phd in history thesis

Thesis Statements

What is a thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is one of the most important parts of your paper.  It expresses your main argument succinctly and explains why your argument is historically significant.  Think of your thesis as a promise you make to your reader about what your paper will argue.  Then, spend the rest of your paper–each body paragraph–fulfilling that promise.

Your thesis should be between one and three sentences long and is placed at the end of your introduction.  Just because the thesis comes towards the beginning of your paper does not mean you can write it first and then forget about it.  View your thesis as a work in progress while you write your paper.  Once you are satisfied with the overall argument your paper makes, go back to your thesis and see if it captures what you have argued.  If it does not, then revise it.  Crafting a good thesis is one of the most challenging parts of the writing process, so do not expect to perfect it on the first few tries.  Successful writers revise their thesis statements again and again.

A successful thesis statement:

• makes an historical argument
• takes a position that requires defending
• is historically specific
• is focused and precise
• answers the question, “so what?”

How to write a thesis statement:

Suppose you are taking an early American history class and your professor has distributed the following essay prompt:

“Historians have debated the American Revolution’s effect on women.  Some argue that the Revolution had a positive effect because it increased women’s authority in the family.  Others argue that it had a negative effect because it excluded women from politics.  Still others argue that the Revolution changed very little for women, as they remained ensconced in the home.  Write a paper in which you pose your own answer to the question of whether the American Revolution had a positive, negative, or limited effect on women.”

Using this prompt, we will look at both weak and strong thesis statements to see how successful thesis statements work.

While this thesis does take a position, it is problematic because it simply restates the prompt.  It needs to be more specific about how  the Revolution had a limited effect on women and  why it mattered that women remained in the home.

Revised Thesis:  The Revolution wrought little political change in the lives of women because they did not gain the right to vote or run for office.  Instead, women remained firmly in the home, just as they had before the war, making their day-to-day lives look much the same.

This revision is an improvement over the first attempt because it states what standards the writer is using to measure change (the right to vote and run for office) and it shows why women remaining in the home serves as evidence of limited change (because their day-to-day lives looked the same before and after the war).  However, it still relies too heavily on the information given in the prompt, simply saying that women remained in the home.  It needs to make an argument about some element of the war’s limited effect on women.  This thesis requires further revision.

Strong Thesis: While the Revolution presented women unprecedented opportunities to participate in protest movements and manage their family’s farms and businesses, it ultimately did not offer lasting political change, excluding women from the right to vote and serve in office.

Few would argue with the idea that war brings upheaval.  Your thesis needs to be debatable:  it needs to make a claim against which someone could argue.  Your job throughout the paper is to provide evidence in support of your own case.  Here is a revised version:

Strong Thesis: The Revolution caused particular upheaval in the lives of women.  With men away at war, women took on full responsibility for running households, farms, and businesses.  As a result of their increased involvement during the war, many women were reluctant to give up their new-found responsibilities after the fighting ended.

Sexism is a vague word that can mean different things in different times and places.  In order to answer the question and make a compelling argument, this thesis needs to explain exactly what  attitudes toward women were in early America, and  how those attitudes negatively affected women in the Revolutionary period.

Strong Thesis: The Revolution had a negative impact on women because of the belief that women lacked the rational faculties of men. In a nation that was to be guided by reasonable republican citizens, women were imagined to have no place in politics and were thus firmly relegated to the home.

This thesis addresses too large of a topic for an undergraduate paper.  The terms “social,” “political,” and “economic” are too broad and vague for the writer to analyze them thoroughly in a limited number of pages.  The thesis might focus on one of those concepts, or it might narrow the emphasis to some specific features of social, political, and economic change.

Strong Thesis: The Revolution paved the way for important political changes for women.  As “Republican Mothers,” women contributed to the polity by raising future citizens and nurturing virtuous husbands.  Consequently, women played a far more important role in the new nation’s politics than they had under British rule.

This thesis is off to a strong start, but it needs to go one step further by telling the reader why changes in these three areas mattered.  How did the lives of women improve because of developments in education, law, and economics?  What were women able to do with these advantages?  Obviously the rest of the paper will answer these questions, but the thesis statement needs to give some indication of why these particular changes mattered.

Strong Thesis: The Revolution had a positive impact on women because it ushered in improvements in female education, legal standing, and economic opportunity.  Progress in these three areas gave women the tools they needed to carve out lives beyond the home, laying the foundation for the cohesive feminist movement that would emerge in the mid-nineteenth century.

Thesis Checklist

When revising your thesis, check it against the following guidelines:

• Does my thesis make an historical argument?
• Does my thesis take a position that requires defending?
• Is my thesis historically specific?
• Is my thesis focused and precise?
• Does my thesis answer the question, “so what?”

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Home > USC Columbia > Arts and Sciences > History > History Theses and Dissertations

History Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Cashing the Check of Democracy The American Revolution and Citizenship in the Black Freedom Struggle 1960-1970 , Zachary Earle Clary

“All the Rights of Native Cherokees”: The Appearance of Black People in Cherokee Society , Ayanna Goines

“We Are Created Inferior to Men”: Leveraging Horsemanship to Reinforce Gender Expectations, 1830-1861 , Gabrielle Marie McCoy

The Widened Hearthstone Urban Playgrounds as the Infrastructure of Public Mothering, 1900-1930 , Alexandra Miller

Piratical Transportation: Highlighting Silences in Carolina’s Enslavement and Exportation of Native Americans , Jordan Stenger

Lunatics, Liberals and Bloodthirsty Haters: The South in the 1972 Presidential Election , Thomas Clayton Strebeck

In Her Possession and Keeping Revolutionary War Widows and the Politics of Family Archives, 1820–1850 , Riley Kathryn Sutherland

Colored Lawyer, Topeka: The Legend and Legacy of Elisa Scott , Jeffery Scott Williams

Meditations On Modern America: The Ambiguous Worldview of Transcendental Meditation, 1967-1979 , Grant William Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

The Presbyterian Exception? The Illegal Education of Enslaved Blacks by South Carolina Presbyterian Churches, 1834-1865 , Margaret Bates

Roy Acuff, Democratic Candidate , Henry Luther Capps III

Before the Storm: Youth Hockey in North Carolina Ahead of the NHL’s Arrival , Sarai ShareI Dai

Flying Saucer of the Smokies: The Debate Over National Park Architecture and Wilderness Values in Clingmans Dome Observation Tower , Michelle Fieser

“I Like a Fight”: Margaret Sanger and the First Birth Control Clinic in the United States , Rebecca Linnea Hall

Who Has the Right to Reproduce? Forced Sterilization in South Carolina in the Early Twentieth Century , Kathryn Pownall

Sex (Work) And the City: Sex Work in Columbia, South Carolina, 1860-1880 , Presley McKalyn Ramey

Resurrecting a Nation Through Silk and Diplomacy: American Material Culture and Foreign Relations During the Reconstruction Era , Paige Weaver

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Building a New (Deal) Identity The Evolution of Italian-American Political Culture and Ideology, 1910–1940 , Ryan J. Antonucci

“It Seemed Like Reaching for the Moon:” Southside Virginia’s Civil Rights Struggle Against The Virginia Way, 1951-1964 , Emily A. Martin Cochran

“We are Going to be Reckoned With”: The South Carolina UDC and the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Museum, 1986-2000 , Caitlin Cutrona

Enslaved Rebellion and Abolitionist Imperialism in Britain’s Atlantic World, 1807-1884 , Lewis Eliot

Religion, Senses, and Remembrance: Brooklyn’s Sumter Club in Postbellum Charleston, S.C. , Michael Edward Scott Emett

Praying Soldiers: Experiencing Religion as a Revolutionary War Soldier Fighting for Independence , Roberto Oscar Flores de Apodaca

Engraved in Prejudice: How Currency Displayed the Mindset of the South , Holly Johnson Floyd

The Governor’s Guards: Militia, Politics, Social Networking, and Manhood in Columbia, South Carolina, 1843-1874 , Justin Harwell

Patients’ Rights, Patients’ Politics: Jewish Activists of the U.S. Women’s Health Movement, 1969-1990 , Jillian Michele Hinderliter

Joshua Gordon’s Witchcraft Book and The Transformation of the Upcountry of South Carolina , E. Zoie Horecny

“The Once and Future Audubon:” The History of the Audubon Ballroom and the Movement to Save It , William Maclane Hull

A Culture of Control: Progressive Era Eugenics in South Carolina as a Continuation of Created White Supremacy , Hannah Nicole Patton

Shaping a Queer South: The Evolution of Activism From 1960-2000 , A. Kamau Pope

The Robber Barons of Show Business: Traveling Amusements And The Development of the American Entertainment Industry, 1870- 1920 , Madeline Steiner

Charlotte's Glory Road: The History of NASCAR in the Queen City , Hannah Thompson

Foxy Ladies and Badass Super Agents: Legacies of 1970s Blaxploitation Spy and Detective Heroines , Carlie Nicole Todd

Media Combat: The Great War and the Transformation of American Culture , Andrew Steed Walgren

“Hungering and Thirsting” for Education: Education, Presbyterians, and African Americans in the South, 1880-1920 , Rachel Marie Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Gendering Secession: Women and Politics in South Carolina, 1859- 1861 , Melissa DeVelvis

The Chasquis of Liberty: Revolutionary Messengers in the Bolivian Independence Era, 1808-1825 , Caleb Garret Wittum

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Learning Church: Catechisms and Lay Participation in Early New England Congregationalism , Roberto O. Flores de Apodaca

Useful Beauty: Tiffany Favrile, Carnival Glass, and Consumerism at the Turn of the Twentieth Century , Chelsea Grayburn

Restoring America: Historic Preservation and the New Deal , Stephanie E. Gray

For the Common Man: An Analysis of the United States Space and Rocket Center , Patrice R. Green

Made to Be Forgotten: The Chevalier DE Saint-Sauveur & the Franco-American Alliance , Katelynn Hatton

Leaders in the Making: Higher Education, Student Activism, and the Black Freedom Struggle in South Carolina, 1925-1975 , Ramon M. Jackson

Exclusive Dining: Immigration and Restaurants in Chicago during the Era of Chinese Exclusion, 1893-1933 , Samuel C. King

Complicating the Narrative: Using Jim's Story to Interpret Enslavement, Leasing, and Resistance at Duke Homestead , Jennifer Melton

“Unknown and Unlamented”: Loyalist Women in Nova Scotia from Exile to Repatriation, 1775-1800 , G. Patrick O’Brien

Raising America Racist: How 1920’s Klanswomen Used Education to Implement Systemic Racism , Kathleen Borchard Schoen

Learning the Land: Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Southern Borderlands, 1500-1850 , William Cane West

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Beyond Preservation: Reconstructing Sites Of Slavery, Reconstruction, And Segregation , Charlotte Adams

Reading Material: Personal Libraries And The Cultivation Of Identity In Revolutionary South Carolina , Gabriella Angeloni

Politics and the Built Environment: Civic Structures of Eighteenth Century Williamsburg, Virginia and Charles Town, South Carolina , Paul Bartow

The Lost Ones: The Cold War State, Child Welfare Systems, And The Battles Over The Rosenberg Children , Megan Bennett

“Catering To The Local Trade”: Jewish-Owned Grocery Stores In Columbia, South Carolina , Olivia Brown

If This Be Sin: Gladys Bentley And The Performance Of Identity , Moira Mahoney Church

“I Hope They Fire Me:” Black Teachers In The Fight For Equal Education, 1910-1970 , Candace Cunningham

Constructing Scientific Knowledge: The Understanding of the Slow Virus, 1898-1976 , Burke Hood Dial

Ayatollahs And Embryos: Science, Politics, And Religion In Post-Revolutionary Iran , M Sadegh Foghani

Of Cannonades and Battle Cries: Aurality, The Battle of The Alamo, and Memory , Michelle E. Herbelin

Anti-Sabbatarianism in Antebellum America: The Christian Quarrel over the Sanctity of Sunday , Kathryn Kaslow

A Divisive Community: Race, Nation, And Loyalty In Santo Domingo, 1822 – 1844 , Antony Wayne Keane-Dawes

“Remember Them Not for How They Died”: American Memory and the Challenger Accident , Elizabeth F. Koele

Garagecraft: Tinkering In The American Garage , Katherine Erica McFadden

Black Power And Neighborhood Organizing In Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Way Community Center, 1966-1971 , Sarah Jayne Paulsen

The Popular Education Question in Antebellum South Carolina, 1800-1860 , Brian A. Robinson

Perks Of Perkins: Understanding Where Magic And Religion Meet For An Early Modern English Theologian , Kyle Sanders

Black Men, Red Coats: The Carolina Corps, Race, and Society in the Revolutionary British Atlantic , Gary Sellick

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Skin Deep: African American Women and the Building of Beauty Culture in South Carolina , Catherine Davenport

Funding South Carolina’s Monuments: The Growth of the Corporate Person in Monument Financing , Justin Curry Davis

Sex and the State: Sexual Politics in South Carolina in the 1970s , Jennifer Holman Gunter

Within the House of Bondage: Constructing and Negotiating the Plantation Landscape in the British Atlantic World, 1670-1820 , Erin M. Holmes

Odor and Power in the Americas: Olfactory Consciousness from Columbus to Emancipation , Andrew Kettler

From Rice Fields to Duck Marshes: Sport Hunters and Environmental Change on the South Carolina Coast, 1890–1950 , Matthew Allen Lockhart

Potential Republicans: Reconstruction Printers of Columbia, South Carolina , John Lustrea

Lamps, Maps, Mud-Machines, and Signal Flags: Science, Technology, and Commerce in the Early United States , James Russell Risk

Rebirth of the House Museum: Commemorating Reconstruction at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home , Jennifer Whitmer Taylor

Buy for the Sake of your Baby: Guardian Consumerism in Twentieth Century America , Mark VanDriel

Environmental Negotiations Cherokee Power in the Arkansas Valley, 1812-1828 , Cane West

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

A Call To Every Citizen: The South Carolina State Council Of Defense And World War I , Allison Baker

National Register Nomination for the Waikiki Village Motel , Jane W. Campbell

“Antagonistic Describes the Scene:” Local News Portrayals of the New Left and the Escalation of Protest at the University of South Carolina, 1970 , Alyssa Jordan Constad

Ahead of Their Time: Black Teachers and Their Community in the Immediate Post- Brown Years , Candace Cunningham

Deserts Will Bloom: Atomic Agriculture And The Promise Of Radioactive Redemption , Chris Fite

Restoring the Dock Street Theatre: Cultural Production in New-Deal Era Charleston, South Carolina , Stephanie E. Gray

In Search Of Granby: A Colonial Village Of South Carolina , Kathryn F. Keenan

Preserving The Architectural Legacy Of Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle & Wolff, 1948-1976 , Casey Lee

Looking for Remnants of Rice Cultivation at Manchester State Forest Through the Use of LIDAR , Sarah Anne Moore

Uncle Sam’s Jungle: Recreation, Imagination, And The Caribbean National Forest , Will Garrett Mundhenke

G.I. Joe v. Jim Crow: Legal Battles Over Off-Base School Segregation Of Military Children In The American South, 1962-1964 , Randall George Owens

Radioactive Dixie: A History of Nuclear Power and Nuclear Waste in the American South, 1950-1990 , Caroline Rose Peyton

A Culture Of Commodification: Hemispheric And Intercolonial Migrations In The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, 1660-1807 , Neal D. Polhemus

Rediscovering Camden: The Preservation of a Revolutionary War Battlefield , Gary Sellick

The “Forgotten Man” of Washington: the Pershing Memorial and the Battle over Military Memorialization , Andrew S. Walgren

Proslavery Thinking In Antebellum South Carolina: Higher Education, Transatlantic Encounters, And The Life Of The Mind , Jamie Diane Wilson

Colonialism Unraveling: Race, Religion, And National Belonging In Santo Domingo During The Age Of Revolutions , Charlton W. Yingling

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

"Very Many More Men than Women": A Study of the Social Implications of Diagnostics at the South Carolina State Hospital , Clara Elizabeth Bertagnolli

Forgotten Science of Bird Eggs: The Life Cycle of Oology at the Smithsonian Institution , Katherine Nicole Crosby

Shifting Authority at the Confederate Relic Room, 1960-1986 , Kristie L. DaFoe

Boundary Stones: Morbid Concretions and the Chemistry of Early Nineteenth Century Medicine , Edward Allen Driggers Jr.

Main Street, America: Histories of I-95 , Mark T. Evans

National Register Nomination for St. James the Greater Catholic Mission , Diana Garnett

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Department of History

Yale history dissertations.

During the late 1800’s, only a trickle of dissertations were submitted annually, but today, the department averages about 25 per year. See who some of those intrepid scholars were and what they wrote about by clicking on any of the years listed below.

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How to Research and Write a Compelling History Thesis

The Importance of Research for Writing a History Thesis

Just as history is more than a collection of facts about past events, an effective history thesis goes beyond simply sharing recorded information. Writing a compelling history thesis requires making an argument about a historical fact and, then, researching and providing a well-crafted defense for that position.

With so many sources available—some of which may provide conflicting findings—how should a student research and write a history thesis? How can a student create a thesis that’s both compelling and supports a position that academic editors describe as “concise, contentious, and coherent”?

Key steps in how to write a history thesis include evaluating source materials, developing a strong thesis statement, and building historical knowledge.

Compelling theses provide context about historical events. This context, according to the reference website ThoughtCo., refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions during an occurrence that “enable us to interpret and analyze works or events of the past, or even the future, rather than merely judge them by contemporary standards”.

The context supports the main point of a thesis, called the thesis statement, by providing an interpretive and analytical framework of the facts, instead of simply stating them. Research uncovers the evidence necessary to make the case for that thesis statement.

To gather evidence that contributes to a deeper understanding of a given historical topic, students should reference both primary and secondary sources of research.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are firsthand accounts of events in history, according to Professor David Ulbrich, director of Norwich University’s online Master of Arts in History program. These sources provide information not only about what happened and how it happened but also why it happened.

Primary sources can include letters, diaries, photos, and videos as well as material objects such as “spent artillery shells, architectural features, cemetery headstones, chemical analysis of substances, shards of bowls or bottles, farming implements, or earth or environmental features or factors,” Ulbrich says. “The author of the thesis can tell how people lived, for example, by the ways they arranged their material lives.”

