The Handbook

1. Student Responsibilities

Each student must take responsibility for learning the degree requirements set forth by the Department of History and Texas A&M University. Students shall:

1. know specific degree requirements as established by the Graduate and Professional School (GPS) and the history department;
2. acquaint themselves with the Texas A&M University Student Rules (available on the website student-rules.tamu.edu);
3. enroll in appropriate course work to complete their degree;
4. maintain the appropriate standards to continue in graduate studies. Meeting deadlines for submitting required forms and the fulfillment of all course obligations remain the student’s responsibility solely.

2. Graduate Catalog

All graduate students should familiarize themselves with the online Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog. The catalog provides a comprehensive overview of the University regulations and requirements governing all graduate students enrolled at Texas A&M University (TAMU).

3. Scholastic Requirements

A minimum of 24 semester credit hours of history is required for admission to the history department’s graduate program, including 12 hours of upper level undergraduate courses. Students cannot officially enter the doctoral program until they have completed their MA degree. Students who have completed the MA degree must file a “Letter of Intent” in order to transition to the PhD degree program.

All graduate students enrolled at TAMU must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 (B average based on a 4.0 scale) for all courses listed on their degree plan. Students at TAMU receive grades of A, B, C, D, or F for their course work. In graduate school, a “C” or below denotes poor academic performance.

During the fall and spring semesters, 9 hours of coursework is necessary for full time status.  A graduate student may register for a maximum of 15 hours. The dean’s office in the College of Arts and Sciences can approve (and register) a student for 18 hours (fall/spring), 9 hours (5-week summer sessions), and 15 hours (10-week session). A graduate student may register for a maximum of 6 hours during the summer. For more summer hours, follow the process outlined above.

4. Residency Requirements and Continuous Registration

The residency requirement for a graduate degree at TAMU ensures that students have an opportunity to benefit from the advantages of a university environment. Students who enter graduate school with a baccalaureate degree must spend one academic year plus one semester in resident study at TAMU. Students who hold a master’s degree when they enter the doctoral program must spend one academic year in resident study. Doctoral candidates must spend at least one year and one semester in residence at TAMU. One academic year may include two adjacent regular semesters or one regular semester and one adjacent 10-week summer semester. Students must enroll in a minimum of 9 credit hours each semester to satisfy the residency requirement.

TAMU requires continuous registration during the fall and spring semesters for students who have completed their course work other than 691 research hours. (Note, you do not have to register in the summer sessions.) The continuous registration requirement may be satisfied by registering either In Absentia or In Residence. If you register In Absentia, you will not be able to use the TAMU facilities (including the library). See the graduate catalog for full details on registering In Absentia. Registering In Residence gives you full access to TAMU resources. Under some circumstances, graduate students who have completed all degree requirements may maintain continuous enrolment by registering for one (1) hour of HIST 691 each major semester.

Students who do not remain in continuous enrollment will be blocked from registration, and will not be allowed to take their exams, or defend their thesis or dissertation.

5. Graduate Certificate Programs

TAMU offers a number of optional Graduate Certification programs that students may complete as their minor field. These programs take an interdisciplinary approach to graduate study. The Graduate Catalog has general information regarding the certificate programs. An example of different Graduate Certificate Programs relevant to history students include: Certificate in Historic Preservation, the Women’s Studies Certificate, and The Bush School Certificate in Advanced International Affairs.

1. Department Head and Associate Department Head

The Department Head manages the history department. All department officers, including the Director of Graduate Studies, report to the department head. In this capacity, the DH oversees the graduate program for all graduate students. The department head provides the final approval for all the degree plans, theses, and dissertations completed by the history graduate students, as well as finalizing all graduate student assistantship and teaching assignments. The Associate Department Head helps coordinate plans and policies with the Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Director of Graduate Studies. The Associate Department Head has the authority to sign graduate student forms (such as the degree plan) when the Department Head is away. Dr. Angela Pulley Hudson currently serves as the Department Head and Dr. Daniel Schwartz currently serves as Associate Department Head.

2. Director of Graduate Studies

The Director of Graduate Studies supervises the graduate program. The DGS chairs the Graduate Committee, supervises admissions, awards assistantships, allocates work assignments for grading assistants, and recommends graduate teaching assistants to the department head. The Director of Graduate Studies also oversees the third semester review of all graduate students. The DGS will provide non-academic advising to MA and PhD students. Dr. Katherine Unterman currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies.

