Requirements
(For those who prefer official rules in one place and in exhaustive detail, please go to the Guidelines to the M.A. and Ph.D. Curricula.)
- Registration & Student Health Insurance
- Summer Registration
- Adding or Dropping Courses
- Meeting Department Deadlines & Summer Letters
- Petitions
- Residency Status
- Pro forma Status for Archival Research (Q&A)
- Exchange Scholar Programs
- Leaves of Absence
- Withdrawing & Resuming Studies
- Getting Your Degree!
- First-year Highlights
- Annual Academic Review
- Language Requirements
- Second-year Highlights
- Oral Fields
- Proposal
- Dissertation
- Final Defense
Registration & Student Health Insurance
- If you live in Chicago, come into the office to register in person for autumn, winter, and spring quarters as long as you are taking classes. Autumn registration is always the week before classes begin – plan your summer break and airplane ticket purchases accordingly. Winter and spring registrations are in the tenth week of the preceding term.
- First-year students and returning second-year students attend mandatory orientation sessions during Autumn registration. Your courses must be approved by your GSAC advisor. Then, have David Goodwine or Kelly Pollock review your registration.
- Each autumn, you need to confirm whether you are waiving, enrolling, or re-enrolling in the University-sponsored health insurance plan.
- History faculty hold office hours during registration weeks to give you the opportunity to meet with professors about your plans.
- The Administrative Calendar lists registration dates & GSAC advisors’ office hours.
Summer Registration
- Pre-registration in May for the summer quarter only if you’re
- (a) taking a foreign language reading exam;
- (b) taking courses,
- (c) fulfilling certain fellowship requirements, such as a Javits, or
- (d) receiving the Ph.D. degree.
- No tuition is charged to take the M.A. degree or a reading exam, for which you pay an exam fee alone.
- Tuition is charged for taking regular courses or the Ph.D. degree. You can ask the Dean of Students for a tuition scholarship for summer foreign language course work. Your e-mail to the Dean should explain the scholarly importance of a particular foreign language to your doctoral studies. Send your request when you pre-registered in May. This summer scholarship does not reduce your future aid package.
- If you register for summer and have remaining years of fellowship support, you can also ask the Dean to divide your stipend into four (rather than three) quarterly payments.
- Summer registration isn’t required to qualify for the summer work-study program, which is based upon you having been registered for the previous Spring quarter and your intention to registering for the upcoming Autumn quarter. In other words, you can qualify for summer work-study if you are a continuing full-time student.
Adding or Dropping Courses
- You can, technically, add or drop a course until the Friday of third week of term, but given the intensity of our ten-week quarters, the wise student finishes “shopping” by the end of the first or second week.
- Your GSAC advisor must approve any course changes if you are in your first or second year. Other students need the signature of David Goodwine or Kelly Pollock.
- There is a substantial penalty fee to change registration after the third week of term
Meeting Department Deadlines & Summer Letters
- At the end of spring quarter, the Graduate Student Affairs Committee reviews your academic record for completeness. Our aim is for you to enter the new academic year with no outstanding requirements from the previous year. But we do recognize that certain graduate research projects are improved by devoting more time than the quarter system allows; for students in their first three years of study, this research can be reasonably accomplished during the summer.
- At the start of summer, GSAC will send you a letter reminding you of the need to complete any outstanding course research and papers over the coming three months.
Petitions
- Throughout your graduate studies, you follow the Guidelines for the M.A. and Ph.D. Curricula, as established by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee and approved by the full faculty. Yet we also recognize that you may encounter circumstances during your graduate career that require flexibility. To address these circumstances, you can petition GSAC. The majority are routinely decided by the chair of the Committee; the full Committee convenes to decide petitions which set a precedent. A copy of the petition with the Committee’s decision is placed in your mail folder.
- In the rare case where a student is unable to meet the terms that she or he established in a petition, a one quarter grace period is usually extended. Should the terms remain unmet at the end of the grace period, GSAC recommends to the Dean of Student that the student be withdrawn from the program.
