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University of Oklahoma

Dept. of History of Science
601 Elm St., Rm. 625
Norman, OK 73019-3106

Phone 405.325.2213
Fax 405.325.2363/5068
E-mail: slivesey@ou.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Premodern Science; Biological and Social Sciences in the Modern Era; Science and Religion; Science, Public, and Popular Culture in the Modern Era; American Science; Medicine and Biomedical Science; History of Technology; New Media in History of Science

Program Description

The graduate program in the history of science at the University of Oklahoma was founded in 1954. Students work toward M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in close contact with the faculty.

The department offers courses of study that presume the student's broad historical interest in science's place in civilization. Department faculty members have scholarly interests ranging widely within the history of science in European and American cultures, as well as in non-Western science and technology.

Each graduate student's program of study couples development of appropriate research specializations with establishment of a framework of general historical knowledge of science's growth, and the cultural context of the scientific enterprise, from Antiquity to modern times. Students are encouraged to pursue diverse topics of study and research in topical courses and seminars. General Examinations call for the student to demonstrate broad learning of the history of science since its ancient beginnings, as well as acquisition of appropriate research skills including an ability to read historical materials in languages relevant to the student's area of scholarly specialization.

Special Programs or Resources

The University of Oklahoma's History of Science Collections, with over 94,000 volumes, including 56 incunabula and more than 900 16th-century titles, represent a remarkable resource for study and research in the history of science. The Norman campus has a library system with holdings of over 5.0 million volumes, 63,000 serials subscriptions (print and electronic), and 279 databases.

The History of Science Collections are a part of the University Libraries system and serve students, faculty, and scholars in the history of science. Holdings range chronologically from Hrabanus Maurus' Opus de universo (the Collections' oldest book, printed before 20 July 1467) to current publications in the history of science. They represent an excellent cross-section for the history of printing and publishing. The purposes of the History of Science Collections are to identify, collect, and preserve the published record of the history of science, and also to provide access for research and teaching.

Financial Aid

Academic-year stipends for half-time 10-month assistantships of $15,157 are awarded on a competitive basis to entering and continuing students (doctoral candidates receive $16,881). In conjunction with the department's responsibility for overseeing the History of Science Society's Current Bibliography 2 graduate research assistants may be appointed to 12-month half-time positions at an annual stipend of $18,539; a third 12-month assistant (with the same stipend) will aid in the publication of Technology and Culture. In addition to the stipend, graduate assistants receive a waiver of tuition up to the number of hours required for the degree.

Degree Requirements

The major steps toward the Ph.D. degree are:

A. Satisfaction of course requirements:

1. Completion of an approved course of post-baccalaureate study comprising at least 48 credit hours of graduate course work, not counting hours for dissertation research. Usually, more than 48 hours of formal course work are necessary. The Ph.D. degree calls for a total of 90 approved credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, or 60 hours beyond the Master's degree, including dissertation hours.

2. Students admitted to the doctoral program are assumed to have satisfied the course distribution and language requirements for the Master's.
a. If not, additional coursework or language study may be required.
b. There are no additional course distribution requirements at the PhD level other than in preparation for field requirements.

3. Students are strongly encouraged to take one or more courses outside the department, especially (but not solely) to fulfill the requirements of the outside field. These courses normally, though not necessarily, will be in the history department.

B. Demonstrated competence in a second approved foreign language.

C. Satisfactory completion of the General Examinations.

D. Completion of a satisfactory doctoral dissertation and its defense in an oral examination.



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:

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 9

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 8

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 78%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 18

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1960

History PhDs conferred to Date: 39

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12):

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: No Data [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012