Doctor of Philosophy

Upon enrolling and in consultation with the advisor, students select an area of study from the list below in which to concentrate their study and later take the university oral examination. The major concentrations are:

• Europe, 300-1500

• Europe, 1400-1800

• Europe since 1700

• Jewish History

• Russia

• Eastern Europe

• Middle East and Central Asia

• South Asia

• East Asia before 1600

• China since 1600

• Japan since 1600

• Korea since 1800

• Africa

• Britain and the British Empire since 1460

• Latin America

• The United States (including colonial America)

• The History of Science and Medicine

• Transnational, International, and Global

Upon enrolling each student, in consultation with the advisor, defines a secondary concentration. This concentration should represent four graduate courses or their equivalents, and it may be fulfilled by working in a historical or interdisciplinary concentration. The historical concentrations include:

1. One of the concentrations listed above (other than the student’s major concentration).

2. One of the concentrations listed below, which falls mainly outside the student’s major concentration:

   • The Ancient Greek World

   • The Roman World

   • Europe, 300-1000

   • Europe, 1000-1400

   • Europe, 1400-1600

   • Europe, 1600-1789

   • Europe, 1700-1871

   • Europe since 1848

   • England, 450-1460

   • Britain and the British Empire, 1460-1714

   • Britain and the British Empire since 1714

   • Russia to 1800

   • Russia since 1800

   • Eastern Europe to 1800

   • Eastern Europe since 1800

   • Jewish History

   • Middle East and Central Asia to 1800

   • Middle East and Central Asia since 1800

   • Africa

   • South Asia

   • China before 1600

   • China since 1600

   • Japan before 1600

   • Japan since 1600

   • Latin America to 1825

   • Latin America since 1810

   • The United States (including Colonial America) to 1865

   • The United States since 1850

   • The History of Science and Medicine

   • Transnational, International, and Global

3. Work in a national history of a sufficiently long time to span chronologically two or more major concentrations. For example, a student with Europe since 1700 as a major concentration may take France from 1000 to the present as a secondary concentration.

4. A comparative study of a substantial subject across countries or periods. The secondary concentration requirement may also be satisfied in an interdisciplinary concentration. Students plan these concentrations in consultation with their advisors. Interconcentrations require coursework outside the Department of History related to the student’s training as a historian. Interdisciplinary coursework can either add to a student’s technical competence or broaden their approach to the problems of the research concentration.

The department seeks to provide a core colloquium in every major concentration. Students typically enroll in this colloquium during the first year of graduate study.

Students must take two research seminars, at least one in the major concentration. Usually, research seminars are taken in the first and second years.

Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All students are required to complete four quarters of teaching by the end of their third year in the program regardless of their financial support. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support.

Admission to candidacy is a prospective judgement by the faculty of a student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the program. Qualifying procedures in the Department of History include required coursework and students demonstrating the ability to successfully complete the requirements for a doctorate in History at Stanford. Students must have an excellent record of course work, especially within their Major fields. Furthermore, students should have shown that they have the potential to do the original research necessary for a Ph.D. dissertation and completed both required graduate seminars with an A- or better. Additional details on qualifying procedures can be found in the Graduate Handbook opens in a new tab.

The University Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree form must be completed and signed by the advisor and Department Chair. The form should be returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator.

In the department of History, the oral exam is a mastery-of-field exam in the student's field/major concentration. Students are expected to complete this milestone in Spring quarter of their third year in the program.

The student must complete and submit a dissertation that is the result of independent work and contributes to knowledge. It should evidence the command of approved research techniques, ability to organize findings, and competence in expression. For details and procedural information, inquire in the department.

• A reading knowledge of one or more foreign languages is required in concentrations where appropriate. The faculty in the major concentration prescribes the necessary languages.

• In no concentration is a student required to take examinations in more than two foreign languages.

Certification

• Certification of competence in commonly taught languages (that is, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) for candidates seeking to fulfill the language requirement in this fashion is done by the appropriate language department of the university.

• Certification of competence in other languages is determined in a manner decided on by faculty in the major concentration.

• In either case, language competence certification must be accomplished before a student takes the university oral examination.