Residency Status
The University residency system is used to register graduate students, to set tuition rates, and to determine eligibility for University services. Briefly, you register in Scholastic Residency in the first four years of study, followed by up to eight years of Advanced Residency, and after twelve years, Extended Residency. Your residency status is determined strictly by number of years in the program, and is unrelated to academic milestones, such as passing orals or being advanced to candidacy, whose timing is set by the departments. The University’s residency policy requires that you register continuously until taking your final degree. To see what University services are available at the different levels (student loan eligibility and deferments, visas for foreign students, technical support, health insurance, housing), refer to the Residency System for Students in Ph.D. Programs.
Pro forma Q & A
- What is pro forma? A registration status for up to one year when conducting archival dissertation research away from Chicago.
- What’s the process? Complete a pro forma application and return to the History office; your request is reviewed by the Chair of the Graduate Student Affairs Committee and approved by the Dean of Students.
- When can I take it? After you’re advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree (proposal hearing held and all other course and language requirements met). Exceptionally, a student in a formal language program abroad might be eligible for pro forma status prior to candidacy.
- Do I have to go abroad to qualify? No, pro forma can be used for research in another part of the United States.
- I’m a foreign student; can I use pro forma for research in my own country? Yes, if the archives relevant to your dissertation topic are there.
- How much does pro forma cost? Approximately $250 per quarter for tuition.
- I’m still in my first few years of study; what happens to my tuition scholarship during the quarters I’m pro forma? It will be held for your use when you return.
- Can I use my University fellowship while pro forma? Yes.
- I prefer not to use my fellowship because my research year is supported by an outside grant? Your fellowship and tuition waiver will be held for your use when you return.
- What happens to my student loans? Pro forma is a full-time registration status; currently deferred loans remain deferred, and you may take out new loans if you’re otherwise eligible.
- Can I keep the University’s health insurance plan? Yes
- Can I keep my borrowing privileges at the Reg or my University apartment? No. It’s assumed you’re out of Chicago during the pro forma period.
- Can I renew pro forma for a second year? Yes, but your renewal application must include a letter addressed to the Dean of Students, detailing why you need another year to complete your research. Hint: pro forma is for research only; it’s not intended to subsidize writing the dissertation in a Paris café.
- How about renewing pro forma for a third year? No, your writing should be underway now. If not, a talk with your dissertation director is in order.
- Where can I learn more? Speak to Dean Patrick Hall or review the Residency System for Students in Ph.D. Programs.
Exchange Scholar Programs
Keep your University funding while spending up to a year at another institution (the Big 10, Ivies, Berkeley, or Stanford). You might wish an extended stay at a university's archives or libraries, to study with a professor you would like to have on your dissertation committee, or to take related classes. Contact the Office of Graduate Affairs for details.
Leaves of Absence
- During the first four years of study, you can take a leave of absence for up to one year and retain your University funding. History requires that any incomplete requirements be resolved before returning from a leave.
- After your first four years, a medical leave is possible if you are severely ill or injured.
- A woman can take a one-quarter leave for the birth of her child.
- View the full description of the various leaves at Residence System for Students in Ph.D. Programs.
- Please make an appointment to meet with Kelly Pollock to discuss a leave of absence.
Withdrawing & Resuming Studies
Withdrawing from any graduate program is a serious step. I strongly urge you to seek the advice of your professors before taking it. Forgoing the option of taking a leave of absence and voluntarily withdrawing from History in your first four years of study, means you plan not to return. If you withdraw after your fourth year (when in advanced or extended residency), you can apply to resume studies at a later date. Resumption of studies is a rigorous process and may prove expensive. Please make an appointment to discuss you plans with Kelly Pollock.
Getting Your Degree!
David Goodwine helps students get both the master’s and Ph.D. degrees. The master’s degree can be taking in the spring quarter of your first year or in the following summer, for eligible students. It is preferable to take the degree in summer term, which give you more time to complete spring quarter courses. You can apply for the degree on cmore, and the application is due in the first week of the term in which you plan to take the degree.
The Ph.D. degree can be taking in any quarter. By the Friday of the first week of term, you complete an applicationto graduate on cmore. For a summer defense or convocation, you must meet with David before the Memorial Day Holiday in May. The key to deciding which term to take the degree is that you must hold a defense hearing sufficiently in advance of David’s deadline for receiving the final two copies of the dissertation (the Monday of the seventh week of term). You may defend the dissertation in one term and take the degree in the next if this helps with logistics. See the section below on the final defense, which details taking your doctoral degree.