Primary research sources are the building blocks to help us better understand and appreciate history. It is critical to find as many primary sources from as many perspectives as possible. Researching these firsthand accounts can provide evidence that helps answer those “what”, “how”, and “why” questions about the past, Ulbrich says.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are materials—such as books, articles, essays, and documentaries—gathered and interpreted by other researchers. These sources often provide updates and evaluation of the thesis topic or viewpoints that support the theories presented in the thesis.

Primary and secondary sources are complementary types of research that form a convincing foundation for a thesis’ main points.

How to Write a History Thesis

What are the steps to write a history thesis? The process of developing a thesis that provides a thorough analysis of a historical event—and presents academically defensible arguments related to that analysis—includes the following:

1. Gather and Analyze Sources

When collecting sources to use in a thesis, students should analyze them to ensure they demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the materials. A student should evaluate the attributes of sources such as their origin and point-of-view.

An array of primary and secondary sources can help provide a thorough understanding of a historical event, although some of those sources may include conflicting views and details. In those cases, the American Historical Association says, it’s up to the thesis author to determine which source reflects the appropriate point-of-view.

2. Develop a Thesis Statement

To create a thesis statement, a student should establish a specific idea or theory that makes the main point about a historical event. Scribbr, an editing website, recommends starting with a working thesis, asking the question the thesis intends to answer, and, then, writing the answer.

The final version of a thesis statement might be argumentative, for example, taking a side in a debate. Or it might be expository, explaining a historical situation. In addition to being concise and coherent, a thesis statement should be contentious, meaning it requires evidence to support it.

3. Create an Outline

Developing a thesis requires an outline of the content that will support the thesis statement. Students should keep in mind the following key steps in creating their outline:

• Note major points.
• Categorize ideas supported by the theories.
• Arrange points according to the importance and a timeline of events addressed by the thesis.
• Create effective headings and subheadings.
• Format the outline.

4. Organize Information

Thesis authors should ensure their content follows a logical order. This may entail coding resource materials to help match them to the appropriate theories while organizing the information. A thesis typically contains the following elements.

• Abstract —Overview of the thesis.
• Introduction —Summary of the thesis’ main points.
• Literature review —Explanation of the gap in previous research addressed by this thesis.
• Methods —Outline how the author reviewed the research and why materials were selected.
• Results —Description of the research findings.
• Discussion —Analysis of the research.
• Conclusion —Statements about what the student learned.

5. Write the Thesis

Online writing guide Paperpile recommends that students start with the literature review when writing the thesis. Developing this section first will help the author gain a more complete understanding of the thesis’ source materials. Writing the abstract last can give the student a thorough picture of the work the abstract should describe.

The discussion portion of the thesis typically is the longest since it’s here that the writer will explain the limitations of the work, offer explanations of any unexpected results, and cite remaining questions about the topic.

In writing the thesis, the author should keep in mind that the document will require multiple changes and drafts—perhaps even new insights. A student should gather feedback from a professor and colleagues to ensure their thesis is clear and effective before finalizing the draft.      

6. Prepare to Defend the Thesis

A committee will evaluate the student’s defense of the thesis’ theories. Students should prepare to defend their thesis by considering answers to questions posed by the committee. Additionally, students should develop a plan for addressing questions to which they may not have a ready answer, understanding the evaluation likely will consider how the author handles that challenge.

Developing Skills to Write a Compelling History Thesis

When looking for direction on how to write a history thesis, Norwich University’s online Master of Arts in History program can provide the needed skills and knowledge. The program’s tracks and several courses—taken as core classes or as electives in multiple concentrations—can provide a strong foundation for thesis work.

Master of Arts in History Tracks

In the Norwich online Master of Arts in History program, respected scholars help students improve their historical insight, research, writing, analytical, and presentation skills. They teach the following program tracks.

• Public History —Focuses on the preservation and interpretation of historic documents and artifacts for purposes of public observation.
• American History —Emphasizes the exploration and interpretation of key events associated with U.S. history.
• World History —Prepares students to develop an in-depth understanding of world history from various eras.
• Legal and Constitutional History —Provides a thorough study of the foundational legal and constitutional elements in the U.S. and Europe.

Master of Arts in History Courses

Norwich University’s online Master of Arts in History program enables students to customize studies based on career goals and personal interests through the following courses:

• Introduction to History and Historiography —Covers the core concepts of history-based study and research methodology, highlighting how these concepts are essential to developing an effective history thesis.
• Directed Readings in History —Highlights different ways to use sources that chronicle American history to assist in researching and writing a thorough and complete history thesis.
• Race, Gender, and U.S. Constitution —Explores key U.S. Supreme Court decisions relating to national race and gender relations and rights, providing a deeper context to develop compelling history theses.
• Archival Studies —Breaks down the importance of systematically overseeing archival materials, highlighting how to build historical context to better educate and engage with the public.

Start Your Path Toward Writing a Compelling History Thesis

For over two centuries, Norwich University has played a vital role in history as America’s first private military college and the birthplace of the ROTC. As such, the university is uniquely positioned to lead students through a comprehensive analysis of the major developments, events, and figures of the past.

Explore Norwich University’s online Master of Arts in History program. Start your path toward writing a compelling history thesis and taking your talents further.

Writing History: An Introductory Guide to How History Is Produced , American Historical Association     How to Write a Thesis Statement , Scribbr     The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation , ThoughtCo.     7 Reasons Why Research Is Important , Owlcation     Primary and Secondary Sources , Scribbr     Secondary Sources in Research , ThoughtCo.     Analysis of Sources , History Skills     Research Paper Outline , Scribbr     How to Structure a Thesis , Paperpile     Writing Your Final Draft , History Skills     How to Prepare an Excellent Thesis Defense , Paperpile

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You will work with a stellar faculty in the Department of History and neighboring departments as you acquire advanced skills in historical research, analysis, and writing, as well as teaching.

Nine research centers affiliated with the history program offer further programs in area studies, including The Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. You also have access to the largest university library system in the world, consisting of 80 libraries and 17 million volumes.

Examples of dissertations students have worked on include “Cold War Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Military Spending from 1949 to 1989” and “Imperial Schemes: Empire and the Rise of the British Business-State, 1914–1939.”

Graduates of the program have gone on to teach at Yale University, Princeton University, NYU, and the University of Maryland. Others have gone on to positions outside academia as startup founders, lawyers, policy analysts, and museum curators.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of History and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

African History | Ancient History | Byzantine History | Early Modern European History | East Asian History | Environmental History | International and Global History | Latin American History | Medieval History | Middle Eastern History | Modern European History | Russian and Eastern European History | South Asian History | United States History

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of History .

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required. While there is not a specific length requirement, most writing samples are around 20 to 25 pages. If you are submitting a sample that is part of a larger work (a chapter from a thesis, for instance) you may include a brief abstract situating the piece in the larger work.

Statement of Purpose

Your statement of purpose should include why you want to study history in graduate school, why you want to study at Harvard, and indicate your research interests and potential advisors. The required writing sample should be of remarkable quality and ask historical questions. Reading ability in two languages other than English is helpful. Most statements of purpose are around 3 to 5 pages.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

In coordination with Harvard Law School, students may pursue both a PhD in history and a JD at Harvard Law School. To learn more about this course of study consult the Coordinated JD/PhD program overview.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for History

See list of History faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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• Prospective Students
• MA Programs

The Department of History offers a PhD program centered on rigorous research within a vibrant and diverse intellectual community. While most of our students have a history degree (BA) or degrees (BA and MA), we accept students with a variety of backgrounds and interests. 

Admission is highly competitive. All offers include a full university fellowship for the duration of the program. Between 2017 and 2024, a number of excellent students selected for admission were named  Neubauer Family Distinguished Doctoral Fellows and received additional fellowship support over for five years.

Admissions Deadline (Autumn 2025 program start):  December 5, 2024 at 11:55 

Application Process

Interested students apply to the PhD program through the  Division of the Social Sciences . For questions regarding the application submission and fee waivers, please contact  SSD Admissions.  For questions regarding the History PhD Program or History-specific application components, please contact our  graduate affairs administrator .

Official decisions are sent by the Social Science Admissions Office by late February. The Department cannot release any information on admissions decisions.

Application Advice

The requirements for the application can be found on the divisional  admissions pages . The following advice is specific to your application to the Department of History.

Your  writing sample  should be a complete self-contained work. The ideal sample should be in the field of history (or a closely related field) that you plan to pursue at Chicago. Include the class or publication for which the sample was written. We do not have a page or word limit for writing samples. For papers longer than thirty pages, please flag a section for the committee.

Your  candidate statement  provides us with vital insight into the intersection of your intellectual goals and personal trajectory. It should communicate: 1) the ambitions you wish to pursue through doctoral work in history; 2) the specific questions and themes that will shape your dissertation research; 3) the personal and intellectual trajectory that has brought you to those themes and questions and prepared you to pursue them; and 4) the reasons that the University of Chicago and its faculty are well-matched to your doctoral plans.

The most helpful  letters of recommendation  come from faculty members who can assess your ability to work on your proposed historical topic.

Prospective students are asked to identify one or two primary fields of scholarly interest from a list in the application. Our faculty pages are sorted by field. Please see those pages for more information on faculty working in your field of interest. Please note, however, that we highly encourage applicants who work across field boundaries and do not apportion admissions by field.

There is no minimum  foreign language requirement  to enter the program, but successful applicants should possess strong language skills in their proposed research language(s) and be aware of the  language requirements for the various fields . All students are required to take a language exam in the first quarter of the program.

The University sets the  English-language assessment  requirements. Refer to the  Division of the Social Sciences  for English-language requirements and waivers.

Submission of  GRE scores  is entirely optional. Those who choose not to submit scores will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process.

MA Program Consideration

All applicants who are not admitted to our PhD program are automatically forwarded for consideration by our MA programs, unless the applicant specifically opts out of this process on their application. That said, as referred applications are considered later than most other MA applications, scholarship assistance for students admitted to an MA program through the referral process may be limited. If you are interested in our MA programs and would need scholarship assistance to attend, we would encourage you to apply directly to the MA as well as our program (note that this would require a separate application and application fee). MA applications are accepted  multiple times per year  with decisions typically issued within 6 to 8 weeks. Questions about applying to an MA program should be directed to  [email protected] .

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Preparing a History PhD proposal

The carefully thought-out and detailed research proposal to be submitted with the formal application is the product of a sometimes prolonged negotiation with your potential supervisor. The supervisor may be enthusiastic about your project or might advise you to consider a different subject or change your angle on it; they may query aspects of your plan such as its breadth, the availability of primary sources or the extent to which you are familiar with the secondary literature. You may be asked to demonstrate the originality of your research question or be advised to consider applying to another institution which may have more appropriate expertise. During this process you will likely be asked to submit a specimen of written-up historical research, such as your Masters or BA dissertation. The sooner you start developing the structure that is expected in a research proposal, the more productive your exchanges with your potential supervisor will be.

You may find different advice for writing a research proposal across different OU webpages. Given that a research proposal can vary significantly across different disciplines, when applying to the History Department you should follow the guidance provided here.

The research proposal you submit in January should be approximately 1000 words, plus a bibliography, and should contain the following:

A title, possibly with a subtitle

The title should not take the form of a question and it may run to a dozen words or more. Like the title of a book, it should clearly convey the topic you propose to work on. A subtitle may explain the chronological or geographical focus of your work, or the methodological approach you will take. Choosing a title is a good way for focusing on the topic you want to investigate and the approach you want to take.

These are examples of poor titles and topics to research:

• Captain Cook’s Third Voyage
• Women in eighteenth-century England

These would be poor topics to research because they lack a strong question and it is not clear which approach they take to their already well-researched subjects. They are generic or merely descriptive. 

Examples of good research topics

• Constructing the Eternal City: visual representations of Rome, 1500-1700
• Rearing citizens for the state: manuals for parents in France, 1900-1950

These projects combine a sharp chronological and geographical focus with a clear indication of how the sources will be analysed to respond to a precise question. In the first case, for example, the premise is that visual representations are critical in the making of a city’s eminence. This indicates the type of sources that will be analysed (paintings, engravings and other visual sources). The chronology is particularly well chosen because in these two centuries Rome turned from being the capital of the Catholic world to becoming the much sought-after destination of the Grand Tour; interesting questions of change and continuity come into focus.

Brief summary of your argument

An acceptable PhD thesis must have a central argument, a 'thesis'.  You need to have something to argue for or against, a point to prove or disprove, a question to answer. What goes into this section of the proposal is a statement of your question and the answer you plan to give, even if, for now, it remains a hypothesis.

Why this subject is important

We expect originality in a thesis and so under this rubric we expect you to explain why the knowledge you seek on the subject you propose to work on is important for its period and place, or for historians’ views on its period and place. Finding some early-modern English laundry lists would not suffice  on its own  to justify writing a PhD thesis about them. But those laundry lists could be important evidence for a thesis about the spread of the Great Plague in London, for example.

Framing your research

Your proposal has to show awareness of other scholarly writing on the subject. This section positions your approach to the subject in relation to approaches in some of those works, summarising how far you think it differs. For instance, you could challenge existing interpretations of the end the Cold War, or you might want to support one historian or another; you could open up a neglected aspect of the debate - say by considering the role of an overlooked group or national government - and perhaps kick-start a debate of your own. All this is to show that you have read  into  your subject and familiarised yourself with its contours. We don’t expect you to have done all your research at the start, but it is essential for you to show familiarity with the key texts and main authors in your chosen field.

What sources might you need to consult in libraries and archives?

Here you should describe or at least list the primary materials you are likely to use in researching your thesis. This demonstrates your confidence that enough relevant sources exist to support a sustained scholarly argument. Many archival catalogues are available online and can be searched remotely, including The National Archives, the National Archives of Scotland, the National Archives (Ireland), the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and Archives Wales. You can search the London-based Historical Manuscripts Commission and the National Register of Archives, both of which provide access to local county record offices. Databases such as ‘Eighteenth Century Collections Online’ and the British Library’s ‘British Newspapers Online 1600-1900’ will help you identify and locate relevant sources.

What skills are required to work on the sources you plan to use?

You need to show that you have the linguistic competence to pursue your research. With few exceptions, original sources must be read in the original languages; if the principal historical literature is not in English, you must be able to read it too. Palaeographic problems aren’t confined to ancient writing. You might have to tackle early modern or other scripts that are hard to decipher. Even with fluent German, an applicant baffled by the Gothic script and typeface would flounder without undertaking ancillary study. Training is available at The Open University, or in some circumstances you can be funded to undertake training elsewhere, and you should demonstrate awareness of the skills that you need to acquire.

Do you have the technical competence to handle any data-analysis your thesis may require?

Databases, statistical evidence and spreadsheets are used increasingly by historians in certain fields. If your research involves, say, demographic or economic data, you will need to consider whether you have the necessary IT and statistical skills and, if not, how you will acquire them.

How will you arrange access to the libraries and archives where you need to work?

Although primary sources are increasingly available in digitised form, you should consider that important sources may be closed or in private hands. To consult them may require some travelling and so you should be realistic as to what you will be able to do, particularly if you are applying to study part-time as not all archives are open out of regular office hours.

A bibliography

This should come at the end and include a list of the primary sources you plan to use and the relevant secondary literature on the subject. While you should show that you are on top of recent work (and of important older studies) on the topic, there is no point in having a long list of works only marginally related to your subject. As always, specificity is the best policy.

Please follow this link to see an  example of a successful research proposal [PDF].

All this may seem daunting, as if the department is asking you to write a thesis before you apply. But that is not our intention; the advice is to help you perform the necessary spadework before entering the formal application process. Working up a proposal under the headings suggested above will, if your application is successful, save you and your supervisor(s) much time if and when the real work begins.

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• History, Classics and Archaeology, School of

History and Classics PhD thesis collection

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Monasticism in late byzantine constantinople (1261–1453): urban, social, and institutional history , witchcraft in scotland: emotions and strategy , after the persians: memories of the persian wars in the hellenistic period , “keep this unwritten history”: mapping african american family histories in “information wanted” advertisements, 1880-1900 , 'they are ultimately to feel the benefit of change': enslaved healthcare and amelioration in trinidad and british guiana, 1780-1834 , reception of isaac newton in the scottish enlightenment: causation, gravitation, and the transformation of natural philosophy , 'from partition to decriminalisation': homosexuality in northern ireland, 1921-1982 , itinerancy of health: jewish migrant encounters with health and medicine in britain, 1880-1914 , ‘the spanish are a wonderful people’: the international brigades and their cross-cultural encounters with civil-war spain, 1936-1939 , post-conflict settlement in the seleukid kingdom throughout the third and second centuries bc , phenomenon of jealousy in latin language and literature: metaphors, scenarios and embodied experiences , dynamics of power and artistry of arrangement in valerius maximus' facta et dicta memorabilia , magdalen life course: the lives of the inmates of the clewer and salisbury houses of mercy, 1830-1900 , esme stuart d'aubigny, first duke of lennox c.1542-1583: a french courtier in scotland , history of the sheriff's farm , honour in the oikos: reciprocity, respect, and recognition in fourth-century athens , 'what they call free in this country': refugees from slavery in revolutionary america, 1775-1783 , atimia: dishonour, disfranchisement, and civic disability in archaic and classical athens , non-physical cruelty and the divorce court in england 1857-1914: expectations and experiences of marriage , transformational conservative constructing ronald reagan's presidential legacy, c.1984-1998 .

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Ph.D. Theses since 1938 and Selected MA Theses

Cooper, John Irwin. " French-Canadian Conservatism in Principle and Practice 1873-1891 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1938.

Ross, Dorothy Jean. “ The Country Justice in English Local Government during the First Half of the Seventeenth Century .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1939.

Lunn, Jean. " Economic Development in New France, 1713-1760 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1942.

Millman, Thomas. “ Jacob Mountain, First Lord Bishop of Quebec, 1793-1825: A Study in Church and State .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1943.

C ragg, Gerald R. " The Church and Transition : A Study of Changes in Religious Thought in the Church of England, 1660 to 1695 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1946.

Arthur, Elizabeth. " The French-Canadian under British Rule, 1760-1800 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1949.

Reid, Allana Gertrude. " The Development and Importance of the Town of Quebec, 1608-1760 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1950.

Johnston, John Alexander. “ Factors in the Formations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1875 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1955.

Lucas, Sidney. “ The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 in History and Legend: A Critical Study of Contemporary and Post-Contemporary Accounts .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1955.

