Doctor of Philosophy - History

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of the North American West as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 45 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

The completion of the second seminar paper will constitute the master’s culminating experience; it will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the instructor of record, the student’s primary advisor and the graduate coordinator.

Please note that the MA degree will not be conferred automatically. Students must take the initiative to seek committee approval and apply for conferral through the Graduate College.

Doctoral students may also apply to transfer into the MA program at any point, but this will require a new application.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.

All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General United States History): the written examination focuses on the first or second half of U.S. History (1600 to 1877, or 1850 to Present), but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of U.S. History in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.

b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in North American West. A student writes on one of two questions.

c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students must pass the written portion of the qualifying exam before they are allowed to take the oral qualifying exam.

Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of Northern American West.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
3. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway, for both the Master’s (if applicable) and Doctoral portions of the program.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of North American Culture and Society as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 45 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

The completion of the second seminar paper will constitute the master’s culminating experience; it will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the instructor of record, the student’s primary advisor and the graduate coordinator.

Please note that the MA degree will not be conferred automatically. Students must take the initiative to seek committee approval and apply for conferral through the Graduate College.

Doctoral students may also apply to transfer into the MA program at any point, but this will require a new application.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.
All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General United States History): the written examination focuses on the first or second half of U.S. History (1600 to 1877, or 1850 to Present), but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of U.S. History in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.
b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in North American Culture and Society. A student writes on one of two questions.
c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students must pass the written portion of the qualifying exam before they are allowed to take the oral qualifying exam.
Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of North American Culture and Society.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
3. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway, for both the Master’s (if applicable) and Doctoral portions of the program.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of European Culture and Society as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 45 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

The completion of the second seminar paper will constitute the master’s culminating experience; it will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the instructor of record, the student’s primary advisor and the graduate coordinator.

Please note that the MA degree will not be conferred automatically. Students must take the initiative to seek committee approval and apply for conferral through the Graduate College.

Doctoral students may also apply to transfer into the MA program at any point, but this will require a new application.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.

All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General European History): Students, in consultation with their advisors, will define the parameters of the major field. Specific chronological parameters will vary but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of European history in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.

b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in European Culture and Society. A student writes on one of two questions.

c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students must pass the written portion of the qualifying exam before they are allowed to take the oral qualifying exam.

Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of European Culture and Society.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
3. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway, for both the Master’s (if applicable) and Doctoral portions of the program.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of the North American West as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 26 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.

All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General United States History): the written examination focuses on the first or second half of U.S. History (1600 to 1877, or 1850 to Present), but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of U.S. History in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.

b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in North American West. A student writes on one of two questions.

c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of Northern American West.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
3. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of North American Culture and Society as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 26 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.
All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General United States History): the written examination focuses on the first or second half of U.S. History (1600 to 1877, or 1850 to Present), but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of U.S. History in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.

b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in North American Culture and Society. A student writes on one of two questions.

c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of North American Culture and Society.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College as well as apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take courses with as many members of the faculty who specialize in the history of European Culture and Society as possible. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of courses.

A minimum of 26 credits of course work must be at the 700-level (excluding Dissertation).

Foreign Language Requirement. This requirement can be met in any of the following three ways, though the chosen option must be approved by the chair of the student’s examination committee:

a. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

b. Demonstrated reading knowledge of one foreign language and advanced reading knowledge of the same language, assessed through the writing of a substantial historiographical essay in English based on scholarly literature in that foreign language.

c. Demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language and the successful completion of a course outside the department.

Students may take up to six credits of Comprehensive Exam Preparation, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations.
All PhD students will prepare three comprehensive examination fields: one Major Field, one Survey Field, and one Portfolio Field. The Major Field and Survey Field will both require a written exam. The Portfolio Field will focus on either Public History or History Pedagogy and will require a portfolio rather than a written exam. All three fields will be covered in a subsequent oral exam. There should be minimal overlap between fields, and committee members must work with students to avoid as much overlap as possible.

Students prepare extensive reading lists of books and articles for each field of study in conjunction with the members of their advisory committee. The lists are based on scholarly works read in coursework, but substantial additional reading is required. Coursework alone does not constitute preparation for comprehensive exams. For purposes of examination, and through close consultation with the student’s committee chair and members of the committee, coursework and supplemental reading will be divided into two examination areas, each of which is comprised of two questions from which the students write on one.
Every Ph.D. student’s exam committee will include five faculty members: one examiner in the major field; one in the survey field; one in the portfolio field; one departmental faculty member whose expertise connects to the student’s interests but lies either in public history or outside the student’s geographic area of focus; and one Graduate College Representative. We recommend that the fourth departmental faculty member be asked to review the student’s reading lists in the major, survey and portfolio fields before the lists are finalized, with the option of suggesting for inclusion up to three relevant titles per field from outside the expertise of student and field examiners.

a. Survey Field (General European History): Students, in consultation with their advisors, will define the parameters of the major field. Specific chronological parameters will vary but students are required to answer questions on the full sweep of European history in the oral examination. A student writes on one of two questions.

b. Major Field (Topical): Requires students to master the literature in European Culture and Society. A student writes on one of two questions.

c. Portfolio Field: Public History or History Pedagogy. The student will complete a portfolio that chronicles their development as a historian and that demonstrates their proficiency in either Public History or History Pedagogy.

Every portfolio must include a 1500-word statement that describes the student’s development as a historian as well as the preliminary development of their dissertation project (this statement does not take the place of a dissertation prospectus, which the student will complete after they have passed their comprehensive examinations). The student will explain how the courses they have taken contributed to their development, paying particular attention to questions of theory and method that they’ve encountered in their Historiography courses and, where relevant, their Colloquium courses. In other words, the student will explain the kind of historian they are in the process of becoming by discussing the theoretical and methodological influences in their work.

Every portfolio must also include the student’s current curriculum vitae.

Students preparing a History Pedagogy Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposed syllabus for one of the following three UNLV courses:
HIST 100: Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
HIST 103: Global Problems in Historical Perspective
HIST 110: History of Multiculturalism in America
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and pedagogical decisions that shape the syllabus.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the syllabus.

Students preparing a Public History Portfolio will include the following:

1. A proposal for a major public history project (exhibit, website, podcast, historic preservation, archival management, oral history, National Park Service grant application, etc.). The proposal may not replicate work done previously in courses or in the field.
2. A 7 to 10-page essay explaining the historiographic, methodological, and public history decisions that shape the project.
3. A formal bibliography of the scholarship that informs the project.

The student must submit their portfolio (whether History Pedagogy or Public History) to their committee before starting their written exam.

Students may take up to three credits of Dissertation Prospectus course, but these credits will not count towards the total credits required for the degree.

The prospectus colloquium must be held within three months of the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. Students must formally present a prospectus for their proposed dissertation research to their advisory committee before taking dissertation credits. The prospectus must be accepted for the student to have ABD status in the History Department.

A dissertation of substantial length and quality containing original research and interpretation on a topic in the field of European Culture and Society.

Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
3. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.