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Oklahoma State University

Dept. of History
101 Murray
Stillwater, OK 74078-3054

Phone 405.744.5679
Fax 405.744.5400
E-mail: michael.logan@okstate.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Environment, Culture, Diplomatic, Early Modern to Modern Europe, Gender, Modern U.S., Politics, Race and Ethnicity, Religion, Science and Technology, Transnational, U.S. West, Native North America

Program Description

The doctoral program at Oklahoma State was established in 1968. On average one to three students complete the Ph.D. program each year. The program trains students for careers that blend teaching and research. Recent graduates have secured positions in four-year colleges, community colleges, and governmental and cultural institutions.

Special Programs or Resources

The Edmon Low Library on the campus of Oklahoma State University houses a collection in excess of 2 million volumes and 3.5 million pieces of microform. Of special interest to historians are its extensive holdings of state and regional history, which include sources relating to the history of Oklahoma, the Southwest, and Native Americans. As a government depository, the library also has an excellent collection of government documents. The university is also located near manuscript collections housed at the Oklahoma Historical Society and the State Archives in Oklahoma City and the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. Oklahoma State University is a member institution of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research and the Center for Research Libraries.

Financial Aid

Graduate Assistantships
The History Department awards positions as Teaching Assistants (M.A. students) and Teaching Associates (Ph.D. students) on a competitive basis; consideration is given to GPA, GRE scores, letters of recommendation and nature of past academic training. In most cases, Teaching Assistants and Associates grade examinations and lead discussion sections in lower-division survey courses in American History and Western Civilization. In selected cases, Ph.D. students teach independent sections of the survey courses. The positions of Teaching Assistant and Teaching Associate carry a waiver of out-of-state tuition and a partial waiver of in-state tuition. The Director of Graduate Studies should receive applications for these positions by February 1. Awards for the next academic year are normally made by April 15.

Awards and Scholarships
The department rewards excellence among its graduate students with thousands of dollars in scholarships and awards for outstanding graduate papers and for dissertation research. Among these annual awards are the Townsend Memorial Award for the best graduate paper on a subject dealing with United States history before 1914; the Townsend Memorial Minority Scholarship, recognizing achievement by minority students in the study of history; the Townsend Memorial Dissertation Fellowship for Ph.D. students writing dissertations in United States history prior to 1914; the LeRoy Fischer Award for the outstanding graduate student paper; and the Homer L. Knight Memorial Graduate Award honoring excellence in both scholarly and extracurricular activities. Students have also successfully competed for awards made by the Graduate College including the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, the Robberson Fellowship and the Nancy Randolph Davis Award.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements and Preparation for Comprehensive Examinations
All doctoral students must take Historiography (HIST 6023) and Teaching History at the College Level (HIST 5021). Students without a M.A. thesis may be required to take Historical Methods (HIST 5023). All doctoral students must take at least twelve hours of seminar including at least three hours of research seminar. Course work to be completed will be indicated on a plan of study. In general, a minimum of sixty semester graduate credit hours beyond the M.A. degree is required, with a 'B' average for all courses. Students with a general field in United States history should take reading seminars in U.S. history dealing with at least two of the following chronological eras: Early America, Nineteenth Century U.S. and Modern U.S. Students who plan to take written and oral qualifying examinations must have an updated Plan of Study on file and must have completed all courses required by the plan, except for dissertation hours. They must also have passed the foreign language requirement and have a dissertation proposal approved by the advisory committee. In preparing for qualifying examinations, students must not only complete and review all course work but also read independently from lists of suggested books prepared by faculty in the general examination field. Students should prepare lists of suggested books in major and minor fields in consultation with the member representing each field.

Students are not admitted to candidacy until they have: demonstrated competency in one foreign language by passing a translation examination in that language. Advisory committees may require additional proficiency in other languages, quantitative methods, or other research skills. Students are urged to complete their language requirement(s) by the end of their fourth semester of enrollment; received the advisory committee's approval of a dissertation proposal, in the form designated by the department, and filed it with the departmental Director of Graduate Studies before passing qualifying examinations and by a date to be established by the Graduate Director; passed the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Final Examination
Upon completion of the dissertation, candidates must pass a final examination of approximately two hours in length in which they defend their dissertation. Passing the final examination requires a simple majority of the committee. University regulations specify that the final oral examination shall be open to all members of the graduate faculty. With the consent of the advisory committee, others may also attend.



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: 22

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 34

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 6

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 67%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 65

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1971

History PhDs conferred to Date: 118

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 2

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Small [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012