MA and PhD academic requirements for our graduate program can be found at Faculty of Graduate Studies—Program Requirements.
MA
The MA degree may be pursued either full-time or part-time. The timetable given here applies to full-time students. For part-time, please consult the Graduate Program Director (GPD).
PhD
All requirements for a PhD must be fulfilled within 18 terms (six years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student.
Master of Arts (MA) in History
There are two programs for the MA in History: by coursework and major research paper and by coursework and thesis.
The MA pursued full-time normally takes twelve months to complete, beginning in September. Students who successfully complete all requirements by mid-August will receive their degrees at October Convocation.
All requirements for the MA must be fulfilled within twelve terms (four years) of registration as a full- or part-time student. Terms when a student is on an approved leave of absence, such as maternity leave, are not included in these time limits.
General advising on academic matters, such as course selection or progress through the degree, is the responsibility of the GPD. For questions about more specific topics or assignments students are encouraged to consult course instructors or other faculty members.
MA by Coursework and Major Research Paper
This is the standard program for the MA in History.
Students must complete 18 credits of graduate-level courses (5000/6000 level), normally by taking nine credits in each of the Fall and Winter Terms. With the approval of the GPD and the permission of the program offering the course(s), up to six credits may be taken in another York graduate program. Under exceptional circumstances up to six credits may be taken at another Ontario university: see Graduate Student Exchange & Visiting Programs. All coursework, including essays, must normally be completed by early May.
Graduate course offerings vary from year to year. In midsummer, the Program website will post a list of courses to be offered in the upcoming year.
All MA students are encouraged to take GS/HIST 5001 3.0, ‘Doing History: An Introduction.’ This course, for MA students only, is designed to provide training in skills useful for advanced studies in History. Included in the course are preliminary steps toward preparing a formal proposal for the Major Research Paper.
Developed and written under the direction of a member of Graduate History faculty, the MRP is a substantial essay (usually of 50-70 pages) incorporating original research and historical analysis. On the model of an academic journal article, the MRP should be skillfully organized, coherently argued and situated within the relevant secondary literature.
The MRP topic often evolves from earlier work, either a topic described in the MA application or one broached in a more recent course. Although the MRP may build on research that the student has undertaken as part of earlier undergraduate or graduate study, it must include significant new and additional dimensions in subject matter, forms of analysis, and/or conclusions. The topic must be approved by a supervisor who is a member of the graduate History faculty.
The selection of the supervisor and formulation and approval of the topic will be confirmed during Winter Term.
Research and writing are usually conducted between May and August, though students are encouraged to begin work on their MRPs during the Winter Term in order to facilitate its completion in August. During this time the student should consult as needed with their supervisor. Preliminary drafts for comment and revision are an essential part of the process, and student and supervisor must agree on a suitable timetable. The completed MRP should be submitted in electronic form to the Program office by August 15.
The supervisor and a second reader, secured by the supervisor and approved by the GPD, will jointly evaluate the essay and submit a mark to the Program office. In the case that the two readers cannot agree on a mark, the GPD takes steps to resolve the difference.
MA by Coursework and Thesis
This option is permitted in exceptional cases only.
The student must complete 12 credits of graduate-level coursework (5000/6000 levels), including at least six credits in the Program in History.
The thesis, developed under the supervision of a member of the Graduate History faculty, involves original research reported in appropriate form in an extended paper (approximately 120 pages). The written thesis will be assessed by the supervisor, another member of the Graduate History Program and an examiner external to the Graduate History Program and then must be defended at an oral examination.
Degree Requirements for PhD in History
Timetable for full-time students
The PhD in History is to be completed in six years by following this timetable:
PhD 1 Fall and Winter Terms: coursework; Summer Term: preparation for comprehensive exam.
PhD 2 August: comprehensive exam, written and oral; October: submission of form naming supervisor; December: submission of dissertation proposal.
PhD 2 January to PhD 6 Research and writing of dissertation.
PhD 6 Submission of dissertation and defence.
All requirements for a PhD must be fulfilled within 18 terms (six years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student. For part-time students timing of the components will be adapted in consultation with the Graduate Program Director and the supervisor.
Candidates beginning the doctorate in the Graduate Program in History, including those completing MAs at York University, will be allowed to proceed only if they have satisfied all requirements for their MA by the date of their registration as a doctoral candidate. It is assumed that students will not be admitted to the PhD program without having completed a substantial essay (usually an MRP) or equivalent project based on historical research in some form.
PhD candidates have a supervisor appropriate for their dissertation topic designated as they enter the program.
The supervisor:
- consults about course selection and planning for comprehensive exam fields;
- normally writes references for applications for funding and other activities related to the dissertation (other faculty members may be requested to do so as well);
- oversees the development of the dissertation topic, the preparation of the dissertation proposal, and the selection of other members of the supervisory committee;
- consults about research in progress, reads drafts of dissertation chapters, and responds in a timely way;
- ensures that all supervisory committee members have read and approved the completed dissertation;
- in conjunction with the Graduate Director, selects the external examiner.
