Course Requirements

Two years of coursework are required for the Ph.D. degree. Ph.D. students must complete all course requirements for the M.A. degree, including:

• HIST 695 - Directed Thesis Master’s Research Credits: (variable 3-9)
• HIST 701 - Historian’s Craft Credits: (3)
• HIST 712 - Research Seminars Credits: (3) (Select two for a total of 6 credits)*
• HIST 715 - Readings Seminars Credits: (3) (Select three for a total of 9 credits)*
• HIST 800 - Dissertation Credits: (1-12)
• In addition, candidates for the Ph.D. degree must complete at least 28 hours of graduate coursework in History (not including HIST 800 - Dissertation ) beyond the Master’s level.

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  *Upon approval by the Director of Graduate Studies, students may take up to 6 credits in History 590 or graduate-level courses in other departments/programs not cross-listed under History. These courses will usually serve as a substitute for History 715, and if appropriate, History 712.

Research Portfolio Requirement

Students will prepare a research portfolio consisting of two major research papers.

Qualifying Exam Requirement

In the fall semester of their third year, Ph.D. students take a written and oral comprehensive qualifying examination in four fields. To qualify to take the comprehensive examinations, students must have completed any outstanding requirements by the end of the previous semester.

Dissertation Requirement

See Graduate Regulations.

Foreign Language Requirement

Candidates must demonstrate by departmental examination a reading knowledge of a foreign or classical language in which there is a significant historical literature.

Residence Requirement

See Graduate Regulations.

Satisfactory Progress

Ph.D. students must complete all requirements for the M.A. degree by March 15 of their second year in residence.

To be eligible to graduate, all students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all courses undertaken for graduate credit at William & Mary after admission to a degree program.  A student who receives a grade of C+ (2.3) or lower in a course may repeat that course one time for credit, upon approval of both the instructor of the course and the graduate director for the student’s program. When such a repeat attempt is approved, the grades for both attempts will count in the cumulative GPA, but only the most recent attempt will count toward the degree. No credit toward a degree will be allowed for a course in which a student receives a grade below C (grade point = 2.0).

All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed within seven years from the first term of enrollment in the Ph.D. program, excluding periods of approved leave and military service. For a student enrolled in a master’s program in the College of Arts & Sciences who subsequently advances to candidacy in the doctoral program in the same field, the terms of enrollment in the master’s program will count towards the seven-year limit for the doctoral degree unless otherwise stated in the letter of admission.