The Graduate Handbook

The Graduate Handbook is intended to guide students through the program. It lists the work that students must complete, discusses supervision and advising, defines progress milestones, explains the dissertation process, presents an overview about financial aid, describes other aspects of the program, and identifies departmental and campus resources.

2024 Graduate Program Handbook (applicable to students entering the program in Fall 2024 and beyond). 

2023 Graduate Program Handbook (applicable to students who entered the program prior to Fall 2024). 

 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
 
  • Coursework

  • For student who entered the program in Fall 2024 and after:

    Graduate seminars must complete 53 units (normally 14 courses) of coursework at a grade of A- or higher. A typical set of courses would include:
    1. Philosophy, Method and Theory of History: 4 units, History 204 (Historiography).
    2. Research Seminars: 16 units, comprises of two 2-quarter courses, each with the goal of producing a substantial piece of original scholarship. History 200 (First-Year Research Seminar) is normally taken in the Winter/Spring of the first year, and History 203 is normally taken in the Fall/Winter of the second year.
    3. Major field reading seminars: 16 units, normally taken as 4 graded reading seminars. If you already have an M.A. in History, you need only take 3 graded reading seminars in your major field (but you must still meet the 53 unit requirement).
    4. Minor field reading seminars: 8 units, normally taken as 2 graded reading seminars.
    5. Third field reading seminar: 4 units, normally taken as 1 additional graded reading seminar from any history field (other than the major and minor field), or from another discipline.
    6. One additional elective seminar: 4 units, normally taken as 1 additional graded reading seminar from any history field or from another discipline of the students’ choosing that is relevant to their program of study.
    7. TA Training Seminar: At least 1 unit of History 389 is required of all students.

    For students who entered the program prior to Fall 2024: 

    Students must complete 45 units of coursework at a grade of A- or higher.  Graduate seminars normally consist of 4 units and 11-12 courses are normally required to complete the necessary course work for the Ph.D. program. Graduate seminars must be completed with a grade of A- or higher in order to fulfill the degree requirements for the Ph.D.  A typical set of courses would include: 

    1. Philosophy, Method and Theory of History: 4 units, History 204 (Historiography). 

    2. Research seminars: 12 units, History 203 is a full-year (3-course) sequence normally taken in the second year. The goal of the research seminar is to produce a substantial piece of original scholarship. 

    3. Major field reading seminars: 16 units, normally taken as 4 graded reading seminars. If you already have an M.A. in History, you need only take 3 graded reading seminars in your major field (but you must still meet the 45 unit requirement). 

    4. Minor field reading seminars: 8 units, normally taken as 2 graded reading seminars. 

    5. Third field reading seminar: 4 units, normally taken as 1 additional graded reading seminar from any history field (other than the major and minor field), or from another discipline. 

    6. TA Training Seminar: At least 1 unit of History 389 is required of all students.


    Note: Reading seminars are denominated either as History 201, History 202 or History 298.
    • History 201 courses cover the sources and general literature of history and are designed to prepare students for examinations by critical analysis of the literature.
    • History 202 courses cover targeted issues in historical interpretation and offer a closer, more specialized examination of fundamental issues and debates in history.
    • History 298 directed reading seminars may be taken for 1-4 units to meet the necessary unit requirements. These are customized seminars, with specific requirements as arranged between you and the professor who agrees to work with you. Reading seminars can be repeated for credit when a different subject area is studied.
    Additional research seminars (History 211-291) may be substituted with the permission of your Major Professor and the GPC.

  • Fields of Study 


  • You will choose one Major Field from the following list. You will also choose a Minor Field from the following list. You may choose two Minor Fields if one of them is World History.
    Major or Minor Fields
    (a) Africa
    (b) Europe
    (g) United States
    (h) China
    (i) Japan
    (j) Latin America
    (k) Middle East
    (l) Science & Medicine
    (m) South Asia


    Additional Minor-only Fields
    1. World History
    2. Women’s and Gender History
    3. Environmental History
    4. Non-history minors in consultation with major advisor.
    Students may also elect to complete an interdisciplinary Designated Emphasis (DE) in addition to or in place of their Minor Field. 