Eccles, William. “ Frontenac and New France, 1672-1698 .” Thesis (Ph D.), 1955.

Farmakides, Anna. “ Foreign Policy under the “Bloc des Gauches.” ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1959.

Senior, Hereward. “ The Influence of the Orange Lodges on Irish and British Politics, 1795-1836. ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1959.

Vogel, Robert. “British Diplomatic Blue Books, 1919-1939.” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1959.

Khan, Mohammed Anwar. “ British Attitude to the Growth of Russian Influence in the Central Asian States, 1857-1878 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1962.

Straka, Waclaw Wladyslaw Stefan. “ The Scottish Industrial Labourer During the Age of Reform, 1792 – 1832 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1963.

Smith, Irving Harold.  " The Political Ideas of Daniel Defoe .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1963.

Dorotich, Daniel. “ History in the Soviet School, 1917-1937: Changing Policy and Practice .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1964.

Hunte, Keith Donnerson. “ The Ministry of Public Instruction in Quebec, 1867-1875: A Historical Study .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1965.

Mouratides, Anastasia I. “ Byzantine Immunity System .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1965.

Pidhainy, Oleh Semenovych. “ The Formation of the Ukrainian Republic in the First World War, 1917-1918 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1965.

Vallely, Lois Mary. “ G.W. Stephens and the Saar High Commission .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1965.

Balawyder, Aloysius. “ Canadian-Soviet Relations, 1920-1933 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1966.

Malik, Salah-ud Din. “ Mutiny, Revolution or Muslim Rebellion? British Public Reaction Towards the Indian Crisis of 1857. ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1966.

Maxwell, Michael Perceval. “ The Migration of Scots to Ulster during the Reign of James I. ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1966.

Vuckovic, Milorad Nicholas. “ Parliamentary Opinion and British Foreign Policy, 1936-1938, With Special Reference to Germany .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1966.

Cassar, George. “ The Dardanelles Operation: The French Role .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1967.

Orchard, G. Edward. “ Economic and Social Conditions in Muscovy during the Reign of Ivan III .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1967.

Tarnovecky, Joseph.  “ The Purchase of Alaska: Background and Reactions .” Thesis (Ph.D), 1968.

Black, Joseph L. “ N.M. Karamzin as an Historian .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1968.

Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmad. “ The Royal Titles Bill: Public Opinion in the United Kingdom, India and Canada .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1969.

Kendall, John Charles. " Blueprint Defiance of Manifest Destiny : Anti-Americanism and Anti-Republicanism in Canada West, 1858-1867 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1969.

McDougall, Elizabeth Ann. " The Presbyterian Church in Western Lower Canada, 1815-1842 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1969.

Spira, Thomas. " The Growth of Magyar National Awareness under Francis I, 1792-1835 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1969.

Anick, Norman. “ The Embassy of Lord Ponsonby in Constantinople, 1833-1841 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Feledy, Jules Alexander. “ Hungaro-German Economic Relations, 1919-1939 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Hill, Robert Andrew. " Robert Sellar and the Huntingdon Gleaner : The Conscience of Rural Protestant Quebec, 1863-1919 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Laloux-Jain, Geneviève. " Les manuels d'histoire du Canada et le nationalisme en Ontario et au Quebec, 1867-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Launitz-Schurer, Leopold. “ Loyal Whigs and Revolutionaries: New York Politics on the Eve of the American Revolution, 1760-1776 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Spira, Thomas. “ The Growth of Magyar National Awareness Under Francis I, 1792-1835 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1970.

Gibbs, Elizabeth. “ Canadian Hansard: Interpreting the Canadian Parliamentary Press during the Period of the Canadian Union .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

Bosnitch, Sava D. “ The Foreign Policy ‘Line' of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in the ‘Second Imperialist War,’ September 1, 1939-June 22, 1941 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

Dupont, Antonin. “ Les relations entre L’Église et l’État sous Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, 1920-1936 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

Majerus, Yvette Viviane. “ L’Éducation dans le Diocèse de Montréal d’après la correspondence de ses deux Premiers Évéques, Mgr Lartigue et Mgr Bourget, de 1820 à 1967 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

McCullough, Edward Eastman. “ Labour’s Policy in Africa, 1900-1951: The Theory and Practice of Trusteeship .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

Roy, Jean Louis. " Edouard Raymond Fabre, Bourgeois Patriote Du Bas-Canada 1799-1854 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1971.

Gavin, Joseph Benjamin. “ An Elizabethan Bishop of Durham: Tobias Matthew, 1595-1606 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1972.

West, Dalton Arthur. “ La Question Française in Russia, 1806-1812 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1972.

Hickey, Daniel. “ The Socio-Economic Context of the French Wars of Religion. A Case Study: Valentinois-Diois .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1973.

Burridge, Trevor D. “ The British Labour Party and the ‘German Question' During the Second World War, 1929-1945 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1973.

Charteris, Joan Nancy. “ The Evolution of the English Party in Scotland, 1513-1544 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1973.

Desmarais, John Philip. “ ‘Au Profit Exclusif de la France': Four French Savants and Russia, 1870-1896 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1973.

Wilson, Frederick Charles. " Anglo-French Relations in the Reign of King Henry IV of England, 1399-1413 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1973.

Bishop, Russell K. “ From Knox to Melville: The Social Background of Conflicts with the Reformed Church of Scotland, 1555-1580 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1974.

Hidas, Peter I. “ Imperial Liberal Centralists and the Hungarian Ruling Class: The Impact of Franz Joseph’s Administration on Hungary, 1849-1853 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1974.

Laine, Edward W. “ Finland’s Road from Autonomy to Integration into the Russian Empire, 1808-1910 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1974.

Knoppers, Jake V. “ Dutch Trade with Russia From the Time of Peter I to Alexander I: A Quantitative Study in Eighteenth Century Shipping .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Porter, (Hill) Mary Armfield. “ Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Feminist Paradox .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Sainsbury, John A. “ The Pro-American Movement In London, 1769-1782: Extra-Parliamentary Opposition to the Government’s American Policy .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Serbyn, Roman. “ The Character of the Rus Commonwealth, 1140-1200 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Buckley, Roger Norman. “ The Early History of the West India Regiments, 1795-1815: A Study of British Colonial Military History .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Horton, Donald James. “ Gilles Hocquart, Intendant of New France: 1729-1748 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Natufe, Omajuwa Igho. “ Soviet Policy in Africa, 1945-1970: A Study in Political History .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1975.

Burns, Robin B. “ Thomas D’Arcy McGee: A Biography .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1976.

Lefort, André. “ Les deux missions de Denis-Benjamin Viger en Angleterre, en 1826 et de 1831 à 1834 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1976.

Senior, Elinor. “ An Imperial Garrison in its Colonial Setting: British Regulars in Montreal, 1832-1854 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1976.

Nicosia, Francis R. “ Germany and the Palestine Question, 1933-1939 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1976.

Bacchi, Carol. “ Liberation Deferred: The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists, 1877-1918 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1977.

Frankman, Ottolenghi Patricia. “ Anglo-Chilean Relations: The Vicissitudes of a Treaty .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1977.

Pidhainy, Alexander S. “ The Formation of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1978.

Mulhall, David. “ The Missionary Career of A.G. Morice, O.M.I. ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1979.

Waring, Patricia N. “ Administrative Conflict with the Wilhelmine Navy: A History of the German Marine Corps .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1979.

Weiss, Eva. “ The Vienna Conferences of 1819-1820: Metternich and Article 19 of the Federal Act .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1979.

Fidler, Geoffrey Charles. “ Aspects of History of the Labour Movement in Liverpool in Relation to Education c. 1870-1920 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1980.

Khan, Farzana A. “ Political Problems of British India with Special Reference to the Introduction of Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919-1928 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1980.

Ray, Karen A. “ The Abolition of Indentured Emigration and Politics of Indian Nationalism, 1894-1917 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1981.

Shlosser, Franziska E. “ Military and Civil Administration under Emperor Maurice, 582-602: A Reassessment .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1981.

Weems, Constance Dulles.  “ The Intellectual Odyssey of Henri Barbusse (1873-1935) .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1981.

Del Giudice, Martine N. “ The Young Bakunin and Left Hegelianism: Origins of Russian Radicalism and Theory of Praxis, 1814-1842 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1982.

Lalande, Jean-Guy. “ 'Russia and the Soviet as Seen in Canada': Une recherche de l’opinion politique de la presse canadienne, de 1914 à 1921 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1982.

Krishtalka, Aaron. " The Old Tories and British Foreign Policy 1930-1939 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1983.

Lane, Alec W. A. " Freight Rate Issues in Canada, 1922-25: Their Economic and Political Implications ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1983.

L’Espérance, Jeanne. “ Prostitution, Purity and Feminism: A Study of the Campaign to Repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864-1886 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1983.

Robinson, James. " Reification and Hegemony: The Politics of Culture in the Writings of Georg Lukács and Antonio Gramsci, 1918-1938 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1983.

Noël, Françoise. “ Gabriel Christie’s Seigneuries: Settlement and Seigneurial Administration in the Upper Richelieu Valley, 1764-1854. ” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1984.

Vaudry, Richard W. " The Free Church in Canada, 1844-1861 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1984.

Ainley, Marianne Gosztonyi. " From Natural History to Avian Biology: Canadian Ornithology, 1860-1950 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Ferland, Jacques. " Evolution des rapports sociaux dans l'industrie canadienne du cuir au tournant du 20e siècle ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Filipovich, Jean. " The Office du Niger under Colonial Rule: Its Origin, Evolution, and Character, 1920-1960 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Michel, Robert. " English Marriage and Morals 1640-1700: Issues and Alternatives ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Sweeny, Robert. " Internal Dynamics and the International Cycle: Questions of the Transition in Montréal, 1821-1828 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Vardi, Liana. " The Land and the Loom: Rural Industry in the North of France, the Example of Montigny-en-Cambrésis, 1680-1800 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1985.

Bregman, Abigail Sibley. " The View from the Classroom: English School-Teachers' Responses to Domestic and International Problems of the Interwar Years 1919-1939 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1986.

Childs, Michael James. " Working Class Youth in Late Victorian and Edwardian England ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1986.

Maire, Claude. " Commerce et marché eu fer à Paris d'environ 1740 à environ 1815 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1986.

Rutledge, Vera L. " The Commission of Sir George Carew in 1611: A Review of the Exchequer and the Judiciary of Ireland ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1986.

O'Neill, Thomas J. " Business, Investment and Revolution in Russia: Case Studies of American Companies, 1880's - 1920's ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1987.

Zweigman, Leslie Jeffrey. " The Role of the Gentleman in County Government and Society: The Gloucestershire Gentry, 1625-1649 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1987.

Dépatie, Sylvie. " L'Évolution d'une société rurale: L’Île Jésus au XVIIIe siècle ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1988.

Wien, William Thomas. " Peasant Accumulation in a Context of Colonization: Rivière-du-Sud, Canada, 1720-1775 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1988.

Bravo, Juan Alfonso. " The Peruvian Expropriation of the Tarapaca Nitrate Industry, 1875-1879 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1990.

Costello, Paul. " The Goals of the World Historians: Paradigms in World History in Twentieth Century ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1990.

Hall, Michael. “ Anglo-American Naval Relations and Naval Policy, 1919-1930 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 1990.

Danysk, Cecilia. " Against the Grain: Accommodation to Conflict in Labour-Capital Relations in Prairie Agriculture, 1880-1930 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1991.

Fish, Cynthia S. " Images and Reality of Fatherhood: A Case Study of Montreal's Protestant Middle Class, 1870-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1991.

Gerolymatos, André. " British Intelligence and Guerrilla Warfare Operations in the Second World War: Greece 1941-1944, a Case Study ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1991.

Lemelin, Bernard. " Les hommes politiques de l'État de New York et les débats d'immigration, 1945-1953 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1991.

Doré, Gilbert. " United States Foreign Assistance Diplomacy: Congressional Policy on Aid to Vietnam, 1952-1963 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1992.

Farrell, Brian P. " War by Consensus: Power, Perceptions and British Grand Strategy 1940-1943 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1992.

Millman, Brock. " The Anglo-Turkish Alliance 1939-1940: Anatomy of a Failure ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1992.

Desbarats, Catherine M. " Colonial Government Finances in New France, 1700-1750 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1993.

Good, Robert. " The Philosophy and Social Thought of Alfred Fouillée ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1993.

Roy, Christian. " Alexandre Marc et la jeune Europe, 1904-1934: L'Ordre nouveau aux origines du personnalisme ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1993.

Boterbloem, Cornelis N. " Communists and the Russians: The Kalinin Province under Stalin ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1994.

Davies, Megan Jean. " Institutionalizing Old Age: Residential Accommodation for the Elderly in British Columbia, 1920-1960 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1994.

Wicken, William C. " Encounters with Tall Sails and Tall Tales: Mi'kmaq Society, 1500-1760 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1994.

De Waele, Michel. " Une question de confiance?: Le Parlement de Paris et Henri IV, 1589-1599 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1995.

Kuyas, Ahmet. " 'The Ideology of the Revolution': An Inquiry into Şevket Süreyya Aydemir's Interpretation of the Turkish Revolution ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1995.

Coggins, Patrick John. " Philippe Henriot: The Voice of France, 'The French Goebbels', 1924-1944 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1996.

Langlois, Suzanne. " La Résistance dans le cinéma français de fiction (1944-1994) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1996.

Myers, Tamara. " Criminal Women and Bad Girls: Regulation and Punishment in Montreal, 1890-1930 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1996.

Sundaram, Chandar S. " A Grudging Concession: The Origins of the Indianization of the Indian Army Officer Corps, 1817-1917 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1996.

Woolner, David B. " The Frustrated Idealists: Cordell Hull, Anthony Eden and the Search for Anglo-American Cooperation, 1933-1938 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1996.

Baird, Catherine. " The 'Third Way': Russia's Religious Philosophers in the West, 1917-1996 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Bruce, Gary. " Resistance in the Soviet Occupied Zone/German Democratic Republic, 1945-1955 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Durflinger, Serge Marc. " City at War: The Effects of the Second World War on Verdun, Québec ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Güentzel, Ralph Peter. " In Quest of Emotional Gratification and Cognitive Consonance: Organized Labour and Québec Separatist Nationalism, 1960-1980 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Housez, Janis Claire. " The Impact of the Dissolution of the Monasteries on Patronage Structures in Yorkshire and East Anglia ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Jarymowycz, Roman J. " The Quest for Operational Maneuver in the Normandy Campaign: Simonds and Montgomery Attempt the Armoured Breakout ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Konstadatos, Spiridon. " Principes de relations étrangères: Une Analyse contextuelle de quelques discours de Démosthène ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

MacLeod, Roderick. " Salubrious Settings and Fortunate Families: The Making of Montreal's Golden Square Mile, 1840-1895 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Malowany, Maureen. " Medical Pluralism: Disease, Health and Healing on the Coast of Kenya, 1840-1940 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Reynolds, Kenneth W. " 'A Wish in Fulfillment': The Establishment of the German Reichsgericht, 1806-1879 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Stingel, Janine. " Social Credit and the Jews: Anti-Semitism in the Alberta Social Credit Movement and the Response of the Canadian Jewish Congress, 1935-1949 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Szanajda, Andrew. " The Restoration of Justice in Hesse, 1945-1949 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1997.

Amyot, Eric. " La Bataille pour le Québec: Vichy, la France libre et les Canadiens français, 1940-1945 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1998.

Halbwidl, Dieter Anton. " The Teaching of History at the Habsburg Universities of Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck, compared to Padova and Pavia between 1848 and 1855 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1998.

Rashid, Ismail O. D. " Patterns of Rural Protest: Chiefs, Slaves and Peasants in Northwestern Sierra Leone, 1896-1956 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1998.

Veilleux, Denis. " 'La motorisation, ou, "La rançon du progrès': tramways, véhicules-moteurs et circulation (Montréal, 1900-1930) )." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1998.

Villemaire, Diane Elizabeth Davis. " The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science: A Window on the Life and Work of E. A. Burtt, Twentieth-Century Pragmatist and Postmodernthinker ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1998.

Charpentier, Marc. " Broadway North: Musical Theatre in Montreal in the 1920s ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1999.

Gray, Linda Breuer. " Narratives and Identities in the Saint Lawrence Valley, 1667-1720 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1999.

Mancuso, Rebecca. " This is our work': The Women's Division of the Canadian Department of Immigration and Colonization, 1919-1938 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1999.

Rhéaume, Charles. " Science et droits de l'homme: le soutien international à Sakharov, 1968-1989 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1999.

Vuoto, Grazia. " The Imperial Ideas of Lord Salisbury, 1851-1902 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 1999.

Byers, Daniel Thomas. " Mobilizing Canada: The National Resources Mobilization Act, the Department of National Defence, and Compulsory Military Service in Canada ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Claveau, Cylvie. " L'autre dans les cahiers des droits de l'homme, 1920-1940: une sélection universaliste de l'altérité à la Ligue Des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen en France ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

De Sousa, Rui. " Martin Heidegger's Interpretation of Ancient Greek Aletheia and the Philological Response to It ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000. (Classics)

Dughi, William Christian. " Shabashniks: A History of the USSR's Dissenting Protagonists of Free Enterprise ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Dumas, Geneviève. " Les pratiques de la santé à Montpellier à la fin du Moyen Age (1293-1506) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Dutsch, Dorota. " Boundless Nature: The Construction of Female Speech in Plautus ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000. (Classics)

Jantzen, Kyle. " Protestant Clergymen and Church-Political Conflict in National Socialist Germany: Studies from Rural Brandenburg, Saxony and Wurttemberg ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Jones, Carolyn. " Pindar's Nemean Odes: A Poetic Commentary ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000. (Classics)

Kohn, Edward P. " This Kindred People: Canadian-American Relations and North American Anglo-Saxonism during the Anglo-American Rapprochement, 1895-1903 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Lord, Kathleen. " Days and Nights: Class, Gender and Society on Notre-Dame Street in Saint-Henri, 1875-1905 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Sams, Katherine. “ Political Thought and Action in the Life of Adam von Trott, 1909-1941 ,” Thesis, (Ph.D.), 2000.

Vourkoutiotis, Vasilis. " The German Armed Forces Supreme Command and British and American Prisoners-of-War, 1939-1945: Policy and Practice ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2000.