Receiving Credit for another Graduate Degree
First-year History students with post-baccalaureate degrees (MA, MS, JD, LLM, etc.) can petition the Graduate Student Affairs Committee (GSAC) to waive second-year requirements. The deadline is the Friday of finals week in winter quarter. For details on the process and forms go to the March deadline date on the Administrative Calendar.
Taking a Second Master’s Degree
You can receive a second master's degree at Chicago if you plan to fulfill all requirements of the second year – a two-quarter seminar, a seminar paper, and five other graduate courses for quality letter grades (As or Bs). Refer to the University of Chicago Student Manual for regulations regarding second degrees
First-year Highlights
- You take 8 graduate level courses (for A or B grades) and a foreign language reading examination (for a high pass).
- The language exam is required in autumn quarter. If a high pass is not achieved in the first attempt, it may be repeated at a later date, but you are strongly advised to address any weaknesses you might have in foreign language training before entering the program. The high pass is a requirement for receiving the MA and for advancing to candidacy. Students working in fields with multiple language requirements usually continue their language study as part of their graduate studies. For these fields, all exams must be completed before the proposal hearing.
- Two of the eight courses consist of a history research seminar. Seminars begin in autumn by studying a specific topic, introduction to the relevant historiography, development of research skills, and an introduction to archival methods with primary sources. The winter quarter is devoted to writing a major paper.
- Three of the eight courses are generally in your specific field of study. Consult with faculty in your field to determine which courses will prepare you for your oral fields examination (see below) and for your future professional life teaching in areas beyond the expertise of your dissertation topic. If you entered the program with a master’s degree and anticipate petitioning to waive some or all of your second-year courses, be especially mindful to take courses that prepare you for your oral fields examination next year.
- One other course is generally in another history field.
- You are encouraged to take your final two courses in other disciplines, but based on course offerings in a given year, or your own needs, you may wish to take additional history courses instead. Consult with your GSAC advisor and faculty in your field to decide what is the best path.
Annual Academic Review
- In May, all first-year students’ academic performances are reviewed by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee. GSAC decides which students to recommend for doctoral studies, which to withdraw from the program, and which to place on “academic probation,” in which case, certain academic standards are set for the second year and the decision whether to continue into the doctoral program is deferred for one year.
- The annual academic review is based on grades in autumn and winter courses, comments from the readers of your seminar paper, and a grade of high pass on a foreign language examination.
- Given the swiftness of the quarter system, please consult with your GSAC advisor, your seminar paper readers, and Kelly Pollock at the first sign of difficulty in completing course work or researching and writing the seminar paper.
Language Requirements
The Department requires a high pass (P+) on one or more written language examinations given by the Test Administration Office. Students must take a language examination during the first quarter of residence. Students who do not receive a high pass the first time should devote special attention to improving their skill, and are required to repeat the exam at least annually until a high pass is achieved. It is mandatory that students receive a high pass in at least one language examination before the beginning of the second academic year. In fields where more than one language is required, the additional requirement(s) must be satisfied before the proposal hearing.
| Field | Languages Required | |
| African | At least one European and one African language to be determined in consultation with the advisor. | |
| Ancient* | French and German (one high pass, one pass); Greek and Latin (by departmental certification or with a grade of pass on the University examinations) | |
| British | French, German, or Latin | |
| Byzantine* | French and German (one high pass, one pass); Latin and Byzantine Greek by departmental certification | |
| Caribbean and Atlantic World | Dutch, French, Portuguese, or Spanish | |
| Early Modern Europe | A high pass in the primary language of research; a pass in one other modern European language | |
| East Asia | High pass in primary language of research: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean |
|
| Europe | A grade of high pass in the primary modern European language of research; a grade of pass in one other approved language; normally, the second language will be in a different language group from the first, except as needed for research reasons | |
| History of Science | French or German (high pass in one), but it is assumed students know both | |
| International | At least one foreign language determined by sub-area of interest | |
| Latin America | Spanish and Portuguese (one high pass, one pass) |
|
| Medieval Europe | 1. Latin (high pass) 2. French or German (pass) 3. One other approved language appropriate to the student’s research (pass) |
|
| Middle East/Islam^* | One of the following: Modern Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Persian, Russian, Turkish, or Ottoman Turkish | |
| Modern Jewish | Hebrew and one other relevant research langugage (one high pass, one pass) | |
| Russia^* | Russian or any relevant language. For a Ph.D. in Russian history, however, knowledge of Russian is mandatory | |
| South Asia^* | One of the following: Bengali, French, German, Hindi, Persian, Sanskrit, Tamil, or Urdu | |
| United States | Any foreign language | |
| *For fields with extensive language training, students may petition for a one-year postponement of the foreign language examination. | ||
| ^In these fields, if the language requirement is met with French or German, it is assumed that the student will also acquire knowledge of area language(s) sufficient for research purposes. | ||
Second-Year Highlights
- You take 7 graduate level courses (for A or B grades), unless you waived course requirements based on previous M.A.-level degree work.
