow's lectures and place written evaluations in the file. Fellows also will distribute student evaluation forms. All evaluators will discuss their evaluations with the fellow.
APPENDIX IX: Forms To Be Completed (Ph.D.)

The responsibility for the completion and submission of the following three forms rests with the dissertation supervisor:

  1. Comprehensive Examination Form -- this form must be signed by all members of the examining committee at the time of the examination and filed with the Graduate Director.
  2. Dissertation Prospectus Colloquium Form -- this form must be signed by the internal members of the dissertation committee and filed with the Graduate director.
  3. Recommendation and Defense of Dissertation Form -- this form must be signed by all members of the dissertation committee at the time of the final examination in defense of the dissertation and filed with theGraduate Director.

The responsibility for the completion and submission of the following five forms rests with the student:

  1. Notice of Candidacy for a Degree -- this form should be filed by the student with the Registrar sixty days prior to the commencement at which the student hopes to receive a degree. If degree requirements have not been completed by the second Monday before commencement cancellation must be made by the student in writing. A new form must be submitted for the commencement at which the degree will be awarded.
  2. Approval Sheet -- three copies on acid-free paper (prepared by the student--see Guide for Writers of Doctoral Dissertations) must be signed by all members of the dissertation committee and by the student. When submitted for binding each of the three required copies of the dissertation must include an original approval sheet with original signatures.
  3. Survey of Earned Doctorates -- this form should be completed by the student and submitted to the Dean of Graduate Study along with the copies of his/her dissertation.
  4. Agreement Form for UMI Dissertation Services -- this form should be completed by the student and submitted to the Dean of Graduate Study at the time the dissertation is submitted. An Abstract is also required to accompany this form. See A Guide for Writers of Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations for instructions.
  5. Doctoral Dissertation List -- this form should be completed by the student and the dissertation director and should be returned to the Chairman of the Graduate Program Committee. This form will be submitted to the American Historical Association and will bring up to date the title of the dissertation and record its completion for publication in the AHA List of Doctoral Dissertations.