Butorac, Mark. " From the Other Oil Field: Mendeleev, the West and the Russian Oil Industry ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Caron, Caroline-Isabelle. " Se créer des ancêtres. Les écrits historiques et généalogiques des de Forest et des Forest d'Amérique du Nord, 19e et 20e siècles ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Gogan, Tanya Lee. " Accounting for Legitimacy: Leading Retailers, Petty Shopkeepers, and Itinerant Vendors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, c.1871 to 1901 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Harvey, Janice. " The Protestant Orphan Asylum and the Montreal Ladies' Benevolent Society: A Case Study in Protestant Child Charity in Montreal, 1822-1900 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Iuliano, Susanna. " Sebben che siamo donne (Although we are women): A Comparative Study of Italian Immigrant Women in Post-War Canada and Australia ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Nadeau, Martin. " Théâtre et esprit public: le rôle du Théâtre-Italien dans la culture politique parisienne à l'ère des Révolutions (1770-1799) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

O'Hara, David A. " English Newsbooks and the Irish Rebellion of 1641, 1641-1649 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Otis, Lise. " The Numan Tradition and its Uses in the Literature Rome's 'Golden Age' ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001. (Classics)

Rudy, Robert Jarrett. " Manly Smokes: Tobacco Consumption and the Construction of Identities in Industrial Montreal, 1888-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Van Eyck, Masarah. " 'We Shall Be One People': Early Modern French Perceptions of the Amerindian Body ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2001.

Drolet, Marc. " The North American Squadron of the Royal Navy, 1807-1815 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002.

Hele, Karl. " 'By the rapids': The Anishinabeg-Missionary Encounter at Bawating (Sault Ste. Marie), c. 1821-1871 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002.

O'Donnell, Lorraine Frances. " Visualising the History of Women at Eaton's, 1869 to 1976 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002.

Temelini, Mark A. " Cicero's Concordia: The Promotion of a Political Concept in the Late Roman Republic ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002. (Classics)

Tombs, George. " Man the Machine: A History of a Metaphor from Leonardo da Vinci to H. G. Wells ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002.

Usitalo, Steven A. " Lomonosov: Forging a Russian National Myth ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2002.

Blake, Timothy R. " British Foreign Relations with the United States During Lord Curzon's Tenure as Foreign Secretary ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Bozeva-Abazi, Katrin. " The Shaping of Bulgarian and Serbian National Identities, 1800s-1900s ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Carrier, Isabelle. " Virtuosité procédurière: pratiques judiciaires à Montpellier au Grand Siècle ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Cookson, Robert J. " Archibald Johnston of Wariston, Religion and Law in the Covenanting Revolution, 1637-1641 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Delaney, Monique. " 'Le Canada est un païs de bois': Forest Resources and Shipbuilding in New France, 1660-1760 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Neal, Derek. " Meanings of Masculinity in Late Medieval England: Self, Body and Society ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Perreault, Stéphane-D. " Intersecting Discourses: Deaf Institutions and Communities in Montreal, 1850-1920 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Robichaud, Marc. " Making Hospitals 'Worthy of their Purpose': Hospitals and the Hospital Reform Movement in the Généralité of Rouen (1774-1794) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2003.

Bédard, Éric. " Le moment réformiste: La pensée d'une élite canadienne-française au milieu du XIXe siècle ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Bernheim, Robert B. " The Commissar Order and the Seventeenth German Army: From Genesis to Implementation, 30 March 1941-31 January 1942 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Gray, Colleen Allyn.  " A Fragile Authority : Power and the Religious Life in the Congrégation de Notre-Dame of Montreal, 1693-1796 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Hunter, Jennifer Lynn. " 'Is It Even Worthwhile Doing the Dishes?': Canadians and the Nuclear Threat, 1945-1963 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Peksevgen, Sefik. " Secrecy, Information Control and Power Building in the Ottoman Empire, 1566-1603 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Szabo, Jason. " 'Suffering, Shame and the Search for Succour': Incurable Illness in Nineteenth-Century France ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2004.

Bélanger, Damien-Claude. " Pride and Prejudice: Canadian Intellectuals Confront the United States, 1891-1945 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2005.

Carle, Emmanuelle. " Gabrielle Duchêne et la recherche d'une autre route: entre le pacifisme féministe et l'antifascisme ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2005

Ducharme, Michel. " Aux fondements de l'état canadien: la liberté au Canada de 1776 à 1841 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2005.

Gauville, Jean-Luc. " Abbreviated Histories: The Case of the Epitome de Caesaribus (AD c. 395) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2005.

Normandin, Sebastien. " Visions of Vitalism: Medicine, Philosophy and the Soul in Nineteenth Century France ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2005.

Clermont-Legros, Jean-Francis. " The Quest for a Social Ethics : An Intellectual History of U.S. Social Sciences : The Case of Herbert Hoover, Wesley C. Mitchell, Charles E. Merriam and Mary Van Kleeck ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2006.

Harvey, Kathryn Nancy. " David Ross McCord (1844-1930): Imagining a Self, Imagining a Nation ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2006.

Suescun-Pozas, María del Carmen. “ Modern Femininity, Shattered Masculinity: The Scandal of the Female Nude during Political Crisis in Colombia, 1930-1948 .” Thesis (Ph.D), 2005.

Tousignant, Noémi. “ Pain and the Pursuit of Objectivity: Pain-Measuring Technologies in the United States, c1890-1975 .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 2006.

Zhang, Yimin. “ The Role of Literati in Military Activities of Ming-Qing Transition Period .” Thesis (Ph.D.), 2006.

Champion, Christian Paul. " 'Nova Britannia' Revisited: Canadianism, Anglo-Canadian Identities and the Crisis of Britishness, 1964-1968 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2007.

Ingram, Darcy James. " Nature's ImprovementL Wildlife, Conservation, and Conflict in Quebec, 1850-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2007.

Brydon, Thomas Robert. " Christ's Last Ante: Charles Booth, Church Charity and the Poor-but-Respectable ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Cook, Peter Laurence.  " Vivre comme freres: Native-French Alliances in the St. Lawrence Valley, 1535-1667 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Gibson, Sarah Katherine "T he Emigration of Adam Smith's Ploughman: A Case Study of the Intellectual Culture of Scots Emigrants to Lower Canada, 1760-1650 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Meren, David John. " Strange Allies: Canada-Quebec-France Triangular Relations, 1944-1970 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Olsen, Stephanie. " Raising Fathers, Raising Boys: Informal Education and Enculturation in Britain, 1880-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Pearson, Timothy Graham. " Becoming Holy in Early Canada: Performance and the Making of Holy Persons in Society and Culture. " Thesis (Ph.D.), 2008.

Herman, Dana. " Hashavat Avedah : A History of Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc. " Thesis (Ph.D.), 2009.

Necochea, Raul. " A History of the Medical Control of Fertility in Peru, 1895-1976 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2009.

Dubé, Alexandre. " Les biens publics. Culture politique de la Louisiane française 1730-1770 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2010.

Van Isschot, Luis. " The Social Origins of Human Rights: Popular Responses to Political Violence in a Colombian Oil Refinery Town (1919-1993) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2010.

Smeall, Cheryl . " How to Become a Renowned Writer: Francesco Algarotti (1712-1764) and the Uses of Networking in Eighteenth-Century Europe ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Newfield, Timothy . " The Contours of Disease and Hunger in Carolingian and Early Ottonian Europe (c. 750–c. 950) ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Wemp, Brian . " The Grands Magasins Dufayel, the Working Class, and the Origins of Consumer Culture in Paris, 1880-1916 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Durand, Caroline . " Le laboratoire domestique de la machine humaine: la nutrition, la modernité et l'Etat québécois, 1860-1945 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Kirkland, Mary Elizabeth . " Mothering Citizens: Elite Women in Montreal, 1890-1914 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Cote, Marie-Hélène . " La culture diplomatique des années 1650, ou son imaginaire ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Villeneuve, Hubert . " Teaching Anticommunism: Fred C. Schwartz, the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade and American Postwar Conservatism ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Sahin, Emrah . " Responding to American Missionary Expansion: An Examination of Ottoman Imperial Statecraft, 1880-1910 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2011.

Chowdhury, Rashed . " Pan-Islamism and Modernisation During the Reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, 1876-1909 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2012.

Gosselin, Etienne . " Constructing International Health: The Communicable Disease Center, Field Epidemiologists and the Politics of Foreign Assistance ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2012.

Steinhaus, Kathryn . " Valkyrie: Gender, Class, European Relations, and Unity Mitford's Passion for Fascism ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2012.

Rath, Andrew . " The Global Dimensions of Britain and France's Crimean War Naval Campaigns against Russia, 1854-1856 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2012.

Serels, Steven . " Feasting on Famines: Food Insecurity and the Making of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, 1883-1956 ." Thesis (Ph.D.), 2012.

Khan, Tanya . " A Part of and Apart from the Mosaic: A Study of Pakistani Canadian Experiences in Toronto During the 1960s and 1970s ." (Ph.D.), 2012.

Carlyle, Margaret . " Cultures of Anatomy in Enlightenment France (c.1700-c.1795) ." (Ph.D.), 2012.

Rueck, Daniel . " Enclosing the Mohawk Commons: A History of Use-Rights, Land-Ownership, and Boundary-Making in Kahnawá:ke ." (Ph.D.), 2012.

Walker, Glenn . " The Changing Face of the Kawarthas: Land Use and Environment in Nineteenth Century Ontario ." (Ph.D.), 2013.

Ng, Wee-Siang Margaret . " Male Brushstrokes and Female Touch: Medical Writings on Childbirth in Imperial China ." (Ph.D.), 2013.

Tesfaye, Facil . " Medical Expeditions and Scramble for Africa: Robert Koch in Africa 1896-1907 ." (Ph.D.), 2013.

Bouchard, Gregory . " The Philosophical Publishing Life of David Hume ." (Ph.D.), 2013.

Ferguson, Michael John . " The African Presence in Late Ottoman Izmir and Beyond ." (Ph.D.), 2014.

Laurent, Corbeil . “ Identities in Motion: The Formation of a Plural Indio Society in Early San Potosí, New Spain, 1591-1630 .” (Ph.D.), 2014.

Sandwell, Rachel . “ Building a State in Exile: Women in the African National Congress, 1960-1990 .” (Ph.D.), 2014.

Ghabrial, Sarah . “ Le ‘fiqh francisé’?: Muslim Personal Status Law Reform and Women’s Litigation in Colonial Algeria (1870-1930) .” (Ph.D.), 2014.

Ermisch, Marie-Luise . “ Children, Youth and International Assistance: How the British Red Cross Society and Oxfam Engaged Young People in Britain and Its Empire with International Development Projects in the 1950s and 1960s .” (Ph.D.), 2014.

Guerrero-Quintero, Saúl José . “ The Environmental History of Silver Refining in New Spain and Mexico, 16c to 19c: A Shift of Paradigm .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

Wallace, James McKenzie . “ Printers, News and Networks: The Cheap Press in Scotland, 1680-1820 .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

Gauthier, François . " Financing war in the Roman republic 201 BCE-14 CE ." (Ph.D.), 2015.

Wyman-McCarthy, Matthew . “ Rethinking Global Empire: The Imperial Origins and Legacies of British Abolitionism C. 1783-1807 .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

McAuley, Alexander . " Basking in the Shadow of Kings: Local Culture in the Hellenistic Greek Mainland ." (Ph.D.), 2015.

Ricci, Amanda . “ There’s No Place like Home: Feminist Communities, Social Citizenship and (Un)belonging in Montreal’s Long Women’s Movement, 1952-1992 .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

Grittner, Colin . “ Privilege at the Polls: Culture, Citizenship, and the Electoral Franchise in Mid-Nineteenth-Century British North America .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

Dumas, Alexandre . “ L’Église face à Duplessis: le clergé catholique face à la politique québécoise de 1930 à 1960 .” (Ph.D.), 2015.

Sanagan, Mark Andrew . “ Lightning Through the Clouds: Islam, Community, and Anti-Colonial Rebellion in the Life and Death of 'Izz al-Dīn al-Qassām, 1883-1935 .”  (Ph.D.), 2016.

McNally, Marie Carolynn . " 'L'Union fait la force': les réseaux de famille, les mariages exogames et l'identité acadienne, 1881-1937 ." (Ph.D.), 2016.

Irwin, Justin . " Benjamin Keach and Baptist Confessional Identity in Post-Restoration London, 1664-1704 ." (Ph.D.), 2016.

Solomon, Vlad . " Straining the Law: The Creation of a British Model of Political Policing, 1881-1914 ." (Ph.D.), 2016.

Robinson, Rebecca . " Cult and calendars in the ancient empires of Qin, Han, and Rome ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Bassewitch Fenkel, Omri . " Transplantation of Asian Spices in the Spanish Empire 1518-1640: Entrepreneurship, Empiricism, and the Crown ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Dangl, J. Benjamin . " Centuries March the Streets: The Power of the Past in Bolivian Indigenous Movements, 1970-2000 ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Ryder, John . " Slovak Society, the Second World War, and the Search for Slovak 'Stateness' ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Ulmer, Catherine Mary . " Canadian Planning through a Transnational Lens: The Evolution of Urban Planning in Canada, 1890-1930 ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Ahmed, Hussam E . " Statecraft and Institution Building between Two Revolutions: Taha Hussein and Egypt's Road to Independence (1919-1952) ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Huang, Wen-Yi . " Negotiating Boundaries: Cross-Border Migrants in Early Medieval China ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Harvey, Isabel . " (Re)construire une identité monastique à travers le corps: normalisations, traductions et utilisations des discours et pratiques corporelles entre les murs des cloitres féminins dans l'Italie de la réforme Catholique ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Hamon, Michael Max . " The Many Worlds of Louis Riel: A Political Odyssey from Red River to Montreal and Back 1840-1875 ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Saini, Raminder Kaur . " Imperial Responsibilities: Britain's Destitute Indians and Questions of (Un)belonging, 1834-1914 ." (Ph.D.), 2017.

Simeone, Daniel . " State of Failure: Bankruptcy and Imprisonment for Debt in Nineteenth-Century Montreal ." (Ph.D.), 2018.

Ketchum, Alex D . " Serving Up Revolution: Feminist Restaurants, Cafés, and Coffeehouses in the United States and Canada from 1972-1989 ." (Ph.D.), 2018.

Dial, Andrew . " The 'Lavalette Affair': Jesuits and Money in the French Atlantic ." (Ph.D.), 2018.

Greven, Jeannette Franziska . " Palestine and America's 'Global War on Terror': A History 2000-2008 ." (Ph.D.), 2018.

Gilmour, Colin . " Heldenpolitik: Ritterkreuz, Ideology and the Complexities of Hero Culture under National Socialism ." (Ph.D.), 2019.

Shultz, Daniel . " Environmental Variability, Wealth Inequality, and Empire: Agent-Based Simulation of Nomadic Pastoral Complexity ." (Ph.D.), 2019.

Yank, Tyler . " Women, Slavery, and British Imperial Intervention in Mauritius, 1810-1845 ." (Ph.D.), 2019.

Zhang, Qian . " China's India war: Sino-Indian relations, 1945-64 ." (Ph.D.), 2019.

Beattie, Ian . " Taming modernity: The rise of the modern state in early industrial Manchester ." (Ph.D.), 2021.

Canache, Ruxandra . "Spaces of Marginality and Cultures of Dissent at the Black Sea Socialist Romania." (Ph.D.), 2022.

Coulter, Eleanor . " Geographies of space and time: narrative structures in the maps of Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon D'Anville. " (Ph.D.), 2022.

Davis, Michael . " Brothers in Arms: The Le Moyne Family and the Atlantic World, 1685-1745 ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

Desai, Urvi . " Birth Control in Bombay: Market, technology, and health, 1930-1960 ." (Ph.D.), 2022.

Dionne, Fannie . " Encrer la parole: écrit et oralité dans les dictionnaires jésuites en francais et wendat (XVII-XVIII siècles) ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

Giroux, Chandra . " Plutarch's Chaironeia: The Local Horizon of the World Empire ." (Ph.D.), 2021.

Ince, Nathan . " An empire within an empire: the upper Canadian Indian department, 1796-1845 ." (Ph.D.), 2022.

Karabicak, Yusuf . " Local Patriots and Ecumenical Ottomans: The Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Ottoman Configuration of Power, 1768-1828 ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

Krolikoski, Courtney . " Neither sinner nor outcast: communal responses to leprosy in Bologna, 1116-1347 ." (Ph.D.), 2022.

Nicholls, Carleigh . " The Scottish inquisition?: Perceptions of authority and the law in late restoration Scotland ." (Ph.D.), 2022.

Pigeon, Stephan . " Scissors-and-Paste: The labour, law and practice of circulating journalism in the British newspaper and periodical press, 1842-1911 ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

McCarthy, Caley . " Civic Religion in Late Medieval Marseille: The Hospital of Saint-Esprit, 1306-1457 ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

McCallum, Rebekah . " The Business of Tea: British Tea Companies and Plantation Labor Law in India, 1901-1951 (with Special Emphasis on James Finlay & Co.) ." (Ph.D.), 2021.

McCutcheon, Shawn . " Honnêtes et gentilshommes: L'éducation classique des garçons et la formation du soi masculin au Bas-Canada à l'âge des révolutions (1791-1840) ." (Ph.D.), 2021.

Tozer, Angela . " Universal Nation: Settler Colonialism and the Canadian Public Debt over Mi'kma'ki, 1820-1873 ." (Ph.D.), 2020.