Supervisors or supervisory committee members may be changed at the request of the candidate and/or the supervisor and in consultation with the Graduate Director. Any changes must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Students must complete 18 credits of graduate-level coursework (5000/6000 levels). Normally this is done by taking nine credits in each of Fall and Winter Terms of PhD 1.
Courses are selected in consultation with the GPD and the supervisor with attention to preparing fields for the comprehensive examination. Graduate course offerings vary from year to year. In midsummer the Program website will post a list of courses to be offered in the upcoming Fall and Winter Terms. A few courses are exclusively for PhD students; others will be shared with MA students.
If required to fill out a specific program of study, a directed reading course can be arranged with the agreement of the faculty member concerned, the student's supervisor, and the Graduate Program Director. The number of directed reading courses a student may take is limited to one full course (or two half courses).
Students may select up to six credits in relevant courses from other York graduate programs. Before enrolling, a student must secure permission from the Program offering the course and the agreement of the GPD.
Under exceptional circumstances up to six credits may be taken at another Ontario university: see Graduate Student Exchange & Visiting Programs.
For full-time students, all coursework must be completed before the beginning of PhD 2.
To assure breadth and background in preparation for the dissertation and for future professional activities as historians, PhD students must demonstrate knowledge of two distinct fields selected from the Program’s list of fields (listed below). Various combinations of geographical and thematic fields may be chosen in consultation with the supervisor and the GPD.
The comprehensive exam consists of two elements:
- Written examinations on both fields of study or written examinations on one field and a special project on the second field;
- An oral examination covering both written exams and the special project.
Fields of study
Students select two fields of study to be examined on in their comprehensive exam. The process of selecting fields of study is overseen by the supervisor and the GPD.
You will have the opportunity to combine studies in different fields:
Geographic fields:
- Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America
- Ancient history
- Canada
- Europe
- United States
- Asia
Thematic fields:
- Cultural history
- Indigenous History
- Migration and Ethnicity
- Politics, Law and the State
- Sciences, health and environments
- Social and economic history
- Women, gender and sexualities
- Transnational, comparative and global history
Timing of comprehensive exams
In ordinary circumstances, full-time students are expected to take their comprehensive exams at the end of August in their first summer (i.e. at the very beginning of Year 2). This will ensure timely progress through their PhD degrees. There are, however, circumstances which will justify a deferral of examinations until the next exam period. Such circumstances include:
- A need for disability-related accommodations, supported by documentation from Student Accessibility Services;
- Serious illness on the part of the student, evidenced by medical documentation;
- A major crisis in the student’s family, especially one imposing substantial new familial duties such as childcare or elder care;
- Inability to prepare for the exams during the Fall and Winter of Year 1, due to a lack of available seminars or reading courses in both of the student’s fields;
- If the student’s first language is not English, the need for more time to read the required number of books;
- Significantly more onerous teaching responsibilities, beyond the standard 135 hours per semester; and
- Unusual circumstances relating to the student’s dissertation research that require a protracted absence in the summer of Year 1 (e.g. for fieldwork or archival research).
Requests for a deferral must have written support from the student’s supervisor. A formal written request must be made to Graduate Program Director, who will approve or deny it, acting in consultation with the Graduate Executive Committee. The student, the supervisor, and the other members of the student’s examination committee will then be informed of the verdict. In the event of a significant interruption of the University’s operations, for example due to a labour disruption or public health emergency, the Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the Graduate Executive Committee, may grant a deferral to all students due to write comprehensive exams.
When the Program grants an individual or blanket deferral of comprehensive exams, this does not change the deadlines imposed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies for the nomination of supervisors, the appointment of supervisory committees, or the approval of dissertation proposals. Students who experience protracted interruptions to their studies should petition the Faculty of Graduate Studies for a formal Leave of Absence.
Part-time students are expected to complete their courses by the end of their second year in the program and to sit the comprehensive examinations no later than the spring of their third year in the Program.
Preparation for comprehensive exams
The specific scope of the two fields and of the reading lists will be set in consultation with the supervisor and the other examiners and approved by the GPD.
September-January of PhD 1: Choose the two fields, discuss which faculty members will serve as examiners (normally two per field), and finalize the reading lists for each field, in consultation with the supervisor and other examiners. The length of reading lists varies from field to field, but the general guideline is 75 books (or equivalent) for each.
By March 1 of PhD 1: Submit to the Program office the Comprehensive Exam Information Form that (1) labels the two fields for examination (2) names two examiners for each field; and (3) identifies the topic and form of the special project (when applicable).
Roles of supervisor and other examiners
Supervisors and other examiners will consult with the student and each other to define the fields of study and reading lists. Different fields have their own policies regarding the setting of reading lists.
The examiners in each field collaborate on setting the questions for the written exams. If more than one student is being examined in the same field, the same questions are usually posed to each. Exceptions may occur when reading lists vary significantly from student to student.
Role of student
Periodic consultation with the supervisor or other field examiner is wise. Collaboration with other students who are preparing or have completed a related field exam may also be helpful. Questions from previous exams are available from the Program office, and sometimes from other students. It is good practice toward the end of the preparation period to do some trial runs and discuss your results with someone familiar with the process.
