Information for Prospective Students
In response to increasing student interest in historical studies that transcend geographical areas, we offer History degree students the option of crafting an individual plan of study, which enables them to work formally with faculty members who specialize in different geographical areas. It is aimed at students who wish to gain roughly equal depth of training in more than one geographical area.
Students considering this option should bear in mind two considerations:
- The choice of an individual plan may have job-market ramifications. Although there has been some movement in recent years away from the traditional definition of academic jobs in terms of a single geographical area (e.g., U.S. history, African history, or East Asian history), many academic positions are still defined in geographic terms.
- Because an individual plan of study offers roughly equal grounding in the history and historiography of more than one geographical area, it may well require more time to complete than would a major in one program.
By the end of their first year, students who are admitted to pursue an individual plan of study will need to:
- Assemble a Supervising Committee
Students should discuss their interests in an individual plan of study with the faculty members who would serve on the student’s supervising committee (two co-advisors, one from each field of study, and a third committee member). This is usually the cluster of faculty who nominated the student for admission. - Draft a Plan of Study
In consultation with your supervising committee and the Graduate Program Coordinator, you will need to prepare a petition to the Graduate Council that explains the coherence of your plan of study and specifies the M.A. course requirements, Ph.D. language requirements, minor requirement, and the format and timing of your preliminary exams that you and your committee members have agreed upon. The petition should also outline any needed revision of the benchmarks that normally define satisfactory progress. Any subsequent changes to your plan must be approved by the Graduate Council. - Petition for Approval
Once an agreement has been reached, the student, with the committee’s support, must petition the Graduate Council for preliminary approval of the individual plan of study by the end of the second semester. The final petition will be due for the Second-Year Review. If the Graduate Council declines to approve your proposal for an individual plan of study, you must designate an existing field of study as your primary field and secure the approval of the faculty members in that field of study by the end of the semester following that in which the petition was rejected. - Changing Your Mind
If you were admitted for an individual plan of study, but decide not to pursue it, you must designate an existing field of study as your primary field and secure the approval of the faculty members in that field of study by the end of your second semester.Students who were initially admitted to a primary (geographical) field of study, but wish to change to an individual plan of study may submit a proposal at any time through their first semester post-M.A.
For further information, contact the Graduate Program Manager.