Selected MA Theses

Annau, Catherine. " Canada's First Birth Control Clinic : The Birth Control Society of Hamilton, 1931-1940 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1992. Filmmaker Just Watch Me: Trudeau and the 70s Generation

Black, Conrad M. “ Career of Maurice L Duplessis as Viewed through his Correspondence, 1927-1939 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1973. Lord Black of Crossharbour, Businessman, Author

Brooke, Stephen J. " Public Opinion in Wartime Britain, 1939-1945 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1984. Associate Professor, Department of History York University

Copp, J. Terry. “ The Canadian General Election of 1908 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1962. Professor, Department of History and Co-Director of the Centre for Military, Strategic, and Disarmament Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

Deslandres, Dominique. " Attitude de Marie de l'Incarnation à l'égard des Amerindiens ." Thesis (M.A.), 1985. Professeure titulaire, Département d'histoire, Université de Montréal

Durflinger, Serge Marc. " The Royal Canadian Navy and the Salvadorean Crisis of 1932 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1987. Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Ottawa

Echenberg, Myron. “ The British Attitude toward the Congo Question with Particular Reference to the Work of E.D. Morel and the Congo Reform Association, 1903- 1913 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1964. Professor Emeritus, Department of History, McGill University

Fahmy-Eid, Nadia. “ Les 'Mélanges Religieux' et la révolution romaine de 1848 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1967. Retired, Professeure associée UQAM

Ferland, Jacques. " Le role des déterminismes sociaux dans le développement des forces productives de l'industrie textile du Canada, 1870 à 1910 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1982. Associate Professor of History, University of Maine

Fyson, Donald William. " Eating in the City: Diet and Provisioning in Early Nineteenth-Century Montreal ." Thesis (M.A.), 1989. Professeur agrégé, Département d'histoire, Université Laval

Güentzel, Ralph Peter. " The Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux, the Idea of Independence, and the Sovereigntist Movement, 1960-1980 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1991. Associate Professor, Department of History, Director, Centre for Canadian Studies

Heaman, Elsbeth. “ Anticontagionism in France in the Nineteenth Century .” Thesis (M.A.), 1990. Professor, Department of History, McGill University.

James, Kevin. " The Saint Patrick's Society of Montreal: Ethno-Religious Realignment in a Nineteenth-Century National Society ." Thesis (M.A.), 1997. Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph

Lee, Steven Hugh. " Power, Politics and the Cold War: The Canadian Civil Defence Program and the North Atlantic Alliance, 1945-1959 ." Thesis (M.A.), 1987. Associate Professor, Department of History, University of British Columbia

Monod, David. “ Soldiers of the Plough: Popular Protest And Insurgency In The Canadian Middle-West, 1918-1948 .” Thesis (M.A.) 1983. Professor, Department of History, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Perceval-Maxwell, Michael. “ Scottish Migration To Ireland, 1585-1607 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1961. Professor Emeritus, Department of History, McGill University

Tulchinsky, Gerald. “ The Construction Of The First Lachine Canal, 1819-1826 .” Thesis (M.A.), 1960. Professor Emeritus, Department of History, Queens University

Wallis, Faith. “ Structure And Philosophy In Mediaeval Encyclopedias .” Thesis (M.A.), 1974. Professor Emerita, Department of History, McGill University.

Wright, David. " The Study of Idiocy: The Professional Middle Class and the Evolution of Social Policy on the Mentally Retarded in England, 1848 to 1914 ." Thesis (M.A.) ), 1990. Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University

Wright, Donald A. " W.D. Lighthall: Sometime Confederation Poet, Sometime Urban Reformer ." Thesis (M.A.), 1991. Department of Political Science, Department of Political Science University of New Brunswick

Department and University Information

Department of history and classical studies.

History PhD

First awarded by the University of Maryland in 1937, the Doctorate in History is conferred for superior achievement in historical research, writing, and interpretation.

Additional Information

• Forms and Resources
• Funding and Awards
• People (Department Directory)

PhD Program Overview

The Doctorate in History (PhD) is an essential component in the training of professional historians. The most significant requirement of the PhD degree program is the dissertation, an original and noteworthy contribution to historical knowledge. In anticipation of dissertation research, students spend several years mastering bibliographical tools, research and writing methods, and general, special, and minor fields of study.

Admission to the PhD program is offered to highly qualified applicants holding at least a Bachelor's (BA) degree, normally in History or a related discipline. Application and admissions procedures are described on the Department of History's  graduate admissions page .

The length of time required to complete the PhD varies by field of study and student. Students admitted with a Bachelor's (BA) degree might expect to complete the program in five to six years of full-time study. Students entering with a Master of Arts (MA) degree might expect to complete the program in four to five years of full-time study. The degree must be completed in no more than nine years.  Students typically take two years of course work, prepare for and take language exams (if required for their field) and comprehensive exams, and then research and write the dissertation.

Program Requirements and Policies

General program requirements.

• Course work in the major and minor fields
• Language examinations if required by field
• Comprehensive examinations
• Dissertation prospectus
• Advancement to candidacy
• The dDssertation

Each of these program requirements must be met before the PhD can be conferred.

Course Requirements

All PhD students entering with a Bachelor's (BA) degree (or equivalent) must take, at a minimum, the following courses (total 30 credits, not including 12 credits of “Dissertation Research”):

• Contemporary Theory (HIST 601; 3 credits)
• Major Field General Seminar (HIST 608; 3 credits)
• Readings courses in the major field (HIST 6XX and 7XX; 9 credits)
• Readings courses in the minor field (HIST 6XX and 7XX; 9 credits)
• Research seminars (HIST 8XX; 6 credits)
• Dissertation Research (HIST 898/899; 12 credits)

Special Notes:

• Courses completed during previous post-baccalaureate degree programs and/or at other institutions may be considered to satisfy course requirements. However, students entering the PhD program with a Master's (MA) degree or equivalent in History or a related discipline must take a minimum of two  600-800 level courses in the major field, one of which should be with the major advisor.
• Requests for course requirement waivers, equivalency, and credit transfers should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies. A request must include the course syllabus and transcripts showing the final grade. The endorsement of the advisor is typically sought.
• Up to nine credit hours of major and minor field readings courses may be taken at the 400 level.  Students seeking to take a 400 level course for graduate credit should consult the instructor of record to discuss course expectations before registering.
• HIST 708/709: “Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations” does not count toward the nine-credit readings seminar requirement.
• Students in the U.S. and Latin America fields are expected to take two major field seminars (HIST 608)–in this case, one of these 608s will be counted toward the “Readings courses in the major field” requirement.
• Students must complete the entire program for the doctoral (PhD) degree, including the dissertation and final examination, during a four-year period after admission to candidacy, but no later than nine years after admission to the doctoral (PhD) program. Students must be advanced to candidacy within five years of admission to the doctoral (PhD) program. 

Fields of Study

Doctoral students should choose one of the following as their “major field” of study:

Global Interaction and Exchange

• Jewish History (Classical Antiquity to the Present)

Latin America

Middle East

• Technology, Science, and Environment

United States

Learn more about fields of study and faculty work produced in each field by visiting the research fields page .

The Minor Field

All doctoral students are required to complete a minor field of study outside the major field of study. This requirement is typically met through nine credit hours of coursework. However, a student may opt to satisfy the requirement by written examination.

A minor field is usually a field of history outside the student's major field of concentration. For example, a student in the U.S. field may select a minor field in Latin American history; a student in the Women & Gender field may select a minor field in European history. The minor field may be a standard national-chronological field (e.g., 19th-century United States; Imperial Russia; Postcolonial India), or it may be a cross-cultural, cross-regional thematic field (e.g., the Atlantic in the era of the slave trade; gender and Islam). Or, it might be taken in a department or program outside of History (e.g., Women's Studies, English, Government & Politics, Classics and Comparative Literature).

For students opting to satisfy the minor field requirement via coursework, all courses must be approved by the student's advisor and must, to the satisfaction of the advisor and the Graduate Committee, form a coherent field of historical inquiry distinct from the general field. Courses taken at the master's level may count towards fulfillment of the minor field requirements, subject to the approval of the advisor and, in the case of courses taken at outside institutions, of the director of graduate studies.

Language Requirements

Language requirements must be fulfilled before a student is admitted to candidacy. While no MA degree requires language examinations, students will often have to learn one or more foreign languages in their field of study to successfully complete their research. They will also need to learn these languages if they wish to continue on towards a PhD. When applying for either program, preference will be given to students with prior experience with languages in their fields of study.

Language requirements differ across the varying fields within history.

No foreign language requirements for the PhD. If a student’s dissertation topic requires research in foreign language materials, the advisor will decide if the student needs to show proficiency by taking an examination in the language in question.

Spanish and Portuguese. For admission, applicants will be evaluated on their language abilities, and preference will be given to applicants with a strong command of Spanish and/or Portuguese. All PhD students must show proficiency by examination in both languages by the time they are admitted to candidacy. Exceptions to one of those languages (typically Portuguese) if the student’s dissertation requires the use of indigenous languages or documents produced by ethnic minorities. In such cases, students must be proficient in those languages.

One language (in addition to English). Depending on the field, the adviser may determine that the student needs to show proficiency in an additional language.

For admission, students must have proficiency at the advanced intermediate level in at least one major Middle Eastern language (Arabic, Persian or Turkish). All PhD students must acquire advanced proficiency in their chosen language either by course work or exam by the time they are admitted to candidacy. In addition, students must demonstrate proficiency in one European language by the time of their comprehensive exams.

Ancient Mediterranean

For admission, students should present knowledge of classical Greek and Latin at the intermediate level and reading knowledge of either French or German. Knowledge of classical Greek, Latin, French and German is required for the PhD. Other language skills, eg. Italian, Spanish, Modern Greek or Hebrew, may prove to be necessary for dissertation research but are not formal program requirements. Students satisfy the requirement in Latin and Greek in one of two ways: either by completing three upper level or graduate courses (400-600 level) in each language and obtaining at least a B in all courses and an A- or better in at least two of the courses; or by passing a departmental sight translation exam. This exam consists of translating (with the help of a dictionary) three passages of three sentences each (roughly one-fourth to one-third OCT page) selected from prose authors of average difficulty. Students show proficiency in French and German through the regular departmental language exams.

Medieval Europe

For admission, proficiency in either Latin, French or German and familiarity with a second of those languages. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in Latin, French and German. They can satisfy the Latin requirement in one of two ways: either by taking three upper level or graduate courses (400-600 level) and obtaining at least a B in all courses and an A- or better in at least two of the courses; or by passing a departmental sight translation exam. This exam consists of translating (with the help of a dictionary) three passages of three sentences each (roughly one-fourth to one-third OCT page) selected from medieval prose authors of average difficulty. Students show proficiency in French and German through the regular departmental language exams. Depending on the field, students may have to know an additional national/regional language like Spanish or Italian.

Early Modern Europe

For admission, proficiency in one foreign language related to the field. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages. Depending on the field, students may also have to know Latin.

Modern Europe

For admission, students must know the language of the country or region in which they are interested. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in the language of the country/region in which they are interested plus another European language.

Russia/Soviet Union

For admission, three years of Russian or the equivalent. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in Russian plus either French or German. Depending on the area of interest, the adviser may require an additional language.

For admission, advanced intermediate-level proficiency in modern Hebrew. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in modern Hebrew and one other language necessary for their fields. The advisor may require other languages as necessary.

Chinese History

For admission, students must have had at least two years of university-level Chinese language courses. All PhD students must acquire advanced proficiency in Chinese since they will be using Chinese documents for their dissertations.  Before admission to candidacy students must pass a Chinese language exam in which they will translate about 30 lines of modern, scholarly Chinese into English. As with all departmental language exams, students will be able to use a dictionary, and they will have four hours to complete the translation.

Language Examinations

Except as specified for Latin and ancient Greek, the typical language proficiency examination includes a summary and translation of a passage from a work of modern scholarship in the student’s field. The director of graduate studies appoints a faculty member, typically the student’s advisor, to coordinate the exam and select an excerpt from a published work of historical scholarship in the student’s field. Students write a 200-300 word summary of this five-to-seven page excerpt from the scholarly literature in their fields, and then they do a direct translation of an indicated 30-line passage within that excerpt. The direct translation must be accurate and rendered in idiomatic English. Students have four hours to complete the exam, and they may use a language dictionary that they themselves provide.

Language exams can be taken at any time before candidacy. The exams are read by two members of the faculty: typically, the student’s advisor, who chooses the passage and serves as chair of the exam committee, and one other member of the faculty chosen by the D\director of graduate studies in consultation with the advisor. Faculty from outside the department who have the necessary expertise are eligible to serve as evaluators. The two possible grades are pass and fail. If the two readers do not agree, the director of graduate studies will appoint a third faculty member to read the exam. Students who do not pass on the first attempt may retake the examination without prior approval. After a second failure, the student must petition for reexamination. The chair of the language exam committee will notify the director of graduate studies about the results of the exam within one week after the exam, and the graduate coordinator will notify the student in writing about the results, which will then be inserted into the student’s records. All students should normally pass their language examinations during their third year of the program, though given the complexity of the language requirements in different fields of study, the department recognizes the need to exercise some flexibility in the timing of this requirement.

• Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive examinations (comps) are a standard feature of historical training in the United States. The examinations require the examinee to demonstrate mastery of historical scholarship and historiography in a major field, including specialized mastery of the authors, themes, works and topics most relevant to the intended dissertation topic. All students register for HIST 708/709: “Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations” for two semesters, once in the semester prior to the one in which they are scheduled to take the examinations (normally the fifth semester of the student’s program) and the second in the same semester as their examinations (normally the sixth semester of the student’s program). As noted above, these courses do not count towards the nine-credit readings seminar requirement.

Comprehensive examinations include the following:

• A special field examination in the form of an essay. Students prepare an essay of 4,000 to \5,000 words in length, 16-20 pages, double-spaced in a 12-point font. The special field is a subfield of the major field in which the dissertation is centered.
• A take-home major field examination administered in written format. Students have 48 hours to complete the exam, which should be 5,000 to 6,000 words, 20-24 pages, double-spaced in a 12-point font in length.
• A two-hour oral examination by the examination committee, including coverage of both the take-home major field exam and the essay that comprises the special field exam.

Timeline : The comprehensive examinations are administered during the first half of the student’s sixth semester in the program. The special field essay has to be submitted to the graduate coordinator before the student takes the major field examination. The oral examination follows within two weeks of passing the major field examination and the special field essay. Students entering the program with an MA in history might be expected to complete their comprehensive examinations during their fifth semester in the program. (Also see the “Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Examinations and the Prospectus” at the end of this document.)

Reading Lists : The format, content and length of the reading lists for the comprehensive examinations vary by field but the list should normally be in the range of 200 to 250 books. Of these, about two-thirds should be in the major field and one-third in the special field. In all fields, students develop their reading lists in consultation with their advisors and other members of the examination committee. The reading list must be compiled and approved by the examination committee by the end of their second-year summer (after the student’s fourth semester in the program). For students coming in with an MA in history who would like to take their examinations during their fifth semester in the program, the list must be ready by the end of the student’s third semester. After approval, limited changes may be made solely by mutual agreement of the student and his/her advisor.

The examination committee : The examination committee consists of three or four members of the Graduate Faculty, typically all members of the history faculty. The director of graduate studies designates the committee members and chair, in consultation with the major advisor and the student. The committee chair shall not be the student's advisor. All committee members contribute questions to the written and oral examinations. Most or all of these same committee members are normally also on the student’s dissertation committee but the composition of the examination and prospectus committees do not need to be the same.

Grading : Comprehensive examinations will be graded pass, pass with distinction or fail.

Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Exams and Prospectus

• Both the initial version of the prospectus and the special field essay are due before the major field take-home examination during the first half of the sixth semester of the student's program.
• The major field take-home examination should be completed also during the first half of the sixth semester of the student's program after the initial version of the prospectus and the special field essay are submitted.
• The two-hour oral examination on both the take-home major field exam and the essay that comprises the special field exam follows within two weeks of passing the major field examination and the special field exam. This oral exam can take place during the second half of the sixth semester of the student’s program.
• The one-hour oral examination based on the initial version of the prospectus also takes place during the second half of the sixth semester of the student’s program but only after successful completion of the two-hour oral examination (#3 above).
• The final version of the prospectus as approved by the advisor is due on the first day of the academic semester that immediately follows the comprehensive examinations, which is normally the seventh semester of the student’s program.

Prospectus & Candidacy

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus is a written précis of the proposed dissertation research, its significance, the sources and methods to be used, the relevant bibliography including primary source materials and the plan of completion. It is intended to form the substance of grant proposals students will write in order to apply for both internal and external grants and fellowships. Each field of study has its own expectations for the length of the prospectus, but normally these should be concise documents not to exceed 10-12 pages in length, followed by a bibliography. In all fields, the prospectus is developed by the student in close collaboration with the advisor and other members of the examination committee.

The preparation of the prospectus includes the following stages :

• An initial version of the prospectus.
• A one-hour oral examination based on that initial version.
• A final version incorporating any revisions suggested by members of the dissertation committee and approved by the advisor submitted to the graduate coordinator.

Timeline : The initial draft version of the prospectus should be submitted to the graduate coordinator during the first half of the student’s sixth semester before the student takes the major field examination, normally at the same time as the special field essay. The one-hour oral examination of the prospectus based on the initial version is scheduled during the second half of the student’s sixth semester in the program following satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examinations. The final version of the prospectus as approved by the advisor is due on the first day of the academic semester that immediately follows the comprehensive examination. (Also see the “Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Examinations and the Prospectus” at the end of this document.)

The relationship between the prospectus and the special field Essay: The special field essay normally covers the historiography of the entire subfield within the major field in which the dissertation is anchored, while the prospectus is more narrowly concerned with the specific research topic of the dissertation.

The examination committee: The prospectus oral examination committee consists of the advisor and at least two other members of the Graduate Faculty, who are normally also members of the student’s dissertation committee. The advisor chairs the examination. All committee members contribute questions to the oral examination and make suggestions for revisions. Upon passing the oral examination, the student will complete any revisions requested (as determined by the advisor and the committee) and submit the final prospectus approved by the advisor to the graduate program coordinator.

MA “Along the Way”

When a student receives a pass or pass with distinction and the endorsement to continue on in the PhD program, the student has the option to request that the Master of Arts degree be conferred "along the way," subject to fulfillment of the standard requirements of the MA degree.

In some instances, the examination committee may recommend that a PhD student taking comprehensive examinations be given a pass at the MA level, sufficient for the conferral of a terminal master's degree. Such a recommendation will be made with the expectation that the student not continue on towards doctoral candidacy.

Petition for Reexamination

In the case of failure of a language examination taken for the second time or one or more components of the comprehensive examinations and the prospectus preparation process (special field essay, take-home major field examination, two-hour oral examination and prospectus oral examination), the student may petition the director of graduate studies to take the whole examination or the relevant component(s) a second time. If the petition is approved, the student may retake the examination as soon as possible. A student may petition only once to retake all or part of the comprehensive examinations and the prospectus preparation process.

Successful completion of the prospectus is typically the last step before application for advancement to candidacy.

• Advancement to Candidacy

A doctoral student advances to candidacy when all degree requirements (i.e., course work, demonstrated competence in languages or special skills, comprehensive examinations and the dissertation prospectus) have been satisfied, with the exception of the dissertation.