Special project
In consultation with their supervisors, students may elect to do a special project in lieu of a written examination in one of their fields. The purpose of the special project is to assemble and present historical subject-matter in some depth for an educated but non-specialist audience. The special project must demonstrate mastery of the materials on the relevant field reading list; it should not focus on issues that are merely peripheral to these materials.
Most often, the project is a detailed proposal for an upper-level undergraduate course. Other formats, such as a a podcast series, a historical website, or an exhibition, may also be used, provided that the GPD and supervisor agree that this is appropriate.
If the special project takes the form of an upper-level undergraduate course proposal, it must include:
- The course title.
- A rationale for the course, usually one paragraph long.
- Topics for 24 one-hour lectures, with an indication of the readings to be assigned.
- Topics for 12 tutorials.
- The full written text of one lecture.
If the special project takes the form of a podcast series, it must include:
- The series title.
- A rationale for the series of at least 1,500 words. The rationale must include:
- A discussion of how the series will reflect the historiographical issues and debates covered in the items on the relevant reading list. This discussion should be supported by the citation of items from the list and, if relevant, other scholarly works.
- A discussion of who the target audience for the series is, and how the material can be made intelligible and engaging for that audience.
- Titles for 24 podcast episodes of 15-20 minutes, each title accompanied by a description of no more than 50 words and references for 2-3 items of further reading relevant to the episode.
- Recordings of two podcast episodes of 15-20 minutes each.
The putative dissertation supervisor must review a draft of the special project and offer suggestions before the final submission.
The completed project must be submitted two weeks before the first written examination.
Written examinations
Written examinations will be scheduled by the Graduate History Program office. When two examinations are written, they are normally written one week apart. Students may choose to write the examinations remotely or in person on campus.
The standard length for written examinations is four hours. Students with disability accommodations may, however, request additional time from the Graduate Program Director, as may students whose first language is not English. Such requests must be made in advance of the examination and in writing. During examinations, students may have access to their reading lists, but otherwise these are closed-book examinations, so access to notes or other resources is not permitted. When an examination is written remotely, the questions will be emailed to the student by the Graduate Program Assistant at the beginning of the examination, and then the answers must be emailed back at the end of the time allowed for the examination.
Questions for written examinations will be unseen: i.e. students will not be given the questions in advance. Examination papers consist of a group of fairly broad questions from which candidates choose two to four, depending on the specifications of the test paper. The precise format of examination papers varies depending on the customs of the field, and is not centrally regulated by the Program. Candidates are encouraged to shape their examination answers and special projects to cover a range of materials so as to demonstrate breadth as well as depth of knowledge.
Oral examination and evaluation
The oral examination will be scheduled to follow the final written examination, usually within two weeks. Scheduling is handled by the Program Assistant and is set for a time when all examiners can be present.
Oral examinations, usually chaired by the GPD, cover both special projects and written exams. The questioning may address not only all the written submissions but also unanswered questions on the exam papers.
Both fields of study are evaluated separately.
The possible outcomes of the comprehensive exams, taking into consideration special projects, written exams, and oral exams, are as follows:
- Passed
- Adjourned
- Failed.
Adjourned and failed exams
If a candidate does not pass one or more component of the comprehensive exam at the first attempt the result will be that the exam is adjourned. In the case of an adjournment, the candidate will be given one further opportunity in the next exam period to retake the component(s) that they did not initially pass. If a candidate fails any component of the re-taken exam this will constitute failure and necessitate withdrawal from the program.
NOTE: A comprehensive exam can be adjourned only once.
As noted above, all aspects of the dissertation are regulated by the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation.
In brief, the four elements of the dissertation are as follows:
a) A dissertation proposal (15–20 pages) on an approved topic and the associated administrative paperwork, including an ethics review where relevant, should be completed and submitted to the Program office in the next term after the passing of the comprehensive exam.
(b) A supervisory committee usually has three members of faculty, including the supervisor, although another may be added if there is reason. At least two members, including the supervisor, must be members of the Graduate Program in History. One member may be from another York graduate program. After consulting with the supervisor, a student should approach a possible supervisory committee member with a draft of the dissertation proposal to discuss whether that person is willing to serve.
On occasion, a faculty-member at another university may be particularly useful for the project. The supervisor and/or the student may approach the GPD to discuss the possibility. With approval of the GPD and the Program Executive committee, a suitable scholar can be named as an adjunct faculty in the Graduate History Program.
The names of the dissertation committee members must be submitted along with the dissertation proposal.
(c) Based on original research conducted while in program and incorporating critical understanding of the relevant literature, the doctoral dissertation (normally 250–350 pages) should make a significant contribution to historical knowledge.
(d) When the completed dissertation has been approved by supervisory committee members, it then requires assessment by an external examiner. If deemed examinable by the external examiner, the dissertation must be successfully defended at an oral examination.
PhD students must be able to read such languages as are necessary for their research. In general, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to determine what is needed and to ensure that the student has the required competency. Candidates working in ancient Greek and Roman history must pass qualifying exams in the two ancient languages most relevant to their research. They must also pass qualifying exams in modern German and in a second modern language relevant to their research.
Learn More
The Graduate Program in History at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.