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University of Maine

Dept. of History
5774 Stevens Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5774

Phone 207.581.1907
Fax 207.581.1817
E-mail: umhist@maine.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Ancient, Canada, Environmental, Europe, Labor, Technology, and U.S.

Program Description

The Department of History at the University of Maine offers a graduate program leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. Through a series of seminars, special topics courses, and individually arranged tutorial sessions, students are brought into close working relationships with the faculty and are allowed considerable flexibility in designing their courses of study. At the master's level, students pursue a course of study in one geographical area, such as America, Asia, Canada, or Europe, while doctoral students choose American, Canadian-American, or International history as their major focus. Within such regional frameworks, a number of topical approaches are possible that reflect the research interests of the faculty. Because faculty research interests converge in important ways, however, Maine's graduate program in history offers a number of truly unique opportunities for advanced study. One such convergence builds on the strength of the Canadian-American program by focusing on the Northeastern Borderlands Region of New England, the Atlantic Provinces, and Quebec; within this regional framework, students can explore a wide range of economic, environmental, political and social topics.

Special Programs or Resources

The University of Maine is a major educational and research institution with about 12,000 students and 650 faculty located in central Maine. Founded in 1865, it opened its doors in 1868 as the land-grant university of the state. Today, the Orono campus is the site of a dynamic, modern university, encompassing eight colleges, the graduate school, and a full range of other academic and non-academic programs.

The University of Maine offers excellent resources for graduate students in history. Fogler Library contains nearly a million volumes, 6,700 periodical subscriptions and continuations, more than a million microforms, and, as an official depository for both the U.S. and Canada, nearly two million U.S. and Canadian federal government publications. The Library's general collection contains substantial material in Canadian, regional, maritime, women's, environmental, and anti-slavery history, while specialized collections include Maine-related materials, sound recordings and music scores, maps, manuscripts, Canadiana, patents, and educational materials for teachers and students. Its on-line catalog, Ursus, gives direct access to all library collections in the University of Maine System, the state's major public libraries and the Maine State Library and indirect access, via the internet, to on-line catalogs at research institutions around the world. Graduate students in history also have access to the folklore and oral history collections at the University's Maine Folklife Center.

Financial Aid

All students applying for admission to the graduate program may also apply for financial aid, in the form of various fellowships, scholarships, or teaching assistantships, by marking the appropriate places on the application form. Complete applications involving requests for financial aid should be filed by January 15; those arriving after that date may be considered for admission alone.

Degree Requirements

For the Master of Arts degree, candidates follow one of two options. Under the Thesis Option, students complete at least thirty semester hours of course work, six hours of which will be thesis credit. Students must pass an oral examination on the completed thesis. Those selecting the Non-Thesis Option take at least two graduate research seminars in lieu of the thesis and must pass an oral examination upon completion of their course work. All students at the master's level must demonstrate competence in one foreign language. Doctoral candidates fulfill the customary requirements of American graduate schools by completing advanced course work beyond the master's level; passing a series of comprehensive examinations; demonstrating competence in one foreign language; and researching, writing, and defending a dissertation.



University Information:

Information from Department of Education
(Includes information on the size, location, and general characteristics of faculty and student body)

Information from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
(Includes rating of the institution's rating of the graduate instructional program and size and setting)

 

Faculty Information (Fall 2011):

Full-time Faculty: 15

Relative Size based on Number of Full-time Faculty: Small [Explain]

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 33

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 4

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: -1%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 82

Relative Size Based on Graduate Student Enrollment: Large [Explain]

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1966

History PhDs conferred to Date: 123

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 4

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Medium [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012