3. Associate Director of Graduate Studies

The Associate Director of Graduate Studies assists the director with all aspects of maintaining the graduate program. The Associate Director will have responsibility for keeping current on the progress of the graduate students, as well as the applicants to the program. All forms related to completing your degree must go through the Associate Director before they go to the department head. The ADGS will provide resources for graduate students interested in applying for grants and fellowships from organizations outside of TAMU. The ADGS also provides non-academic advising to MA and PhD students. Dr. David Hudson currently serves as Associate Director of Graduate Studies.

4. History Department Graduate Committee

The department head selects up to 6 members of the faculty to serve on the department’s Graduate Committee. The committee assists in the admissions of new graduate students, reviews proposals for new graduate courses, and recommends any policy changes to the department’s faculty. The Graduate Committee also monitors the core curriculum from year to year, and makes any recommendations to the department for revising the courses offered to graduate students. The committee also participates in the Third Semester Review of enrolled graduate students. The elected president of the History Graduate Student Organization serves as a full voting member of the committee. The graduate student on the committee acts as a voting member and reports to the graduate students on the committee’s deliberations.

1. Advisory Committee

Both masters and doctoral students will select an advisory committee. These scholars accept responsibility for guiding and directing the student’s course of study. The advisory committee counsels the graduate student on academic matters, approves the student’s proposed degree plan, administers all exams, and reviews the final thesis or dissertation prepared by the student. MA candidates will have no fewer than three members on their committee; PhD students, four or more. PhD students in American History will have five committee members: the chair, a minor history field member, a non-history field member, and two members to examine pre-and post-1877 US history fields.  For both MA and PhD candidates, at least one member of the committee must represent a department other than history, and hold an advanced degree in a subject other than history.

The graduate student’s main advisor serves as chair of the advisory committee. The chair most directly supervises the student’s research, and has responsibility for calling all meetings of the committee. The student and his/her chair will choose the other members of the committee, subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

2. The Degree Plan

TAMU requires all graduate students to file an approved degree plan with the Graduate and Professional School (GPS). The history department requires students to complete this plan before the beginning of the third semester of course work. Students who do not fulfill this obligation will have their records ‘blocked’ and will not be able to register for further course work. The degree plan lists the courses the student plans to take during his/her tenure at TAMU, and the department expects the plan to reflect sufficient breadth in historical studies. This would include a geographical and/or temporal diversity in choosing course work and your fields of study. For American historians specifically, this means inclusion of a field outside the North American continent. We recommend students work closely with the chair of their advisory committee in developing the degree plan. Please be advised that the Department Head reserves the right to reject any degree plan that does not demonstrate sufficient breadth. Students moving from the MA to the PhD program will submit a separate plan for each degree. All students are required to take HIST 628 and HIST 629. These are the only required courses. No course may be listed on both degree plans. All members of the student’s advisory committee, as well as the Associate Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Head, will sign the plan. Students are advised to work closely with the chair of their advisory committee in developing the degree plan. The final degree plan must meet all requirements of the history department and the Graduate and Professional School (GPS).

To access the degree plan website and to begin to create a degree plan, go to: https://ogsdpss.tamu.edu/

3. Third Semester Review

History graduate students undergo a Third Semester Review (3SR) during their second year of course work. Faculty members, selected by the history department’s Graduate Committee, will examine the students’ progress in both their course work and, if they have an assistantship, fulfillment of TA duties. If the student’s progress is deemed unsatisfactory at this review, the department will notify the student, his/her designated advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies in writing. Unsatisfactory progress may include insufficient course work, too many incomplete courses, or deficiencies as a grader or in fulfilling assigned assistantship duties. Any course grade of “C” merits a serious warning. Students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA to retain an assistantship.

4. Graduate Courses

The history department offers two basic types of seminars for graduate students. “Reading” seminars emphasize a thorough review of the secondary sources in a particular period or subject. “Research” seminars help students produce an original paper that they can present at a professional meeting, or incorporate into the final MA thesis or PhD dissertation.

Under the close supervision of a faculty member, graduate students may enroll in HIST 685, a directed readings course. Students may use “the 685” to help prepare for their written and oral examinations, or for concentrated studies relevant to their specialized field of inquiry. The actual thesis or dissertation research takes place under the designation of HIST 691, research hours, supervised by a faculty member, generally the student’s chair. The department requires students to fulfill most of their course obligations in the formal seminars. The history department does not allow any student to list more than two HIST 685 courses on his/her degree plan, however, exceptions can be granted for a student to take additional 685s with the endorsement of the student’s advisor and director of graduate studies. Non-thesis MA candidates may not include any research hours on their degree plan. MA candidates following the Thesis option may not list more than 6 hours of HIST 691 on their degree plan.