- Two of the seven courses are a second seminar; the other five courses should be a mixture of courses within History or in other departments which will help prepare you for your fields examination. These courses may include individualized reading courses with your field examiners when taken for letter grades.
Oral Fields
- Unlike many graduate programs which have set field lists, at Chicago you compose your three oral fields in close consultation with the faculty member you designate to chair your committee. This recognizes that each field of concentration (East Asian, U. S., European, Latin American History, etc.) has distinct criteria for determining what reading is fundamental for qualifying you to teach and to conduct research at the doctoral level.
- In keeping with the shared purposes of fields across disciplines, most students compose two fields which have chronological breath and geographic depth within the students’ field of concentration, combined with a third oral field that represents (a) readings in an historical area outside the main field of study, (b) readings in another discipline, such as anthropology or art history, or (c) a exploration of theories or methods of analysis.
- On a voluntary basis, students can deposit their fields for reference for later students. These are available in the History office. The Graduate Student Affairs Committee considers composing one’s own lists an important part of conceptualizing your fields, so while they encourage you to look at other lists for guidance and suggestions, you should avoid adopting some model list in its entirety.
- The number of fields (three), the composition of the examining committee, the examination itself (an oral exam of two hours length), and the exam grade (pass, pass with distinction, or fail) are the same for all students. Consult the official Guidelines for the M.A. and Ph.D. Curricula for details on forming your committee.
- In the autumn quarter of your second year, you compose your field titles and gain signatures from faculty who will be your committee chair and examiners. Your Oral Fields Plan is due by the fifth week of autumn quarter in your second year. If you have a waiver of second-year courses, the deadline to return your plan is the end of spring quarter of your first year.
- If you are taking all second-year courses, orals must be taken before the end of the third year. (Please note that the dissertation proposal hearing is also due by the end of the third year, so if you plan to tackle these separately, you should plan ahead accordingly.) Your deadline is autumn quarter of the third year, if you waive second-year courses.
- Consult with your committee to select the day and time for the examination, then return a completed Fields Scheduling Form to Kelly Pollock, who will check that all required courses and one foreign language examination have been completed. David Goodwine will send reminder notices to your committee as the exam date approaches. Consult with David well in advance if one of your examiners cannot attend the hearing, in which case he will proctor a two-hour written examination based on a question or questions submitted by the examiner.
- Delaying the orals examination is discouraged by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee. A petition to delay the exam date must be approved by the student’s fields chair before it will be considered by GSAC. Any delay of more than one quarter must come with strong justification from the student and the committee chair. Further, certain University teaching internships may require that orals be completed before the start of the teaching term.
Proposal
- Your proposal committee may consist of professors in History, other University departments, or another institution. Consult the official Guidelines for the M.A. and Ph.D. Curricula for details on forming your committee.
- A proposal hearing is generally held two quarters after completing the fields examination. Consult with your committee to select the day and time for the hearing and then return a completed Proposal Scheduling Form to Kelly Pollock to check that all required courses and foreign language examinations have been completed. Please give her a copy of your proposal for deposit in your student record.
- The Department does not keep copies of sample proposals, but you may find more advanced students in your field willing to share their proposal with you; you will also find that students often present their proposals in one of the workshops you attend.
- David Goodwine will announce the hearing to the Department on HistAdmin and send reminder notices to your committee as the hearing date approaches. You are encouraged to hold the hearing in a public forum, such as a workshop. Please consult with your dissertation committee if you or they would prefer to hold a closed hearing. Consult with David well in advance if one of your committee members cannot attend the hearing, in which case, he will request written comments from the missing member. These comments are shared with you and the other committee members before your hearing.
