A. 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, Modern Europe, Women and Gender, and Global 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.

B. Special Programs. 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.

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

D. Degree Requirements. A minimum of 60 semester hours of regular graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree, excluding credit received for dissertation. 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.