5. Undergraduate Courses for Graduate Credit

History graduate students may not list more than 6 hours of undergraduate history courses at the 300 and 400 levels on their degree plan. The professors teaching the course usually require additional reading and writing, at a higher performance level, from the graduate students. You should clarify all these requirements with the instructor in writing before the course begins.

6. Foreign Language Requirement

MA candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language. Doctoral candidates must normally demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages, except for doctoral candidates in American History who, with the approval of the student’s committee chair, may satisfy the requirement with one foreign language. Students may receive one language credit for each of the following: a) providing an undergraduate transcript indicating the student earned a B or better in two college-level language courses at 200 level or above; b) by passing an Educational Testing Services language examination scoring in the 80th percentile or above; c) on their own responsibility arranging a language exam with an individual member of the faculty in the Department of International Studies or with a faculty member with native fluency in the relevant language in cases where the language is not taught at TAMU d) while at TAMU, enrolling in, and passing, two sequential undergraduate foreign language courses beyond the introductory level, i.e. at 200 level or above; e) passing one of TAMU’s foreign language classes specifically designed for graduate students (such as FREN 601 – Introduction to Scientific French). These language courses cannot be listed as a course towards your final credit on your degree plan, but should be listed in the Prerequisites portion of the form.

Doctoral students whose research requires competency in quantitative methods, computer programming, or other specialties may apply to the Director of Graduate studies to substitute two relevant courses in these areas for their second language requirement. Students seeking to make this substitution must make a compelling case to the DGS with the endorsement of their advisor that the courses are necessary for completion of the dissertation.

Students may not take either the final MA or the PhD comprehensive examinations until completing the appropriate language requirement.

The Department of History offers a 96-hour doctoral program for those student admitted with the BA degree and a 64-hour doctoral program for those admitted with an MA degree. Graduate students select their primary field of study. Besides this major field, graduate students also select a minor field within the discipline. The minor field helps students bolster both their professional and personal development as future scholars, as well as their ability to teach different college subjects. Students may select any area of study offered by the history department for their minor field. Finally, PhD candidates select an “outside field” offered by another department at TAMU. This “outside” field can include one of the interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Programs offered by the University (see Graduate Certificate Program, above), or any other discipline offered by the university. The student asks a faculty member from this outside field to serve on the advisory committee. Although MA candidates do not need to take an outside field, they must have someone from outside the department, who does not have a PhD in history, on their committee. Normally, these MA students will take at least one 3 hour class with this individual.

The Department of History does admit students who intend to only seek an MA degree – commonly called a ‘terminal’ MA.  The MA degree normally requires a minimum of thirty semester hours in course work. The history department offers two paths to complete the Master of Arts degree in history, a thesis or a non-thesis option.

1. Thesis Option

The most common route to the MA degree is the thesis option, which requires twenty-four hours of course work and up to six hours of research (HIST 691). Of the twenty-four hours of course work, students enroll in at least fifteen hours in their major area of concentration and six in the minor field.

At the end of their formal coursework, students in the thesis track will produce an MA thesis. Working with their advisor, the student will select one of two MA Thesis options. 1) Multi-chapter Thesis Option, generally 100 pages in length. The research will be based in primary source material. The expectation for successfully defending is that the committee judges the thesis to have an original narrative and make an original contribution to historical scholarship.  2) Article Thesis Option. Students who select this option will work with their primary advisor to choose a peer-reviewed publishing venue and will write an article-length thesis appropriate for publication in the selected venue. The research will be based in primary source material and make an original contribution to the historical scholarship. The expectation for successfully defending an article thesis is that the committee judges that the thesis is ready for submission to the selected venue.

Students writing a thesis will also enroll in HIST 691, or research hours. All students who choose the thesis option will prepare a thesis proposal for approval by their advisory committee. This proposal must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School at least 15 working days prior scheduling the thesis defense. View the form to propose research.

Students should consult the Thesis Manual as they write the thesis, to ensure they follow all TAMU rules regarding formatting. For thesis guidelines, refer to the Thesis Manual at: thesis.tamu.edu.