Dissertation
- Following your hearing, which is usually one hour to one and one-half hours in length, your research project is approved (no grade is given) and you are advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree by the Dean of Students in the Division, informally known as being ABD (“all but degree”). This status opens the doors to many predoctoral research and writing grants, from both the University and major philanthropic organizations. The basis for receiving these grants will often be the proposal itself.
- If your dissertation will involve interviews or extensive contacts with living individuals, you will need to have your research project approved by the Institutional Review Board. The IRB web site will help you determine whether your research requires their approval and includes all necessary forms. To prevent delays, you may wish to seek approval during the early phases of your proposal and well before your first research trip.
- Although the department doesn’t dictate a particular academic style for the dissertation, there are standards common to all fields which you will need to follow. It is best to establish the style of your dissertation at inception, rather than at the end. Here are some tips:
- All History dissertations have the following parts: Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of Tables (if applicable); List of Figures (if applicable); Acknowledgements (optional); Introduction; Chapters (titles must correspond exactly to the Table of Contents; Conclusion or Epilogue; and Bibliography.
- You and your dissertation director are responsible for assuring that the dissertation follows an acceptable academic style – be it The Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, or the accepted style in your field, a general rule of thumb is pick a style early and use it consistently.
- Refworks is a useful, free, database for managing footnotes and bibliographic references.
- The University-wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Dissertation covers formatting issues, such as, archival paper stock, title and content pages, footnote placement, use of illustrations or tables, margins, numbering, etc.
- To avoid copyright infringement, you need appropriate permission to include copyright materials, such as images, in your dissertation. The University Microfilms Dissertation Service, a private corporation, provides a useful guide, Copyright Law & Graduate Research: New Media, New Rights, and Your Dissertation to help you determine when to seek copyright permission, as well as how to protect the copyright of your own dissertation. When reproducing your dissertation, UMI will block out any materials in your dissertation that lack adequate copyright permission.
- The American Historical Association’s Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct includes useful sections on conducting interviews, documenting sources, and scholarship, as well as other matters important to the professional historian.
Final Defense
- Ideally, begin planning for your final defense hearing one quarter before you plan to take the doctoral degree.
- Summer defenses and convocations require additional planning due to faculty leaves of absence and the shortness of the term. You must meet with David Goodwine before Memorial Day if you wish to defend in summer quarter.
- The doctoral degree can be taken in any quarter. By the first day of the quarter, you complete an Application for a Degree card with David. The key to deciding which term to take the degree is that you must hold a defense hearing sufficiently in advance of David’s deadline for receiving the final two copies of the dissertation (the Monday of the seventh week of term). You may defend the dissertation in one term and take the degree in the next if this helps with logistics. David can also help you with the other forms required before taking the degree.
- Before scheduling the hearing, distribute the completed dissertation to all members of your committee. With their approval you then schedule a hearing date and time. Return the completed Final Defense Scheduling Form with the signature of your dissertation chair to David Goodwine at least two weeks before the hearing date. Consult with David well in advance if one of your committee cannot attend the hearing, in which he will request written comments from the missing member.
- When you schedule your hearing, please provide David with a 5-10 page abstract of the dissertation, which is deposited in your student record.
- A hearing usually takes one and one-half hours and grade of pass or pass with distinction is awarded. As an outcome of your conversation with your committee, you may be asked to refine your conclusions or to revise certain sections of the dissertation. The committee need not reconvene to review your revisions, which are reviewed and approved by your dissertation chair alone.
- David Goodwine will need the final two copies of your dissertation, with necessary forms, by Monday of the seventh week of the quarter in which you plan to take the degree. He will ask your dissertation director to confirm that all revisions have been made before asking the History’s chair person review the dissertation and approve its filing with the dissertation secretary’s office.
- You’ve done it! The dissertation revisions are complete, you’ve printed two copies on very elegant, very archival paper, and you have tenderly passed it to David Goodwine’s careful hands by his deadline. Congratulations!!
- One of the final two copies of the dissertation is presented to the Regenstein Library for binding and the other is sent to UMI Dissertation Services for microfilming. The copies must be formatted (margins, footnotes, paper stock, and the like) according to the University’s University-wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Dissertation.
- We hope at this time that you will also consider having a copy of your dissertation bound for the Department’s library, which involves a modest bindery fee. We would be very pleased to include it among the other scholarly works that have preceded your own endeavor.