History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

Memphis, Univ. of

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

U.S., modern Europe, Britain, African American, Egypt

Program Description

A PhD student, in consultation with the major professor/advisor and Advisory Committee, will choose three fields of study. One will be designated the dissertation field. Dissertation fields are offered in African American, United States before 1877, United States after 1877, Ancient World, Britain, and Modern Europe, with minor fields in (in addition to the above) Medieval-Renaissance Europe, Early Modern Europe, Latin America, Africa, China and Japan, Russia and Near East. Normally a dissertation in Ancient History must be in the area of Egyptology. Upon approval of a petition to the Graduate Studies Committee from both the student and a prospective dissertation director, a dissertation may be completed in a field that is not normally a dissertation field. The Department of History is committed to developing certain specific areas of specialization: African/African American History, Mid-South Regional Studies, Social/Cultural History, Ancient Egyptian History.

Special Programs or Resources

The Hypostyle Hall project in Egypt provides an opportunity for epigraphic field work for advanced graduate students in Egyptology. The Oral History Research Office is a subdivision of the department and is committed to enlarging its collection of veterans' oral histories by planning several years of intensive interviewing of World War II veterans in the area. The Special Collection/Mississippi Valley Collection of the Ned R. McWherter library is a major resource for students researching African-American history and Southern Mid-South regional history. The collection also contains original maps, postcards, photographs--most of which come from two major Memphis daily papers, the Commercial Appeal and the now-defunct Press-Scimitar. In almost all cases, these are original black-and-white glossy photographs.

Financial Aid

The Department offers a limited number of graduate assistantships, divided into grading and teaching assistantships. Applications must be received by February 15th for assistantships for the following fall semester.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 60 semester hours of regular graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree, excluding credit received for thesis and dissertation. Students who have earned a master's degree must complete at least 36 credits beyond the M.A., since at most 24 credits can be counted from the M.A. In addition, the student must complete a minimum of 12 hours of doctoral dissertation, for a minimum total of 72 graduate credits. Both written and oral comprehensive examinations are required.

University Information:

University Type: Public

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1974

History PhDs conferred to Date: 59

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred (2000–04): Large [Explain]

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	8
	Associate Professor	7
	Assistant Professor	9
	Instructor/Lecturer	3
	Joint Appointment
	Emeritus Faculty	6
	Part-time faculty	1

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 93
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 53%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 22

Relative Size Based on Graduate Student Enrollment (2002–04): Large [Explain]

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department