The student’s committee will approve the thesis during a formal “defense.” (See “Examinations” below for specific forms and procedures regarding your thesis defense.) The graduate student’s advisory committee approves the thesis by signing the Final Examination Approval Form. Apply for permission to hold the FINAL EXAMINATION (i.e. thesis defense) through the website.

You will need to submit this for to GPS not less than 10 working days prior the anticipated defense

After receiving committee approval, students must submit their thesis to the TAMU Thesis office. The process for the thesis submission is outlined at the Thesis Office website.

The university has strict rules regarding the format of all theses and dissertations, so please follow the instructions of the thesis office. After making the necessary corrections, you will upload one copy as a single PDF file (follow the instructions in the Thesis Manual.

The staff in the thesis office will review the draft again and suggest more corrections if necessary. After correcting the manuscript and resubmitting the PDF file, you will receive notice that your thesis has been approved.

2. Non-Thesis Option

More rarely, students with the BA will pursue the non-thesis option. Under this plan students may substitute twelve semester hours of additional graduate level courses for the MA thesis, for at least 36 hours of formal instruction. The history department encourages students taking this path to take at least one extra course in the discipline represented by their “outside” committee member. Students enroll in no fewer than twenty-one or more then twenty-seven semester hours in their major area of concentration and no fewer than nine, or more than fifteen, semester hours in their minor area of study.

3. Examinations

All candidates for the MA degree must pass a final exam. Students following the thesis option take an oral exam, or thesis defense, administered by the advisory committee. Generally this exam focuses on the student’s thesis, but the committee has broad discretion to query the student on any topic relevant to his/her studies. Students must submit a Request for Final Examination form to the Graduate and Professional School before they take their exam(s).

Students choosing the non-thesis option will take both written and oral exams. These exams test their competency in their chosen area of specialization, as well as their minor field of study. The chair of the student’s advisory committee supervises the exam, and the advisory committee administers it. The student’s committee has authority to tailor the MA exam to the individual, as they deem appropriate. As noted above, students must submit a Request for Final Examination form to the Graduate and Professional School before they take their exam(s).

The chair of the committee is responsible for submitting the Report of Final Examination once the student has completed the exam. This form must be submitted to GPS whether you are a thesis or non-thesis MA candidate. The Graduate and Professional School sends this form directly to the chair — the student does not see or handle this form unless asked to by the chair. However, it is acceptable to remind your chair to submit it.

4. Advancement to Doctoral Study

Students who enter the 96 hour doctoral program, upon completing their MA degree, must formally transition to the PhD track by submitting a “Letter of Intent” to pursue the PhD.  However, completion of the MA does not necessarily guarantee acceptance into the PhD track.  The chair of a student’s advisory committee will help the student determine the best course for his/her future.

In order to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree, candidates must master the historical literature in their chosen subject. In addition, the PhD candidate must demonstrate an ability to undertake historical research, show a sufficient background to teach, and create an original work of scholarship. Admission to the graduate program does not guarantee that a student will receive a PhD. Only those who qualify for candidacy will have the opportunity to complete the degree.

1. Course requirements

To complete a PhD, graduate students must take a minimum of 64 hours of course work and research. Students will outline their courses on a degree plan (see Degree Plan above). The student’s advisory committee will review and approve the student’s course selections. The degree plan then goes to the Associate Director of Graduate Studies who ensures the student has fulfilled all the requirements outlined by the history department. The Associate Director then forwards the plan onto the Department Head. Every graduate student must work closely with the chair of the committee in developing a degree plan. The student will complete at least thirty semester hours of formal course work divided into three areas of concentration: 18 hours in the student’s major field of study, 6 hours in a minor field, and 3 hours in the outside field. Students may not take more than 3 research hours (691) before they take their Comprehensive Examinations. Doctoral candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages (see “Foreign Language Requirement” above.) The history department does not allow any student to list more than 2 HIST 685 courses on his/her degree plan.

2.  Comprehensive Examinations

The mission of the History Graduate Program is to train graduate students to be historians who produce original research, contribute to the scholarly conversation of their chosen field, and are prepared for a career in a variety of professions. As part of that process, comprehensive examinations provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the major themes, interpretations, and debates in their chosen fields of study.  This knowledge forms the foundation for dissertation research and for contributions to the profession through teaching, public history, research in government agencies, publishing, and other historical careers.

The department expects students to complete examinations by the end of May at the end of the student’s final semester of formal coursework (i.e. by the end of the student’s 4th semester for those in the 64-hour doctoral program and by the end of the 6th semester for those in the 96-hour doctoral program). Students will take comprehensive exams no later than the end of the semester following the completion of formal coursework.

