Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Students Entering with a Bachelor's Degree
Students without a prior master's complete requirements for the non-thesis track of the MA in History on the way to completing the PhD.
Required Courses
| HIS 5369 | The Historians Craft | 3 |
| HIS 5370 | Advanced Graduate Research and Writing | 3 |
| HIS 5391 | History Pedagogy | 3 |
Electives
| 39 hrs. of graduate electives in HIS or related areas1 | 39 |
| 6 hrs. of additional electives in HIS or related areas | 6 |
Exam Preparation
| HIS 6V85 | Preliminary Readings | 6 |
Dissertation
| HIS 6V99 | Dissertation | 6 |
Additional Requirements
| Comprehensive Exam |
| Intermediate proficiency in a modern language 2 |
Total Hours | 72 |
1Students may take up to 6 hrs. in a related department, subject to GPD approval.
2Intermediate proficiency may be demonstrated by one of the methods listed in the Specific Degree Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree.
Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.A. in history from Baylor may petition to have successfully completed HIS 5369 and HIS 5370 seminars count towards the required hours for the Ph.D. program. If the petition is successful, this reduces the required hours from 39 to 33.
Additional Information about PhD Sequence and Requirements
Students are expected to spend at least 3 years in residence (minimum on-campus time).
Coursework
All entering PhD students will be required to take HIS 5369 The Historian's Craft and HIS 5370 Advanced Graduate Research and Writing during their first year. They must also complete HIS 5391 History Pedagogy in their first or second year.
Students must write at least 3 research papers as part of coursework.
Length of course work differs for students entering with a master's degree vs. bachelor's degree. (See course requirements above.)
Preliminary Exam
Following course work, students will enroll in 6 hours of HIS 6V85 Preliminary Readings. Students will develop three prelim reading lists in consultation with a professor on the student’s reading list committee. The lists should comprise the following fields:
- Primary Field: approximately 125 books
- geography and time period in which student's research concentrates
- Dissertation Field: approximately 125 books
- topical field within the primary field in which the student anticipates their dissertation work
- Outside Field: approximately 50 books
- must be in different area of the world than student’s primary field, subject to GPD approval
Dissertation
The capstone of the PhD degree is the dissertation. Students will enroll in a total of 12 hours of HIS 6V99 Dissertation as they write the dissertation. The dissertation must make an original scholarly contribution to the student’s chosen area of study. The student will be required to orally defend the written dissertation to a dissertation committee composed in accordance with Graduate School regulations.