Formal admission to candidacy (sometimes known as "All but Dissertation" or "ABD" status) is granted by the dean of the Graduate School. The application is routed through the director of graduate studies.

Advising & Committees

Each student admitted to the PhD program will choose an advisor who is a member of the Graduate Faculty and whose intellectual interests are compatible with the student's plan of study. All graduate students are required to choose an advisor by November 1 of their first semester. If they do not choose an advisor by that date, the director of graduate studies will appoint one for them. The faculty advisor will be responsible for advising the student on all aspects of their academic program, for approving the student's course of study each semester, for monitoring their progress through the program,and for notifying the student of the nature and timing of examinations and other evaluative procedures. The advisor, in consultation with the student and the director of graduate studies, will be responsible for constituting the Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Examination committees. The advisor will also represent the student to the Graduate Committee, as appropriate.

At the conclusion of the first year of study, all students will make available to their advisor a transcript of coursework and major written work completed during the first year. Upon review of the appropriate materials, the advisor will then recommend to the director of graduate studies continuation, modification or, as appropriate, termination of the student's program. All recommendations for termination require discussion and approval of the Graduate Committee.

Students may change advisors. The director of graduate studies and the new faculty advisor shall approve changes in advisors before a student advances to candidacy. After advancement to candidacy, changes shall be approved only by petition to the Graduate Committee. A change of advisor must be recorded in the student's electronic file.

Registration and Degree Progress

Continuous Registration

All graduate students must register for courses and pay associated tuition and fees each semester, not including summer and winter sessions, until the degree is awarded.

Pre-candidacy doctoral students who will be away from the university for up to one year may request a waiver of continuous registration and its associated tuition and fees. Waivers shall be granted only if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree and can complete all the degree requirements within the required time limits. Interruptions in continuous registration cannot be used to justify an extension to time-to-degree requirements.

Once advanced to candidacy, a student is no longer eligible for Waivers of Continuous Registration. Doctoral candidates must maintain continuous registration in HIST 899: “Doctoral Dissertation Research” until the degree is awarded.

The Graduate School makes available an official leave absence for childbearing, adoption, illness and dependent care. The dean of the Graduate School must approve the leave. The time-to-degree clock is suspended during an approved leave of absence.

Additional information on continuous registration and leave absence policies is published online in the Graduate Catalog.

Time-to-Degree

All students admitted to the doctoral program are expected to

• advance to candidacy within three years from initial enrollment in the Ph.D. program, and
• complete all degree requirements within six years of entering the program.

Progress-to-Degree

All students in the doctoral program will be expected to demonstrate steady progress toward the completion of degree requirements. At a minimum, the Graduate School requires students to maintain a B average in all graduate courses. However, the Department of History expects a higher level of performance, with the great majority of a student’s grades at the level of an A- or above.

Students in major fields that require lengthy language or special skill acquisition might be granted a one-year extension to progress-to-degree expectations. Additional extensions will require the approval of the Graduate Committee.

In order to meet progress-to-degree expectations :

• 800-level research seminar work should normally be completed by the end of the fourth semester in the program.
• The major field reading list must be compiled and approved by the examination committee by the end of the summer after the student’s fourth semester in the program.
• Students should complete their comprehensive examinations by the end of their sixth semester in the program. Students coming in with an M.A. in history should normally complete their comprehensive examinations by the end of their fifth semester in the program.
• Each student will be expected to submit a copy of the final dissertation prospectus approved by the advisor to the graduate program coordinator at the beginning of their seventh academic semester in the program.
• All students should normally pass their language examinations during the third year of their program.
• The director of graduate studies will review fully each student's progress-to-degree as well as the overall progress-to-degree by degree cohort at least once a year.

Failure to make satisfactory progress-to-degree or to maintain the expected grade point average may result in the suspension or loss of departmental funding, the denial of a petition for extensions, and in extreme cases, a recommendation for dismissal.

NOTE : The above guidelines on continuous registration, time-to-degree and progress-to-degree guidelines are for students matriculating in fall 2018 or thereafter. Students entering the graduate program in prior semesters are subject to guidelines at time of matriculation.

Extensions and Waivers

The Graduate Committee will consider petitions for waivers to departmental guidelines. Petitions for waivers to Graduate School requirements must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School, using the appropriate form. In most instances, the petitioning student will be required to provide a rationale for the waiver request, and, as appropriate, a convincing plan of study. The advice of the student's advisor may be sought. The advisor will be required to endorse any waiver request that involves extensions to overall time-to-degree as well as the major benchmarks of progress-to-degree.

All petitions should be directed to the director of graduate studies. The director of graduate studies, and in some cases the dean of the Graduate School, will notify the student of their disposition of petitions for extensions.

Sample Program of Study

Introduction.

The program of study often varies by field and many factors may extend or reorder the sequence and length of the program of study.

The following program of study assumes that the doctoral student will be assigned a teaching assistantship in the second, third and fourth years of study. Students coming in with an MA in history will be expected to complete the program in five or five and a half years.

Foreign language study is not incorporated into this program.

 First Year (Departmental Fellowship)

• Major Field General Seminar (608) or Contemporary Theory (HIST 601)
• Major Field Readings Seminar
• Minor Field Course
• Research Seminar OR Minor Field Course
• Exploratory Research

Second Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• 2 courses out of the following three categories:
• Research Seminar 
• Research Seminar
• Reading for Comprehensive Examinations
• Initial Prospectus Preparation

Third Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• HIST 708: Readings for Comprehensives”
• Prospectus Preparation 
• Grant Applications
• HIST 709: “Readings for Comprehensive Examinations”
• Prospectus Oral Examination 
• Final Version of Prospectus
• Dissertation Research

Fourth Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• Dissertation Research (HIST 899)

Fifth Year (Departmental or External Fellowship)

• Grant Applications  

Spring & Summer

• Dissertation Writing

Sixth Year  (Departmental or External Fellowship)

• Job applications  
• Job applications

Graduate Placement

Learn more about the career and life paths of our PhD alumni.

Graduate Coordinator, History

2131 Francis Scott Key Hall College Park MD, 20742

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations Te Kura Aro Whakamuri, Rapunga Whakaaro, Matai Tōrangapū me te Ao

Phd by thesis in history.

Build on your Honours or Master’s degree with advanced original research at doctoral level, and become a leader in your area of History.

The PhD by thesis in History is a three-year course of independent full-time study, or six years of part-time study. PhD candidates write a 90,000 to 100,000-word thesis, supervised by two historians affiliated with the History programme. Your PhD thesis is expected to make an original contribution to knowledge in the field of History.

Many of our PhD students undertake overseas research, and students are eligible to apply for research grants from the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. We encourage our PhD students to publish—as a result, the University leads New Zealand in the number of postgraduate student publications.

If you are seeking admission to the PhD by thesis in History, we expect you to have an MA or BA(Hons) degree in History or an equivalent four-year undergraduate degree. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact members of staff or the History postgraduate coordinator before applying.

Application deadlines are 1 March, 1 July, and 1 November. PhD candidates follow the same scholarship application process as other students.

History postgraduate coordinator

Dr Adrian Muckle

Senior Lecturer School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations

• [email protected]
• OK 418, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade

Application process

See a step-by-step guide that will take you through the process of applying to do a PhD at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

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PhD in History

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The PhD in History is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral viva voce examination. The primary purpose of the PhD is the preparation and presentation of a substantial piece of independent and original academic research, completed in three or four years if studying full-time and five years if studying part-time.

Every PhD student in the Faculty of History is supported by a supervisor (or in some cases, supervisors). Supervisors are experts in their field of study and support students throughout the PhD. Students will also benefit from the advice and support of other academic members of the Faculty who will be involved in progression through the various stages of the PhD, from the registration assessment exercise at the end of the first year through to the completion of the thesis.

Most of our PhD students study here full-time but each year we admit a number of students who wish to study on a part-time basis. Part-time study can be ideal for those who are looking to gain a postgraduate qualification without leaving employment and wish to develop their careers while they continue earning, or for those who are home-based for whatever reason and wish to develop their skills. However, it’s important to note that the part-time PhD at Cambridge is not a distance-learning course. Part-time students are expected to fully engage with the Faculty, to integrate into the research culture of the University and to attend the University on a regular basis for supervision, study, skills training, research seminars and workshops.

Throughout their time at the Faculty, PhD students are encouraged to attend one or more of the Faculty’s postgraduate workshops in their subject group or area of research. These workshops are spaces for PhD students to share their work and collaborate with visiting speakers, academic and peers. 

Learning Outcomes

The Cambridge PhD is designed as structured, flexible and individual preparation for becoming a professional researcher. It will help students develop the core skills needed by arts, humanities or social sciences professional researcher of the future, which are valued by both academic and non-academic employers.

The Faculty’s MPhil programmes provide excellent preparation for doctoral study and many of our MPhil students choose to stay at Cambridge to pursue a Cambridge PhD.

Students wishing to continue to the PhD are normally expected to achieve an overall average of 70 in their MPhil with a mark of at least 70 in their dissertation.

Admission to the PhD is always subject to the availability of a suitable supervisor.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, faculty of history, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2024.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

Similar Courses

• Modern European History MPhil
• Latin American Studies PhD
• Politics and International Studies PhD
• Economic and Social History MPhil
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Japanese Studies) MPhil

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PhD in History

The Department of History offers only a PhD. We do not admit students to a terminal master's degree in history; however, students in the PhD program may earn a master’s degree in history the way to their doctorate. We do offer an interdisciplinary MA in heritage studies and public history.

PhD Degree Requirements

For your PhD, you will be expected to meet the following requirements:

• 27 credits in 9 history classes, including Scope and Methods of Historical Studies (8015) in the first semester and a History Research Seminar (8021), which would focus on prospectus writing to be taken in the second or third year, as well as two courses in a chosen comparative area
• 12 credits from outside the history department related to your course of study
• 24 thesis credits
• Reading knowledge in at least one language outside of English before preliminary exams (this requirement may vary depending on your field of study and may include competence in quantitative methods)
• Completion of preliminary written and oral exams
• Completion of the dissertation
• Final oral dissertation defense

Note: If you enter the PhD program with a master’s, you will be expected to complete your coursework and preliminary exams by the end of your second year or the first term of the third year.

Master’s Options

Students interested in completing a Master’s degree while pursuing their PhD may do so. All students who choose to pursue a master’s must complete 30-31 credits of coursework, have a reading knowledge in one foreign language, and can choose to write a thesis or expand upon three seminar papers.

We are now offering an MA in heritage studies and public history in conjunction with several departments, programs, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the College of Design. This MA provides history professionals with broad disciplinary perspectives in several areas including archival research, archaeology, material culture studies, architecture, preservation, or landscape studies.  View more information on the MA in Heritage Studies and Public History .

Graduate Minor in History

Students pursuing graduate degrees in other departments may minor in history. To earn a master’s minor, students will be asked to take two history courses and craft a thesis with a historical dimension. Students wishing to earn a PhD minor will be asked to take four history courses, including Scope and Methods of Historical Studies. Minor students must also take a written and oral examination, which can be incorporated into their home department, as long as a historian sits on the examining committee.

Non-Degree Graduate Credits

Non-degree seeking students can join graduate seminars as well, more information can be found  here .

College Resources for Graduate Students

Visit CLA’s website for graduate students to learn about collegiate funding opportunities, student support, career services, and more.

Student Services      Career Services     Funding & Support

Department of History

PhD in History

Combine creative ideas and innovation with academic study to develop key skills for your career in the field, academia or research.

If your passion lies in research, our doctoral degrees give you the independence to focus on a specialism of your choice. Study with us and receive expert research guidance from our supportive staff.

Your research

The focus of your work will be an independent research project. We provide training which will equip you with skills in a wide range of research methods to support your growing expertise. The PhD requires a dissertation of up to 90,000 words.

Postgraduate research provides opportunities to develop your academic, creative and practical skills. You'll work independently in an academic environment where scholarship and creativity go hand-in-hand.

Join one of our leading research groups, which bring together historical expertise in various fields. Find out more about our research groups .

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We also offer an MPhil in History, working towards shorter dissertation of up to 60,000 words over two years (four years part-time).

Apply for the MPhil in History

3rd in the UK for research impact

and 11th overall in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Committed to equality

We are proud to hold an Athena Swan Bronze award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality in history.

Access to exclusive resources

Our Borthwick Institute for Archives houses one of the most extensive collections of archives in the UK. York Minster Library is the largest cathedral library in the UK and holds material spanning 1000 years of history. We also have strong partnerships and consultancies with museums, archives, heritage sites, the media, artists and community organisations.

Explore funding for postgraduate researchers in the Department of History.

Supervision

We'll help match your research interests to our supervisory expertise. Explore the expertise of our staff.

Training and support

Your progress throughout your degree will be continually guided by your supervisor , who will help you to hone your focus and deliver specialised research.

Alongside regular meetings with your supervisor, you'll attend a Thesis Advisory Panel (TAP), consisting of at least one member of staff in addition to your supervisor. You'll meet twice a year (once a year for part-time students) to discuss your research project, including more general professional development and career training.

Course location

This course is run by the Department of History.

You'll be based on  Campus West . Most of your training and supervision meetings will take place here, though your research may take you further afield. Distance learning options are available.

There are opportunities for you to study abroad. We have an annual desk exchange scheme with Lund, Sweden, which all our PhD students are invited to apply for.

Entry requirements

You should have, or be about to complete, an MA in History or an equivalent subject with a distinction or very high merit.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must provide evidence of your ability.

Check your English language requirements

Apply for this course

Take a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.

Find out more about how to apply .

Identify a supervisor

As part of any application for a research degree you will need to name one or more academic staff who could supervise your research. You should approach them informally to discuss your proposed project before you apply.

Find a supervisor

As part of your application, you'll be interviewed by one or two academic staff members, including your prospective supervisor. The interview will last around 30 minutes to an hour, with plenty of time for you to ask questions and find out what York can offer you.

As part of the interview, you could have the chance to tour our facilities, including the Humanities Research Centre , the Borthwick Institute for Archives and the University Library, and attend a research seminar.

Careers and skills

Your PhD will help to extend your qualifications, giving you the ability to use research and historical thinking to shed light on historical problems and communicate this knowledge with others. You will become equipped with transferable skills in communication, data analysis, archival research and collaboration, opening the door to a wide range of career opportunities.

Our dedicated careers team offer specific support including a programme of professional researcher development and careers workshops and 1:1 career support sessions. They will help you to build up your employability portfolio and to engage in activities that will build up your skills and experience within and outside of your research work.

Career opportunities

• archives practitioner
• heritage manager
• academic researcher
• museum professional
• historic buildings conservation officer
• lecturer or teacher

Discover York

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to deluxe.

Discover more about our researchers, facilities and why York is the perfect choice for your research degree.

Graduate Research School

Connect with researchers across all disciplines to get the most out of your research project.

Meet us online or on campus

Find out all you need to know about applying to York

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Library & Digital

• Collections

Find out more about theses holdings at the Wohl Library.

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Theses collections

The Wohl Library holds copies of many University of London PhD (and some MA) theses in history, from the early twentieth century to 2009. Since 2009 University of London theses are now only held by the relevant  college library . They are included in the  IHR catalogue , and can be requested from the IHR's onsite store.

Recent copies of IHR students' theses can be accessed on the  School of Advanced Study repository .

Most UK PhD theses are now only available through the British Library’s  EThOS (Electronic Theses Online) service . These can usually be digitised on demand if they are not already available, and some universities subsidise the costs. A list of participating institutions is available at  http://ethos.bl.uk/HEIList.do . Oxford and Cambridge aren't participating, so enquiries for their theses should be made directly to the institutions. MPhil/MA theses are not covered by EThOS, so enquiries should be made directly to the relevant university. 

The IHR published a listing of UK history theses until 2014. These lists of theses completed at UK universities between  1901 and 1970 and 1970 and 2014 are available as part of British History Online. A listing of 1260 MA and PhD theses relating to the history of London (completed 1960s-2010s) is also available from the IHR’s Bibliography of British and Irish History (subscription service). We do not hold copies of these theses, except where they fall into the collection described above. Enquiries for accessing copies can be made via EThOS or the relevant institution.

Related content

IHR Library & Digital provides a wealth of services and resources, both in person and online, to all those interested in history.

The Institute of Historical Research is located in Senate House in Bloomsbury, London's academic and publishing quarter.

Online Resources

Explore an A-Z list of eResources available through the Wohl Library

Join the IHR

Become a part of the vibrant community of historians at the IHR by joining a seminar, becoming a Friend or Library Member, or by applying to be a Fellow.

150 Strong History Dissertation Topics to Write about

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging and exciting moments of an academic career. Such work usually takes a great deal of time, courage, and intellectual effort to complete. That’s why every step in your work process is essential.

It all starts with finding a good topic, which can be a challenge of its own. It especially matters when it comes to liberal arts subjects. In social studies, literature, or world history options are practically endless.

Coming up with history dissertation ideas, you need to think of historical events that interest you. We get it, choosing one is tough. There can be too much to wrap your head around. That’s why IvyPanda experts prepare some dissertation topics in history ready for you.

• How to Choose a Topic?
• Ancient History
• Medieval History
• Modern History
• Cold War Topics
• American History
• European History
• Indian History
• African History
• Performing Arts
• Visual Arts
• How to Structure

🧐 How to Choose a History Dissertation Topic?

Before examining our ideas for dissertation topics in history, you should get ready for this. You have to understand how to pick a history dissertation topic, which will ensure your academic success. Keep in mind that this is a vital step in your career.

So, check some tips on picking what to write about:

• Make sure that the topic fits in your field of study. You have to understand what you’re writing about. Basing your paper on existing knowledge and experience is a part of any dissertation. Working on an overly complicated idea can sound impressive but lead to failure. It will become a nightmare already on the stage of writing a dissertation proposal. How can you write the entire thing without comprehending it?
• Estimate whether you’re interested in the topic you intend to write on. Although this might seem obvious, yes. However, being actually invested makes a massive difference for your further work. There are plenty of students who settle for “easy but boring” topics and end up struggling twice as much.
• Ensure that your topic is specific enough. Your idea should have the potential for fruitful research. Narrowing down your area of study is essential for writing a good dissertation. It helps you to find the direction of your examination and enough sources to work with. Moreover, this way, you’ll be able to explore your topic in its entirety.
• Do some prior research. It will give you an understanding of how much literature on your topic is out there. Take notes of the materials for the reference list and your analysis. Checking history essay samples is a good idea, too.
• Don’t be shy to ask your dissertation advisor for some assistance. After all, they are here to help and guide you through the process. Besides, you have to see what ideas they consider relevant and appropriate.