In order to complete the program, students must pass a written and an oral component of the comprehensive exams. Students will be examined in four fields (see below). Each member of the student’s advisory committee will create an examination that evaluates the student’s knowledge of the major themes, interpretations, debates, and methods in their chosen fields of study. The format of the examination is at the discretion of each member of the committee, but the chair of the advisory committee has final approval over all aspects of the examinations (as per GPS and University rules). Students will work with each member of the committee to develop a reading list to prepare for examination in each field. For best practice, field examinations will be based on a reading list of 60 monograph and article-length works of scholarship. The program expectation is that students will have a total of no more than 250 books and articles on their lists. There is flexibility within that total for field lists to vary in length; for example, the major field list might contain more than 60 books and articles and the minor/outside fields might contain fewer. The faculty member examining in the disciplinary field outside of history may waive participation in the written exams with approval of the committee chair.

After the student has passed the written examinations, the student works with the chair of the committee to schedule an oral examination. No more than three weeks can elapse between the first written exam and the date of the oral exam. The oral exam will cover all areas of the student’s chosen fields. Although the committee member supervising the student’s outside field may waive participation in the written exams, all committee members must take part in the oral exams.

Satisfactory completion of both the written and oral examinations, and defending a dissertation proposal (see separate guidelines), will result in the student advancing to candidacy for the PhD. Students still pass their oral examination if there is one negative vote. If a student fails any of the written or oral comprehensive examinations, a majority vote of the student’s advisory committee will determine whether the student may retake the failed examinations. The committee will also recommend whether or not the department should continue providing an assistantship for the student. If funding continues, the student must take, and pass, the comprehensive exams within one semester or lose his/her assistantship. Students may not retake any examination more than once.

Students will be examined in four fields:

• Primary/Major Field;
• Outside Dept. Field
• U.S. History (for Americanists) or European History (for Europeanists). The period and focus of this field will be determined based on a student’s career trajectory, in consultation with and by the approval of the committee chair.  Normally the U.S. field would be either pre or post 1877, but broader chronological periods may also be acceptable.
• Flex Field: The focus of this field to be determined based on student’s career trajectory, in consultation with and by the approval of the committee chair. Possible examples could be: an additional U.S. field to cover periods/topics not addressed in the main U.S. field; a minor field within the discipline of History; a non-U.S. field within the discipline of History; a public history field; an additional field outside the discipline of History. The Graduate Program recommends that Americanists who may wish to pursue teaching positions consider being examined in two U.S. fields (i.e., so that they are prepared to teach both halves of the U.S. survey). Students who wish to pursue careers outside the professoriate are encouraged to use the flex field to further develop their areas of expertise.

Students must submit two forms to the Graduate and Professional School after passing these exams: the Preliminary Exam Checklist and the Report of the Preliminary Exam.

3. Dissertation Proposal

Before beginning work on the dissertation, PhD candidates prepare a dissertation proposal. Each student works closely with the advisory committee, particularly the chair, in writing the proposal. Besides narrowing the focus of research, the student needs to discuss with the committee members his/her possible research techniques, relevant research collections, travel requirements, financial considerations, and possible sources of funding. No faculty member may be removed from the committee unless he or she fully concurs; however at this time, a student may reconstitute his/her advisory committee to take advantage of the research expertise of other faculty members. No committee members may be added to the committee once the dissertation proposal has been submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. All the committee members will sign the Proposal Approval Page for Thesis, Dissertation, or Record of Study form to indicate their approval of the dissertation proposal.

4. Dissertation

The dissertation will demonstrate the student’s ability to both perform independent research and prepare an original work of scholarship. The student’s advisory committee will judge the academic merit of the dissertation. All members of the advisory committee, as well as the Department Head, must approve the dissertation before the student submits it to the Graduate and Professional School. In addition, the student must prepare the manuscript in a format acceptable to the TAMU thesis office. Download the Thesis Manual (located at thesis.tamu.edu) as you are writing your dissertation, to ensure compliance with the TAMU formatting rules. All PhD candidates are advised to meet regularly with their chair while working on their dissertation.

5. Oral Final Examination (Dissertation Defense)

Once PhD candidates complete their dissertations they take their final examination, known as the dissertation defense. You must submit a Request for Permission and Announcement of Final Examination form to GPS at least 10 working days before the examination date.

