A. Program Description. The history department stresses its role as a bridging discipline between the humanities and social sciences. As such, the department invites highly qualified applicants with backgrounds in history as well as other related fields, such as philosophy, literature, religious studies, classics, and political science. The graduate program is relatively small and provides a substantial amount of contact between students and faculty. The MA and Ph.D are both offered.

B. Special Programs. The history department is part of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and hence its students draw on the substantial strengths of the various Centers and Institutes of the School (The Alan K. Campbell Public Affairs Institute, The Moynihan Institute for Public Affairs, The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, etc.). Students also benefit from numerous area-studies and interdisciplinary programs at Syracuse University, as well as the broad academic strength offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. At the MA level, students have access to numerous programs, such as Certificates from the Latin American, Middle Eastern, Women's Studies or Security Studies programs.

C. Financial Aid. Nearly all students accepted into our programs are offered funding in the form of some combination of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. The department and the University support graduate students with some competitive fellowships that do not require teaching, which are usually available at the entering (first-year) stage or for dissertation research.

D. Degree Requirements. The program of study leading to the PhD consists of four elements:

1. completion of coursework
2. mastery of language requirements
3. the completion of qualifying examinations in one major and two minor fields
4. preparation of a dissertation, usually in the major field

Coursework:
A minimum of 48 credits of graduate coursework is required for the PhD degree. The coursework develops basic analytical and research skills and grounds students in their areas of specialization. In addition, a maximum of 24 credits must be devoted to dissertation work. All together, students must have a total of 72 credits to receive the PhD

Language Requirement
Each candidate must demonstrate the mastery of at least one language (beyond English, the language of instruction). Many major fields require a second language. This requirement is fulfilled by passing a written translation examination.

Comprehensive Exams
Candidates for the PhD usually take comprehensive examinations at the end of their third year of graduate study (end of the second for students who enter the program with an MA in hand).