👍 Good Dissertation Topics in History: Time Period

History is a subject as ancient and vast as the humankind itself. It’s only rational to study it according to a particular timeline. Here are some good history dissertation topics for different periods.

🏺 Ancient History Dissertation Topics

• Ancient Civilizations: The Maya Empire . The Maya was an incredibly powerful Empire with its prime around six century A.D., excelling in mathematics, calendar-making, astrology, and writing. It faced the decline of its city-states in nine century A.D., leaving a rich cultural heritage to the studies of subsequent generations.
• Women’s Roles and Gender relations in the Ancient World
• Greek City-States . Ancient Greece is the place where the first city-states were formed. How did the first governments in the ancient history timeline develop? How did people’s attitudes towards leadership change in that context?

• Ancient Near-Eastern Thought and the Old Testament
• The Inca Empire as a Great Civilization of Pre-Columbian America
• The Impact of Mongol Invasion in Ancient Arab
• The personality of Julius Caesar and His Effect on Rome
• The Role of Poets and the place of Poetry in Ancient Greece
• Mesopotamian Civilization . This was a fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It has been home to some of the world’s wealthiest and most advanced ancient cities. It can also make an excellent archaeology dissertation topic. There are plenty of fascinating sites that could be studied.
• History: Ancient Greek Olympics . Started in 776 BC, the Olympic Games were the most important cultural event in Ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Zeus every four years. Besides, the Olympics were representative of the triumph of physical and spiritual power.
• Warfare and Violence in Ancient Times. Try to do a comparative analysis of warfare techniques used by different ancient civilizations. It could be a great dissertation topic.
• Burial Rituals in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece: a comparison
• Plutarch’s Vision on Alexander the Great
• Dissolution of the Roman Empire . The Empire sprawled from the coast of North Africa to the territories of the modern UK and Armenia. Once, it was the most powerful political entity in the entire Mediterranean. The empire, however, collapsed in 476 CE. What were the reasons for its eventual decline?

• How Geography Has Impacted the Development of Ancient Cultures
• Cause and Effect of Art on Classical Societies
• The Invention of Papyrus and its impact on the World
• Chichen Itza Archaeological Site . Chichen Itza is a great pre-Columbian archaeological site, home to the Maya civilization. It is a fascinating study case in many aspects. Consider the origins and Maya history. Analyze the cultural preservation issues that it faces nowadays.
• Egyptian Pyramid’s Importance in Egypt’s society
• The Stone Age Period and its Evolution

🛡 Medieval History Dissertation Ideas

• Cultural Exchanges in the Medieval Period . In the aftermath of the Roman Empire’s fall, new geopolitical conditions formed. The early Middle Ages period already marked the appearance of new trade routes. It fostered cultural exchange between nations.
• Rome in the Middle Ages and its cultural transformation
• The Development of Feudalism and Manorialism in the Middle Ages
• The Catholic Church and the Black Death in the 14th Century . During the high Middle Ages, the plague epidemic terrorized Europe. It was a dreadful challenge to medicine, religious institutions, and the social apparatus of the time. How did the Catholic Church deal with such a complex and disastrous medical phenomenon?
• Jews and Muslims in Medieval Spain . Christian, Islamic, and Jewish communities shared the Iberian peninsula in the early Middle Ages. It formed a vibrant cultural environment.
• London during the Roman Age: A Critical Overview
• Causes of the First Crusade of 1095-1099
• Twelfth-Century Renaissance, how Franciscans reacted to it and benefited from its development
• Business and Empire, the British ideal of an Orderly World
• The Black Death, Late Medieval Demographic crisis, and the Standard of Living controversies
• The Role of the Church in the life of the Middle Ages

• Medieval Siege Warfare . Exploring methods of defense used during the Middle Ages might be an interesting research project.
• The Conditions of Hindu and Islamic women in Medieval India
• Why the Crusades Failed
• The Mechanical Water clock of Ibn Al-Haytham, his philosophy of the rise and fall of empires
• The Renaissance and its Cultural, Political and Economic Influence
• The Dark Ages as the Golden Ages of European History . Plenty of facts demonstrate civilization’s decline during the Middle Ages. It was, nevertheless, the time of significant scientific, literary, and technological progress. For some interested in writing a medieval literature dissertation: think of Dante’s Divine Comedy . Da Vinci made his groundbreaking study projects during the Middle Ages. It was the time when first universities, such as Cambridge and Oxford, were founded. Overall, this period has a lot to offer!
• Japan’s Development Under Edo/Tokugawa Shogunate
• Historical and Theological Context of Byzantine Iconoclasm
• Medieval Convivencia: Document Analysis

🕰 Modern History Dissertation Topics

• World History: Enlightenment in Society and its Impact on Global Culture
• Nationalism and its 19th Century History
• Why Mussolini and the Fascists Were Able to Seize Power in Italy
• Religious Symbolism in Renaissance paintings . Renaissance is well-known as a period when fine arts were thriving. It was an early modern birthplace of many technological and cultural advancements. Religion, however, was still a central topic in visual art.
• Industrial Revolution and its Impact on Western Civilizations
• Principles of Liberalism and Its Connection to Enlightenment and Conservatism
• “History and Topography of Ireland” by Gerald of Wales . Looking for an incredible Irish history dissertation topic? Then this document might be an interesting prompt. Its somewhat controversial tone of describing contemporary Irish culture, history, and traditions can be subject to a comprehensive analysis.
• Moral treatment of Mental Illness . Over the 19th and 20th centuries, psychology has changed. Moving from a scientific periphery, it became one of the central subjects of scholarly discussions. Mental illnesses were highly disregarded in earlier centuries. People even considered them to be manifestations of demonic possession. How did this attitude change? Why did people rethink psychology as a scholarly discipline?
• A History of the Cuban Revolution

• Abraham Lincoln’s Historical Influence
• Role of Women During the Spanish Civil War
• Conquest and Colonization of America by European Countries . Colonization of America is one of the grandest enterprises in the world’s political history. What were its driving forces?
• Origins and Trajectory of the French Revolution
• Major Impacts of Consumerism in contemporary world history
• Coco Chanel Fashion: History of Costume . Probably not the first topic for a history dissertation that comes to mind. Chanel is truly an iconic figure in modern history, though. She revolutionized the fashion industry concerning gender as well.
• Causes of the Breakup of the Former Yugoslavia
• The Russian Working Class Movement . Before 1861, the agriculture and peasant-owning system were the foundation of the Russian Empire’s economy. Serfs made up a significant part of the population, accounting for over 60% in some regions. Then the serfdom abolition happened. A lot has changed in the economic and social life of the country.
• Segregation During the 1960s
• Historical Development of Feminism and Patriarchy
• Monetary and Fiscal Policy during the Great Depression

🔔 History Dissertation Topics on Cold War

• The Role of Cold War in Shaping Transatlantic Relations in the Period from 1945 to 1970
• The showdown between the United States and the USSR . Cold Was was essentially the power struggle between the US and the Soviet Union. It unleashed in the aftermath of World War II. This political precedent came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the answer to the “Who won the Cold War?” question may be unclear.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis , its causes, and effects
• US Foreign Policy during the Cold War. Cold War, as a phenomenon, has many layers to it. Yet the one crucial is the contest of two ideologies: democracy and communism. How did the US shape its foreign policy and pursue its interests abroad? And how did the cultural and political setup within the country adjust to it?
• To what extent did the Cold War shape the US relations with Latin America?
• What was the importance of Berlin in the Cold War?
• Japan’s role since the end of the Cold War
• Cold War Politics, Culture, and War . Exploring the Cold War causes and effects can be quite a challenge. It is such a multifaceted phenomenon. It was a war led on many fronts. Both USSR and the US pursued their interests using a variety of methods.

• How did Cold War propaganda influence the film industry?
• What were the challenges in the post-cold war world?

🗺 History Dissertation Topics: Geographical Regions

Every country has its historical course, and so does every continent. Geography has always been an important factor when talking about history. It shapes historical trajectory in varied, unique ways.

Look at a dissertation topics history list based on geographical regions:

🦅 American History Dissertation Topics

• History of Hollywood, California . Oh, Hollywood. A place where American movie history was born. What about Hollywood’s history? Although a less traditional American history dissertation topic, it is still a fascinating one. Explore the way technological advancements in filmmaking were introduced over the decades. How did they influence the film’s general style?
• History: Migration into the United States . How did migration influence the economy of the time?
• The Relationships between the Settlers and Native Americans
• Literary works’ Views on Slavery in the United States
• Causes of the Civil War in America
• What is the real meaning of a cowboy?
• The United States military experience through the eyes of films
• Attack on Pearl Harbor: Effects of Foreign policy
• Causes of Depression in the 1890s
• Has President Obama’s Presidency changed the US?
• The role of Founding Fathers in American Society and Religion
• Post-Civil War reconstruction . Consider the way America’s economy, trade, and finance transformed in the aftermath of the Civil War.
• Principal causes and consequences of the Spanish-American War
• Why was the Declaration of Independence written?
• The Significance of the Frontier in American History
• How is a “new racial narrative” in the U.S.A created?
• American Revolution and the Crisis of the Constitution of the U.S.A. Rethink the origins of the American constitution, as well as the following events. It could be an exciting thesis idea for an American history dissertation.

• Growth and Development of San Francisco and Los Angeles after the Gold Rush
• The Role of Racism in American Art
• Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis

🏰 European History Dissertation Topics

• Age of Discovery in Europe. The Age of Exploration in Europe lasted from the 15th to the 17th century. Over this period, Europe actively engaged with other territories and continents. Discoverers formed new international relations and expanded geographical knowledge. This topic could also make an excellent cultural history dissertation.
• Analyzing the Impact of British Colonization
• Nationalism in World War II
• Effects of the Industrial Revolution concerning World War I
• The Rise and Fall of Napoleon and the Cause of Revolution . Napoleon is one of the most prominent figures in French history. What has shaped his career as a political leader?
• History of Hitler’s Nazi Propaganda . Consider a brief history of Germany. Undoubtedly, the rule of Hitler and the Third Reich was its most devastating chapter. The “art” of propaganda flourished during the nazi regime. It penetrated the cultural, political, and social life of the country.
• Evolution of the IRA
• Napoleon’s Strategy and Tactics in his Invasion of Russia . For someone interested in writing a military history dissertation.
• Industrial Revolution Impact on Gender Roles
• Witchcraft in Europe (1450-1750) . Witch hunts took place as early as the Middle Ages in Europe. Held by the Church in most cases, witch hunts targeted those who were suspected of practicing black magic. Examine this both astonishing and problematic phenomenon.

• French Revolution: Liberal and Radical Portions
• West European Studies: Columbus’s Journey
• History of Feudalism . Feudalism dominated the European way of life during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. What were its distinctive features as a system? Why did it eventually fade away?
• Europe’s perception of Islam in the Early and Middle centuries
• Cold War Consequences for European Countries
• Mutated Medical Professionals in the Third Reich: Third Reich Doctors
• Was the Holocaust the Failure or the Product of Modernity?
• How did the use of print change the lives of early modern Europeans ?
• Early Modern England: a Social History
• Jewish Insight of Holocaust

⛰ Indian History Dissertation Topics

• History of the Indian Castes. The Indian Caste system is a complex and unique example of social stratification.
• Mahatma Gandhi’s Leadership . Gandhi is, for sure, among the greatest human rights advocates in the world’s history. His one of a kind leadership style is subject to many studies. While practicing a peaceful form of civil protest, he fought for equality, independence, and compassion.
• Political conflicts in India in the XVII century
• Impacts of the First World War on British Policies in India
• Movement Against the British rule in India. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, with the support of the National Congress, the movement took place in 1920-22. It sought to fight for the freedom of Indians.
• The Origin and Course of the Indian revolt of 1857
• The Issues of the Partitioning of India in 1947
• India Since 1900 . India is a region rich with unique traditions. Its spiritual and cultural heritage goes back to antiquity. The country’s authentic art and architecture, music, and cuisine have served as an inspiration worldwide. A considerable part of its history is, however, affected by British rule.

• Women in Hinduism and Buddhism
• The British East India Company

🌍 African History Dissertation Topics

• Ancient Societies in Mesopotamia and Ancient Societies in Africa: a comparison . Egypt is one of the most ancient African civilizations. Its origins go back to the third millennium B.C. Back then, the cultural exchange between Egypt and Mesopotamia was flourishing. What were the significant differences between the two civilizations? What did they have to offer to one another?
• Political Violence in South Africa between 1985 and 1989
• Did History of Modern South Africa begin with the Discovery of Diamonds and Gold?
• Nelson Mandela: “Freedom in Africa.” Nelson Mandela is, without a doubt, one of the central figures in African history. His devotion and tireless effort in fighting against apartheid were remarkable. Thanks to him, many sub-Saharan countries enjoy the freedoms and advances of a democratic society.
• The Cult of the Dead in West Africa: The Kongo People . African tribal rituals and traditions are unique and specific to their region. Cult of the Dead is prevalent in Western African culture. It can be notoriously known as the origin place of voodoo and other black magic practices. There is yet much more to this culture. Dismantling some prejudices could make an excellent African history thesis.
• Christianity, Slavery, and Colonialism: the paradox
• The Colonial War in Southwest Africa
• African-Europe Relations between 1800 and 2000
• Impacts of Slavery and Slave Trade in Africa
• African Communities in America

🎨 Art History Dissertation Topics

Art comes in all shapes and forms. To grasp it better, we can explore each kind separately. Here’s a list of art history dissertation ideas:

🎶 Topics on Performing Arts

• History and Development of Ballet . Ballet is an art form with a long history. Initially, a specific dance originated in Medieval Italy. It was later brought to France and Great Britain. Ballet thrived in the 20th century Russia, where Russian choreographers brought it to the highest level of mastery.
• The Life and Work of William Shakespeare: His Contribution to The Contemporary Theater
• Jazz Music in American Culture . Jazz is one of the most complex and exciting music genres of all time. It was born in the 20’s century black communities of New Orleans and quickly spread across America and then the world. The genre, however, will always be an integral part of African-American identity.
• The Instrumental Music of Baroque: Forms and Evolution
• Rock Music of the 1970s
• Michael Jackson’s Life as a Musician and Choreographer
• Development of the Symphony Orchestra in the 19th and 20th Century
• Woodstock Music Festival . This massive music festival that first took place in 1969 was the epitome of hippie culture. It has a rich history that once again underscores the importance of performing arts in Western culture.
• The History of Modern Chinese Music
• The Renaissance Theater Development. The era in which both visual and performing arts were thriving. It has a lot to offer for proper dissertation research.

🖼Topics on Visual Arts

• Art Period Comparison: Classicism and Middle Age
• Vincent Van Gogh: Changes in the Technique
• The Ambiguity of Mona Lisa Painting

• Orientalism in Western Art . It’s commonly associated with romanticism and some 20th-century artworks. Orientalism is a Western term that speculates the aesthetics of the Orient. Consider this concept as a prism through which Westerners viewed the Eastern world.
• Classical Art and Cubism: History and Comparison
• Postmodern and Modern Art . The 20th and 21st centuries have been a breeding ground for many forms of fine art to emerge and flourish. Some art movements presented their philosophy in the form of manifestos. These texts can be nothing but a pure treasure for someone writing an art history dissertation.
• Female Figures in Ancient Greek Sculpture
• Andy Warhol’s Career . Pioneer of pop-art, creator of Studio 54, and a style icon.
• Filippo Brunelleschi and Religious Architecture
• The Photographic Approaches Towards American Culture of Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand

📋 How to Structure Your Dissertation?

An adequately structured history dissertation can immensely help students. It ensures that they present their ideas and thoughts logically. Sticking to a particular dissertation structure is an essential element of such work.

The general plan of any dissertation type is the following:

• Title Page. A title page should only contain essential information about your work. It usually shows your name, type of the document (thesis, research paper, dissertation), and the title itself. A good history dissertation title is crucial! It’s the first thing a reader will see.
• Acknowledgments. Do you wish to give credit to someone for supporting you during the tiresome months of your work? This is the right part to do so, be it your family, friends, or professors. It is an excellent form to express gratitude to those who proofread your drafts. Or those who brought you another cup of coffee when you needed it.
• Declaration. This section is your written confirmation. You declare that all the research and writing is entirely original and was conducted by you. If someone intellectually contributed to your project, state it in the acknowledgments.
• Table of Contents. Essentially, it’s a brief structure of your dissertation. List every section that you’ve included in your academic paper here.
• Abstract. This is the section where you write a brief summary of your dissertation. It should describe the issue, summarize your core message and essential points. List your research methods and what you’ve done. Remember to make it short, as the abstract shouldn’t exceed 300 words or so. Finish the part with a few essential keywords so that others can find your work.
• Introduction. A dissertation introduction presents the subject to the reader. You can talk about the format of your work. Explain what you plan to contribute to the field with your research.
• Literature Review. The chapter reviews and analyzes pieces of scholarly work (literature) that have been made on the subject of your research. The sources should present relevant theories and support your thesis. Be sure to discuss the weaknesses and strengths of the selected area of study and highlight possible gaps in this research.
• a code of conduct;
• research limitations;
• research philosophy;
• research design;
• ethical consideration;
• data collection methods;
• data analysis strategy.
• Findings and Results. Restate everything you have found in your research. However, do not interpret the data or make any conclusions yet.
• Discussion and Conclusion. In this chapter, you should personally interpret all of the data and make conclusions based on your research. It is essential to establish a logical link between the results and evidence. Finally, conclude the overall study. You can add final judgments, opinions, and comments.
• References. This section contains a list of references to all the sources that you used. Write down every material, which you quoted, mentioned, or paraphrased in your work. Check your educational institution’s guidelines to see how to do so correctly.
• Bibliography. Similar to the reference section, a bibliography is a list of sources you used in your dissertation. The only difference is that it should contain even the sources you don’t directly mention in your writing. Whatever helped you with the research, you state here.
• Appendices. The section may include any supplementary information that explains and complement the arguments. Add pictures, diagrams, and graphs that serve as examples for your research subject.

