A. Program Description. Our PhD program prepares students to teach and conduct research in American history and to understand it within an expanded global perspective. We achieve this by requiring students to integrate their major field of study, American history, with World history. This broader intercontinental perspective enables students in our program to explore themes such as the interaction of political, economic and cultural systems, questions of race and ethnicity, and the transnational dimensions of national experience. We encourage this global perspective by providing a selection of courses that are cross-national, comparative, and integrative in content and format.

B. Special Programs. The PhD program, since it is designed to be small and selective, admits only a few highly qualified students each year. In a setting of relatively small classes, individualized research projects, and frequent contact with faculty, students are trained in the arts of scholarly research and writing. No less important in our program is the emphasis placed on the fostering of teaching skills. Through a required teaching seminar, hands-on teaching experience, and careful mentoring, we prepare students for teaching in a college and university environment.

Besides the UNCG library's special collections and database resources, our students also take advantage of the libraries of nearby research universities, such as UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, and archives such as the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh.

C. Financial Aid. Doctoral students are normally awarded renewable teaching assistantships upon admission, with a stipend of $15,000 (2016-17) plus tuition. Faculty will assist students in their search for university and external fellowships that will support the later stages of their dissertation research and writing.

D. Degree Requirements. A total of 45-60 semester hours of course work and dissertation credit, including a minimum of 33-39 hours of course work beyond the MA in history and 12-24 hours of dissertation credit, are required to complete the PhD in history. Written and oral comprehensive exams are usually completed in the third year of study. In addition, PhD candidates must also satisfy language exam requirements appropriate to their particular fields of study before taking comprehensive exams. Successful completion of these requirements and the comprehensive exams allows candidates to pursue dissertation research and writing.