In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Faculty of Arts requirements, the Department requires:

a) A minimum of 12 units of coursework at the graduate level, including courses in the primary and secondary areas. These courses include:

3 units in the primary area as a course reading course;
3 units in the secondary area as a course reading course;
6 additional units including course (3 units), if not completed in a student's MA program. Among these, the student may also choose 3 units outside the Department (requiring the supervisor's and graduate program director's approval).

b) Normally, a demonstration of reading proficiency in a language other than English and relevant to the student's research prior to the candidacy examination. Please refer to the subsection below for further details.

c) Written and oral candidacy examinations in primary and secondary areas.

d) Submission and successful defense of an original thesis, normally 80,000 - 100,000 words in length (including notes, charts, tables and appendices, but excluding bibliography).

Language Requirements

Both the master's and the doctoral degrees normally require a demonstration of reading proficiency in a language other than English and related to the major field of study or research area. This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:

1. Passing the Department language exam, which is set twice a year and tests the ability to understand the general meaning of an academic text in a language other than English with the help of dictionaries (English and language which is examined). It can be repeated if failed.

2. Documentation establishing reading proficiency in a language other than English. It is the responsibility of the student to supply evidence of reading proficiency or evidence that course work in a language other than English at another university meets the requirement. Students not meeting the requirement upon entry should consult with the graduate program director before classes begin.

Students may, with permission of the supervisor and the graduate program director, replace reading proficiency with oral proficiency.

Copyediting

The graduate program in the Department of History does not permit the use of third-party editors in the preparation of papers and theses.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History

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General Program Information