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University of Miami

Dept. of History
PO Box 248107
Coral Gables, FL 33124-4662

Phone 305.284.3660
Fax 305.284.3558
E-mail: kharrison@miami.edu

Alternate Address: Main Office: Ashe Bldg. 619, 1252 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33146

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Medieval Europe, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, Early American History, Modern US History, Latin America, Modern Latin America, East Asia, Russia, Africa, Caribbean; African Diaspora, Race and Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality, Religion, Science and M

Program Description

The Department of History offers programs of study leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. In recruiting graduate students, the department focuses on areas of strength among the faculty in terms of period, region, and subject (please see the listing of faculty). The program is small and there is a strong emphasis on providing a close individualized training for graduate students. Among the types of courses we offer are research seminars, field preparations courses, and directed readings. We take particular pride in our high success rate to date in placing our PhD students in jobs. We also aim to help in the development of exciting, well-prepared, and innovative individuals who will contribute in significant ways to the culture and life of our society. With a program and a faculty that are recognized regionally, nationally, and internationally, we are committed to produce MAs and PhDs of the highest quality, capable of living up to these goals and going beyond them.

Special Programs or Resources

The Library has an especially good collection and special collection resources for Latin American History particularly in the areas of Cuba and the Caribbean, Brazil and Mexico. In addition the library has a solid collection of the electronic databases for US and European history and has a strong commitment to keeping current with new ones as they come out. The modest size of the program means that graduate students receive close personal attention both in their preparation as research scholars and in their training as teachers.

Financial Aid

At present the most common form of support for graduate students is in the form of teaching assistantships. These pay $20,000 per year plus tuition. More advanced teaching assistants may teach independent discussion sections; more junior teaching assistants normally assist with the grading and organization of smaller classes. In both cases, however, faculty mentoring of teaching assistants is stressed.

Minority students may also apply for McKnight Fellowships which provide three years of stipend and tuition and then two years of a teaching assistantship.

In addition there are several fellowships available for students with outstanding potential awarded on a college- or university-wide basis. These include university fellowships which combine teaching assistantships with two years free of teaching obligations and $25,000 stipend; dissertation research year fellowships; a year-long fellowship at the Center for Latin American Studies; Holmes First-Year fellowships; and semester fellowships at the Center for the Humanities. Endowment funds also provide grants to pay for pre-dissertation archival research in the summer (which the department encourages for all PhD students) and for attending conferences. The department may, when opportunities warrant, convert a teaching assistantship in a given year into a research assistantship to permit dissertation travel to collections outside South Florida.

Degree Requirements

1a) For students entering the PhD program with the master's degree, at least 27 graduate course credits; 1b) for students entering the PhD program without the master's degree, 45 graduate course credits

2) completion of History 695 (historiography), completion of History 693 (research seminar), and completion of History 730 (comprehensive exams)

3a) passage of a major field in written and oral exams; 3b) passage of a 2nd field in written and oral exams; 3c) passage of a 3rd field in written and oral exams; 3d) passage of a 4th, cognate field in the oral exam alone

4) 12 credits of dissertation research (history 740) beyond the graduate course-credits requirement

5) successful completion and defense of the dissertation. Reading knowledge of at least one foreign language is required, though more may be required depending on the field.



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: 23

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 16

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 5

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 94%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 25

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1992

History PhDs conferred to Date: 38

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 1

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Small [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012