To be considered for admission, an applicant must have a recognized honours degree in history, or its equivalent. While the minimum admission average is 'B' (73%), in practice the threshold average for admittance to the program is normally a first-class average (at least an A- or 80%).
The MA program provides for emphasis on the Atlantic world, the history of crime, culture and entertainment, family and youth, gender and sexuality, health and nutrition, imperialism, indigenous history, military history, politics and international relations, religious history, rural history, urban history, the history of science, medicine, and the environment, and tourism history.
Students enrol in one of two study options:
- thesis, or
- course work and major research paper, or course work.
All MA students must have a faculty advisory committee.
Students must complete four courses (at least 2.0 credits) and submit a satisfactory thesis on an approved topic (25,000 words).
Students must satisfactorily complete six courses (at least 3.0 credits) and submit a major paper on an approved topic (10,000 to 12,000 words).
Students must complete eight courses (at least 4.0 credits) three of which must require a research paper.
It is recommended but not required that students take HIST*6000 Historiography. The remaining courses are subject to the approval of the Department of History. A reading knowledge of French is highly recommended and a student's advisory committee may require a second language for research purposes. MA students generally register for up to three courses per semester, or two if they hold a graduate teaching assistantship.
Graduate students are encouraged to consider including, as part of their program, appropriate graduate course offerings from other departments.
The Department of History participates in the activities of the Centre for Scottish Studies. Those faculty members whose research and teaching expertise includes aspects of Scottish studies may serve as advisors and examiners of MA students specializing in Scottish studies areas and who are registered in the Department of History.
Applications are considered by the Tri-University coordinating committee. Only students who are graduates of accredited universities and colleges are eligible for admission. Direct admission following a BA degree is permissible for outstanding applicants, but normally students will be admitted after they have obtained an MA in which they have received at least an A- standing. Since not all applicants can be admitted, close attention is paid to samples of applicants' written work, to applicants' transcripts and past records as a whole, and to their statements of research interests. Applicants from outside Canada whose previous education cannot be assessed readily may be required to demonstrate their knowledge by other means, such as the Graduate Record Examination. Non-Canadian applicants whose first language is not French or English are required to submit evidence of proficiency in the English language or pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A net score of 600 is required. Registration at one university for three degrees (BA, MA, PhD) is discouraged.
The Tri-University Doctoral Program generally limits thesis preparation to nine fields of study:
- Canadian history;
- Scottish history;
- Early modern European history;
- Modern European history;
- Medieval history;
- Cold War Era history;
- War and society;
- World history, and
- Indigenous Histories of Turtle Island.
The Tri-University History doctoral program is committed to the pursuit of excellence in graduate research and teaching. Students enter the doctoral program for a variety of reasons, but all are motivated by a strong desire to pursue the most advanced education for history teaching and research. In the first year of the program, students normally complete their three PhD fields. As PhD field preparation provides a wide intellectual basis for scholarship and teaching, the fields are designed in such a way as to encourage reading complementary to a student's proposed area of doctoral research. Field seminar discussions are intended to develop skills in critical analysis and historical synthesis. Through the process of completing required research papers and a doctoral thesis, students acquire the capacity to conduct independent research and to produce written work of a sufficient standard to be acceptable for scholarly publication.
As students are required to demonstrate competence in one major field and two minor fields, in first year they register in a major field seminar and two minor field seminars. One minor field must be in an area of study distinct from the major field and one minor field may be in another discipline. The distinction between a major field and an area of concentration is the depth and required range of reading rather than geographical or chronological span.
The PhD fields, written major field examination, and oral qualifying examination must be completed by the end of the fourth semester. No extensions will be permitted, except in cases where approval has been given by the Tri-University Program co-ordinating committee. Continuation in the program requires at least a B+ average, based on all courses taken in the program to that point (with their proportionate weighting).
All students have an advisory committee that meets regularly. Following successful completion of the qualifying process, the student must complete, under the supervision of a Tri-University Doctoral Program in History faculty member, an original research project on an advanced topic. Students present a thesis proposal and colloquium which are appraised by their advisory committees. A thesis embodying the results of that research is presented and defended before an examining committee.
PhD students must complete:
- Professional Development Seminar (HIST*7000 Professional Development Seminar). All doctoral students attend the professional development seminar in their first year of the program. The seminar is designed to prepare students for success as a PhD student and for their future careers. A pass/fail grade will be assigned for the seminar.
- Language requirement. If no specific language is required for the student’s research (as authorized by the student’s advisory committee), the second language will be French. The determination of the second language will be made by the student’s advisory committee during the first semester of the student’s registration in the program. The language exam will be offered every Fall and Winter semester and it is expected that a student will successfully complete the test of reading comprehension no later than the 6th semester following admission into the program.
- PhD fields. Each student is required to demonstrate competency in one major and two minor areas. In the minor fields, competency is demonstrated by successful completion of two minor field seminars. In the major field, students must successfully complete a major field seminar and the qualifying written and oral examinations (HIST*7040 Major Field and HIST*7010 Qualifying Examination). See the Tri-University History doctoral handbook. Students enrolled in the PhD collaborative specialization in International Development may substitute the two core IDS PhD courses (IDEV*6800 Theories and Debates in Development and IDEV*6850 Development Research and Practice) for one of their minor field seminars.
- Colloquium (HIST*7080 Colloquium). The colloquium is a public presentation of a chapter, significant portion, or summary of the student’s thesis within three semesters of the completion of the thesis proposal. Grades will be SAT/UNS.
- Thesis proposal (HIST*7070 Thesis Proposal). The thesis proposal is a written (The expected length is approximately 3,000 words, excluding notes and the bibliography) and oral demonstration for dissertation research. The proposal will include a statement of the overall thesis of the dissertation, a description/discussion of the major research question(s), a review of the principal primary/archival sources being used, a chapter or topic outline, and a clear explanation of the originality of the thesis. Grades will be SAT/UNS.
- PhD thesis (HIST*7990 Doctoral Thesis). All students must complete, under the supervision of a Tri-University doctoral program faculty member, an original research project on an advanced topic. Each student will be required to write and successfully defend a thesis of such cogency and originality as will represent a significant contribution to knowledge. The thesis will normally be between 50,000 and 90,000 words in length. University of Guelph regulations and procedures govern this process (see Degree Regulations).
The Department of History participates in the International Development Studies (IDS) collaborative specialization. Please consult the International Development Studies listing for a detailed description of the MA/PhD collaborative specialization including the special additional requirements for each of the participating departments.
The Department of History participates in the collaborative specialization in One Health. Master’s and Doctoral students wishing to undertake thesis research or their major research paper/project with an emphasis on One Health are eligible to apply to register concurrently in History and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the One Health listing for more information.
The History program participates in the collaborative specialization in Sexualities, Genders and Bodies. MA and Doctoral students wishing to undertake thesis research or their major research paper/project with an emphasis on sexualities, genders and bodies are eligible to apply to register concurrently in History and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the Sexualities, Genders and Bodies listing for more information.