The entire advisory committee participates. This oral exam will focus on the dissertation. Again, the committee has great discretion in developing the exam, but in general they will ask the candidate specific questions about his/her topic, sources, and research methods. This exam also provides an opportunity for the committee to voice any concerns about the candidate’s dissertation, and make suggestions for improvement. All members of the committee must verify that the student passed this oral exam by signing the (1) the Report of the Final Exam (issued by GPS), and (2) the Dissertation Approval Form. View the Approval Form Document.

The chair of the committee is responsible for submitting the Report of Final Examination once the student has completed the exam. The Graduate and Professional School sends this form directly to the chair — the student does not see or handle this form unless asked to by the chair. It is acceptable for you to remind your chair to complete and submit this form.

Once the committee has approved your dissertation, you should review a draft with the staff in the Thesis Office. The university has strict rules regarding the format of all theses and dissertations, so please follow the instructions of the thesis office. After you have made the necessary corrections, upload one copy as a single PDF file to the Thesis Office (follow the instructions in the Thesis Manual.) The staff in the thesis office will review the draft again and suggest more corrections if necessary. Once you make the needed corrections, and resubmit the PDF file, you will receive notice that your dissertation has been approved.

6. Time Limit

Students have ten consecutive calendar years to complete all requirements for doctoral degrees. After passing their comprehensive exam, students have four calendar years to finish their dissertation. Students forfeit their tuition waiver if they enroll in more than 99 hours of course work at TAMU.

The Graduate and Professional School provides a brief summary of the information above, including a list of the necessary forms and the links to websites where you may access these forms at:

Knowledge Center Forms

1. Graduate Assistantships

The Department of History awards a limited number of graduate assistantships on a competitive basis. Per university rules, students enrolled in the 96-hour PhD program are eligible for funding during their first five years in the program. Students enrolled in the 64 hour PhD program are eligible for funding during their first four years in the program. To maintain the assistantship, students must have a GPR above 3.0 and adequately perform the duties assigned (see “Duties of Graduate Assistants” below). All assistantships and fellowships include a monthly stipend as well as a full tuition waiver.

2. Duties of Graduate Assistants

The department awards two types of assistantships: Graduate Assistantship Teaching (GAT) or Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL). The department expects all recipients of full graduate assistantships to devote 20 hours per week to these duties. A GAT’s responsibilities may include the following: grading tests, quizzes and final examinations; taking class attendance; serving as a teaching assistant as required by the supervising professor; attendance at lectures; library research for staff or department; checking bibliographies and book order requests; preparing seating charts; recording grades; and proctoring examinations. GATs who have finished their course work may lead discussion sections for a history survey class, and assume primary responsibility for grading and administering exams for all the students enrolled in those sections. The professor to whom the student is assigned will review the work of the student assistant at the end of each semester and share the review with the student assistant, as well as with the Director of Graduate Studies. TAMU requires all graduate assistants to carry a course load of nine credit hours.

3. Graduate Lecturers

The department may assign PhD candidates who have completed their course work and passed their comprehensive examinations to an Assistant Lecturer position. GALs assume responsibility for all aspects of a history survey course, including lecturing and grading, giving PhD candidates valuable experience in fulfilling the duties of a university professor. TAMU history PhDs have shown great success in securing college level positions after graduation because of this familiarity with the university classroom. Graduate lecturers must enroll in at least one credit hour for each semester they receive their assistantship.

4. Travel and Research Grants

The history department offers a number of grants to allow graduate students to attend conferences and travel to other institutions for research. In addition, the Center for Humanities Research and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research also offer fellowships and research and travel grants to select graduate students. These awards are highly competitive. Students should consult with the chair of their advisory committee before applying for them.

5. Fellowships

The GPS and the College of Arts and Sciences offer a limited number of highly competitive fellowships to promising graduate students. The history department nominates candidates for the fellowships. In addition to these opportunities, the department encourages PhD students to seek travel and research funding for the dissertation early in the program. The Associate Director of Graduate Studies assists graduate students in identifying opportunities for grants and fellowships awarded by institutions outside of TAMU. These awards may provide travel grants, conference attendance, or full-time fellowships that allow the student to concentrate on a specific research topic. PhD candidates may apply through the department for National Endowment for the Humanities Dissertation Grants in the fall. The College of Arts and Sciences selects ten nominees from the humanities and forwards their applications to NEH.

6. Checklists

Checklists for completing the MA and PhD degrees have been provided as Appendices. Please print a copy and use it as you progress through the program.

Master’s Degree Checklist

Doctoral Degree Checklist