  • Foreign Language Certification
  • Students are required to pass at least one foreign language examination. Depending on your major field, you may be required to demonstrate competency in more than one language. The foreign language certification is normally fulfilled by completing a two-hour hand-written exam in the chosen language. With the use of a print dictionary, you must accurately translate roughly the first three hundred words of an assigned piece of historical writing—a text or an article—into English. You must then accurately summarize in English the subsequent argument in the balance of the piece. Sample language exams are available in the graduate program coordinator’s office. No computers or computer dictionaries are allowed in the exam (your answers will be hand-written).
  • Minor Field Certification

  • You must complete two graded reading seminars and receive written approval from your Minor Field Advisor of a detailed syllabus for a one-quarter course in that field. That syllabus must be supported by a historiographical and analytical essay justifying the choices of readings and of interpretation embedded in the syllabus. It should be between 15 to 20 pages long. You must complete your minor field certification before you may take your comprehensive examination or defend your dissertation prospectus. 

    The World History Minor Field requires 201X and another 201 or 202 accepted by the Graduate Program Committee as explicitly world historical and comparative.

    The Women’s and Gender History Minor Field requires a core seminar, HIS 201Q, and another graded reading seminar (201, 202, or individual study) outside your major field, permitting you to examine a particular topic in cross-cultural perspective. You should choose a minor field adviser to direct your WGH program on completion of the first year of course work. The minor field adviser must work in a geographic region outside of your major field.

  • Designated Emphases (OPTIONAL, completion replaces Minor Certification requirement)

  • A designated emphasis a more formalized minor that is listed on your diploma. Students who are completing a designated emphasis do not need to complete a minor field certification. As part of the DE, students are required to answer an additional question on the qualifying examination and must have a faculty member from the DE on their Qualifying Exam committee.  Any DE that UCD offers are open to students and listed here: https://grad.ucdavis.edu/designated-emphases Below is a list of DE's that History PhD students take most often: 

    African American and African Studies

    Critical Theory

    Environmental Humanities

    Feminist Theory and Research

    Human Rights

    Native American Studies

    Study of Religion

  • Preliminary Exam (Comprehensive Major Field Exam) 
  • The examination consists of 1) a four-hour written exam followed by 2) a one-hour oral exam, involving three examiners, all from your major field.
    -The written exam usually consists of two questions from each member of your committee, from which you will choose one to answer, for a total of three questions. Students may type their answers on their own laptop computer.
    -The oral exam should then take place within a week after the written portion, when your committee has had sufficient time to assess your written answers. Your committee members will thoroughly question you on both questions they provided, not just the question you elected to answer on the written portion of the test, as well as any other topics they deem necessary.
  • Qualifying Exam

  • This usually is the last requirement to be completed before a student advances to candidacy. In consultation with the major professor and committee members, students prepare a lengthy essay defining the dissertation problem and method, identify major sources, and situate the project in the relevant historiography. The exam consists of two parts:

    1. The written portion of the exam is a dissertation prospectus. The prospectus should be about 15-20 pages long and should define a dissertation problem and method, identify the major sources, and situate the project in the relevant historiography. Once your Major Professor has provisionally approved the prospectus, you should provide copies to the other members of your QE Committee.

    2. The oral portion of the exam is a defense of the prospectus. The committee will examine you on all aspects of your prospectus for up to two hours to ensure that you are adequately prepared to undertake the specialized research proposed.

  • Dissertation Completion 
  • Upon your completion of your dissertation, you will submit it to the members of your
    Dissertation Reading Committee. The committee should be given four weeks to read the
    final draft. They will review it and may either certify its acceptance or require such
    revisions as they deem necessary. Upon receipt of this certification, the GPC will
    normally recommend the award of the Ph.D. degree.