Writing a dissertation is the right challenge for those with ambitions and lots of determination. It is a lot like a marathon, and it starts with choosing the right topic. We hope that you will find one for yourself on this list. Good luck! Share the article to help those who may need a piece of advice or some history dissertation topics.

🔗 References

• How To Write A Dissertation: Department of Computer Science, West Lafayette, Purdue University
• Ph.D. Thesis Research, Where Do I Start: Don Davis, Columbia University
• Writing with Power: Elbow P., Oxford University
• Writing a Thesis or Dissertation – A Guide to Resources: Gricel Dominguez
• The Elements of Style: Strunk, W. Jr., White, E.B., Angell, R.
• A Collection Of Dissertation Topics In American History: asqauditconference.org
• Yale History Dissertations: Department of History, Yale University
• Dissertation Outline: School of Education, Duquesne University
• Developing a Thesis Statement: The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Writing an Abstract: The Writing Center, George Mason University
• Formatting Additional Pages: University of Missouri Graduate School
• Reference List vs. Bibliography: OWLL, Massey University
• How to Write Your Dissertation: Goldsmiths University for The Guardian
• Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style: Kim Cooper, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
• Acknowledgments, Thesis and Dissertation: Research Guides at Sam Houston State University
• Thesis Formatting, Writing up your Research: Subject Guides at University of Canterbury
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• Schools & departments

PhD in History

The PhD in History offers you the opportunity to study history at an advanced level through independent research.

Postgraduate Research Degrees in History, Classics and Archaeology online session

Register now to join us on Wednesday 29th May at 4pm BST for a Postgraduate Research Degrees in History, Classics and Archaeology online session. We will talk about our programmes and allow time for questions.

Register for our  Postgraduate Research Degrees in History, Classics and Archaeology online session

The PhD is our principal research degree. The size of Edinburgh’s history department, and the breadth of expertise available from our staff, means that we can offer supervision for research projects in a wide array of fields. We have strong research concentrations in Scottish history, American history, global and transnational history, Irish history, intellectual history, and medieval history, and colleagues who can supervise topics spanning two millennia and five continents. Members of the history department have strong links with colleagues elsewhere in the University with research expertise in related disciplines, from Classics, Archaeology and History of Art to Politics and Economics.

The breadth of research expertise in the School and in the wider University makes it possible for us to supervise a very wide range of topics. Each student is allocated at least two supervisors, allowing us to combine thematic, chronological and, if appropriate, disciplinary expertise in the supervisory team. We also have close links with external organisations, such as the National Museums of Scotland, and may be able to include external partners in supervisory teams.

Details of PhD projects currently being undertaken in the School can be found on our list of research student web profiles .

Read an  interview  with a PhD student in History.

Programme structure

The PhD is a substantial piece of independent research which makes a contribution to the state of existing knowledge in the field. The PhD programme is designed to take three years full-time or six years part time. The PhD is examined by submission of a thesis of up to 100,000 words and by oral examination.

PhD students work closely with their supervisors, who are recognised experts in the field of study. All PhD students pursue an individually tailored programme of research training agreed with their supervisors. The PhD programmes in History provide core training in the research skills necessary to flourish at doctoral level and beyond, through a core course in semester one, Professional Skills for Historians , and a day-long annual conference for PhD students in semester two.  All PhD students in the School also benefit from School and University-wide training in research and professional skills.

PhD students are encouraged to share their research with other postgraduate students through workshops and seminars, and to take an active part in the research life of the history subject area, the School and the University through our research groups and centres and through student-led workshops and seminars. Current research groups include Digital Humanities; Intellectual History ; Material Culture; Global and Transnational History; History of Science, Medicine and Technology; Economic and Social History; Political History ; Irish History ; and Late Antique and Byzantine Studies . We also have three research centres: The Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary History ;  Medieval and Renaissance Studies ; and the Edinburgh Centre for Global History .

You must  contact a potential supervisor  to discuss your research project before making a formal application.

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact the Programme Director.

Dr Felix Boecking

Programme director.

• School of History, Classics and Archaeology
• University of Edinburgh

Contact details

• Work: +44 (0)131 650 3844
• Email: [email protected]
• Web: Dr Boeking's staff profile

Apply for this programme

• Fees and funding
• School guidance on  applying (link to 5 step guide)
• If you require a visa we advise that you apply as early as possible.
• All candidates who want apply for funding must submit their application for a place at the University in advance of the relevant funding deadline (in December and January typically - details can be found on the  funding website ).
• The final deadline for which the School will consider applications for the programme is 1 July 2024.

Apply through our Degree Finder now

• If you are hoping to study for this degree by distance please read further details and entry requirements here - PhD by Distance

Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

The Harvard University Archives ’ collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University’s history.

Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research institution as well as the development of numerous academic fields. They are also an important source of biographical information, offering insight into the academic careers of the authors.

Spanning from the ‘theses and quaestiones’ of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D . 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard ( Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson , Ed.D. 1922).

Other highlights include:

• The collection of Mathematical theses, 1782-1839
• The 1895 Ph.D. dissertation of W.E.B. Du Bois, The suppression of the African slave trade in the United States, 1638-1871
• Ph.D. dissertations of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (Ph.D. 1925) and physicist John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (Ph.D. 1922)
• Undergraduate honors theses of novelist John Updike (A.B. 1954), filmmaker Terrence Malick (A.B. 1966),  and U.S. poet laureate Tracy Smith (A.B. 1994)
• Undergraduate prize papers and dissertations of philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson (A.B. 1821), George Santayana (Ph.D. 1889), and W.V. Quine (Ph.D. 1932)
• Undergraduate honors theses of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (A.B. 1940) and Chief Justice John Roberts (A.B. 1976)

What does a prize-winning thesis look like?

If you're a Harvard undergraduate writing your own thesis, it can be helpful to review recent prize-winning theses. The Harvard University Archives has made available for digital lending all of the Thomas Hoopes Prize winners from the 2019-2021 academic years.

Accessing These Materials

How to access materials at the Harvard University Archives

How to find and request dissertations, in person or virtually

How to find and request undergraduate honors theses

How to find and request Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize papers

How to find and request Bowdoin Prize papers

• email: Email
• Phone number 617-495-2461

Related Collections

Harvard faculty personal and professional archives, harvard student life collections: arts, sports, politics and social life, access materials at the harvard university archives.

Find A Degree

60 Famous Ph.D. Theses In History

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Obtaining a PhD is a huge undertaking that requires endless hours of research, testing, and writing. In the end, a thesis is written and if defended successfully a PhD degree is awarded. If it is not successfully defended, all of the time and effort you put into it was for nothing – in most cases.

Here are 60 famous Ph.D. theses throughout history. Some were successfully defended, while others were rejected and mocked. Yet somehow they have still made history. Take a tour through history!

1. Marie Curie

Curie wrote a PhD thesis titled “ Radioactive Substances ” in 1903 for which she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics. Her handwritten thesis and other documents are kept in a lead-lined box to this day because they are too radioactive to be touched.

2. Albert Einstein

Einstein’s PhD thesis titled “A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions” was completed in 1906 and is the world’s most cited work.

3. Bernhard Riemann

Riemann’s PhD thesis titled “On the Hypotheses Which Lie At the Basis of Geometry” was completed in 1968 and gave rise to Riemannian geometry, which was used by Albert Einstein to explain the concept of relativity.

4. Kim Eric Drexler

When Drexler completed his PhD thesis titled “Molecular Machinery and Manufacturing with Applications to Computation” in 1991 he had discovered and invented the field of molecular nanotechnology.

5. Karl Marx

Marx’s PhD thesis titled “The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature” was completed in 1841 and debated between freedom and determinism.

6. Claude Shannon

Shannon’s PhD thesis titled “A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits” was written in 1937 and laid the groundwork for all digital technology.

7. Stephen Hawking

Hawking’s PhD thesis Properties of Expanding Universes laid out his theory of how the universe was created.

8. John Nash

Nash and his beautiful mind wrote a mere 27-page PhD thesis titled “Non-Cooperative Games” in 1950 which led to him being awarded a Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994.

9. de Broglie

de Broglie wrote a PhD thesis titled “On the Theory of Quanta” in 1924 which became one of the core ideas of quantum mechanics. He was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.

10. Richard Feynman

Feynman wrote a PhD thesis titled “The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics” in 1942 which introduced the now-famous Feynman diagrams.

11. Max Weber

Weber’s PhD thesis titled “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” was completed in 1905. Weber is known as one of the founders of sociology.

12. Ivan Sutherland

Sutherland completed a PhD thesis in 1963 titled “Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System” and created Sketchpad, which with the first GUI (graphical user interface) program.

13. Hans Rutger Bosker

Booker won the 2014 AVT/Anéla Dissertation Prize for the PhD thesis titled “The Processing and Evaluation of Fluency in Native and Non-Native Speech” completed at Utrecht University.

14. Michael P. Mendenhall

Mendenhall won the 2015 Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics for the PhD thesis titled “Measurement of the Neutron Beta Decay Asymmetry Using Ultracold Neutrons” written at California Institute of Technology.

15. John Criswell

Criswell won the 2014 Doctoral Dissertation Award for the PhD thesis titled “Secure Virtual Architecture: Security for Commodity Software Systems” written at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

16. Shayan O. Gharan

Gharan won the Doctoral Dissertation Award 2013 for the PhD thesis titled “New Rounding Techniques for the Design and Analysis of Approximation Algorithms” written at Stanford University.

17. Eric A. Vandre

Vandre’s PhD thesis titled “Onset of Dynamics Wetting Failure: The Mechanics of High-speed Fluid Displacement” written at the University of Minnesota won the 2014 Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics.

18. Ezgi Akpinar

Akpinar wrote a PhD thesis at Erasmus University Rotterdam titled “Consumer Information Sharing: Understanding Psychological Drivers of Social Transmission” which won the McKinsey Marketing Dissertation Award 2014.

19. Keith N. Snavely

Snavely’s PhD thesis titled “Scene Reconstruction and Visualization from Internet Photo Collections” written at the University of Washington won the 2009 Doctoral Dissertation Award.

20. Susannah Taylor

Taylor wrote a PhD thesis at the University of Ottawa titled “Effacing and Obscuring Autonomy: the Effects of Structural Violence on the Transition to Adulthood of Street Involved Youth” which won the 2018 Joseph De Koninck Prize.

21. Carl Friedrich Gauss

Gauss wrote a PhD thesis titled “ A new proof of the theorem that every integral rational algebraic function of one variable can be resolved into real factors of the first or second degree ” in 1799 and is sometimes called the Prince of Mathematicians.

22. Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer wrote a PhD thesis titled “ On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason ” in 1813 which influenced many other philosophers since.

23. Ludwig Büchner

Büchner’s 1848 PhD thesis was titled “ Contributions to the Hallerian Theory of an Excitomotor Nervous System ” and proved that irritability causes muscle contractions rather than consciousness.

24. Johannes Diderik van der Waals

in 1873 Diderik van der Waals completed a PhD thesis titled “ On the continuity of the gas and liquid state ” which gave a semi-quantitative description of the phenomena of condensation and critical temperatures.

25. Hans Vaihinger

in 1877 Vaihinger completed a PhD thesis titled “The Philosophy of ‘As If'” which explained his philosophy, based on his study of Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche, that while sensations and feelings are real, the rest of human knowledge and logic consists of “fictions” that can only be justified pragmatically.

26. Svante Arrhenius

Arrhenius’ 1884 PhD thesis titled “Investigations on the Galvanic Conductivity of Electrolytes” which was initially not well received by his professors, but eventually earned him the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

27. Émile Durkheim

Durkheim’s PhD thesis titled “The Division of Labour in Society” was completed in 1886 and is a fundamental statement of the nature of human society and its development.

28. Poul Heegaard

Heegaard’s 1898 PhD thesis titled “Preliminary Studies Towards the Topological Theory of Connectivity of Algebraic Surfaces” that introduced ‘Heegaard decompositions’ and the associated ‘Heegaard diagrams’ that are still relevant today.

29. Louis Bachelier

Bachelier completed a PhD thesis titled “The Theory of Speculation” in 1900 which modeled the stochastic process now called Brownian motion.

30. Henri Lebesgue

Lebesgue’s 1902 PhD thesis titled “Integral, Length, Area” made his theory of integration famous.

31. John Augustine Ryan

Ryan was a Catholic priest who wrote a PhD thesis titled “A Living Wage” in 1906 which argued for a minimum wage.

32. Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky’s PhD thesis titled “The Psychology of Art” was completed in 1925 but not published until the 1960s.

33. Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein’s 78-page PhD thesis titled “Logical-Philosophical Treatise” was completed in 1921 and published as a book, which was his only published work.

34. Brian May

Queen guitarist Brian May finished his PhD thesis titled “A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud” in 2008. He started his research in 1970 but took a long break to tour with the band and enjoy being famous.

35. Peter Higgs

Higgs’ PhD thesis was titled “Some problems in the theory of molecular vibrations” and he became famous in 2013 for his discovery of the Higgs Boson (the God particle) and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

36. Jim Al-Khalili

Al-Khalili’s PhD thesis was about “Immediate energy deuteron elastic scattering from nuclei in a three-body model” and he went on to present science topics on radio and television.

37. Rosalind Franklin

Franklin’s PhD thesis studied the molecular structure of coal and other organic materials , but she is best known for creating the X-ray diffraction images of DNA that led to the discovery of its double-helical structure.

38. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

While researching and writing her PhD thesis, Burnell discovered radio pulsars . These pulsars were famously visualized on the cover of Joy Division’s album Unknown Pleasures.

39. Kurt Gödel

Gödel first presented his PhD thesis “On Formally Undecidable Propositions of ‘Principia Mathematica’ and Related Systems” in 1929 and it was published as an article in 1930. The thesis presented a theorem of the first-order predicate calculus.

40. Jacques Lacan

Lacan’s PhD thesis “On Paranoiac Psychosis in its Relations to the Personality” completed in 1932 presented the post-structuralist theory rejected the belief that reality can be captured in language, which made Lacan a specialist in paranoia.

41. Edward Franklin Frazier

Frazier’s 1932 PhD thesis “The Negro Family in Chicago” analyzed the cultural and historical forces that influenced the development of the African-American family from the time of slavery. It was later published as a book that was awarded the 1940 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for the most significant work in the field of race relations.

42. Lars Onsager

Onsager completed his PhD thesis “Solutions of the Mathieu equation of period 4 pi and certain related functions” in 1935 but was not granted a PhD. He went on to work as a theoretician in the physical sciences and won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

43. Alan Turing

Turing’s 1938 PhD thesis “On Computable Numbers, With An Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” suggested a theoretical machine that became the basis of modern computing.

44. Paul Samuelson

Samuelson became known as the Father of Modern Economics after his 1941 PhD thesis “The Observational Significance of Economic Theory: A Study in the Foundations of Analytical Economics” was published. The thesis provided the framework of “Foundations of Economic Analysis,” the best-selling economics textbook of all time.

45. Claude Lévi-Strauss

Lévi-Strauss’ PhD thesis was the foundation of the 1948 book “The Elementary Structures of Kinship” which is widely regarded as one of the most important anthropological works on kinship.

46. Kenneth Arrow

Arrow’s 1951 PhD thesis “Social Choice and Individual Values” led to “Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem” for which he and John Hicks were awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

47. Noam Chomsky

Chomsky completed his PhD thesis “Transformational Analysis” in 1955 and is now known as the “father of modern linguistics.” Today he remains a major figure of analytic philosophy.

48. Hugh Everett III

Everett completed his PhD thesis “Theory of the Universal Wave Function” in 1957 and was ridiculed by his peers. It was not published until 1973 as part of an anthology about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. It was only then that Everett gained some respect for his contributions to mathematics and quantum theory.

49. Stephen Jay Gould

Gould completed his PhD thesis titled “Pleistocene and Recent History of the Subgenus Poecilozonites In Bermuda” in 1967 which led to his theory of punctuated equilibrium.

50. Robert Allen “Laud” Humphreys

Humphreys completed his controversial PhD thesis titled “Tearoom Trade” in 1968. He studied anonymous male-male sexual encounters in public toilets and confirmed that over 50% of the men were heterosexual.

51. Kate Millett

Millett’s PhD thesis “Sexual Politics” was published as a book in 1970 and became a cornerstone of radical feminism.

52. Michael Spence

Spence’s PhD thesis “Market Signalling” in 1972 led to him being awarded the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

53. Harry Binswanger

Binswanger’s PhD thesis “The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts” was completed in 1973 presented a new theory of the goal-directedness of living action.

54. Camille Paglia

Paglia’s 1974 PhD thesis “Sexual Personae: The Androgyne in Literature and Art” was the basis of her first book, which became a best-seller.

55. Edwin Earl Catmull

Catmull’s 1975 PhD thesis titled “A Subdivision Algorithm for Computer Display of Curved Surfaces” made four key computer graphics discoveries: Z-buffering, texture mapping, subdivision surface, and the fast rendering of bicubic patches.

56. Paul Milgrom

Milgrom completed his PhD thesis titled “The Structure of Information in Competitive Bidding” in 1979. He is an expert in game theory and pricing strategies.

57. Robert “Bob” Anton Wilson

Wilson earned a PhD in 1979 with his thesis “Prometheus Rising” from the unaccredited and now closed Paideia University in California. However, Prometheus Rising was published in 1983.

58. Irene Heim

Heim produced her PhD thesis titled “The semantics of definite and indefinite noun phrases” in 1982 and is now a linguist and specialist in linguistics.

59. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen

Goldhagen’s PhD thesis titled “The Nazi executioners: A study of their behavior and the causation of genocide” was completed in 1992 and was the basis of his book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners.”

60. Rebecca Mercuri

Mercuri’s PhD thesis titled “Electronic Vote Tabulation: Checks and Balances” was completed in 2001 and is of particular interest during voting years.

Sources: https://www.document-centre.co.uk/marie-curie-her-world-changing-phd-thesis/ https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/examples/ http://www.mrgeek.me/lists/12-most-famous-phd-theses-in-history/ http://dissertation.com/top_dissertations.php https://blogs.bl.uk/science/2016/12/9-famous-scientists-and-their-phd-theses.html

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RIT graduate pursues Ph.D. across time zones

Nastaran Nagshineh, center, defended her Ph.D. thesis at RIT in April. Faculty from RIT’s Rochester and Dubai campuses served on her thesis committee and include, from left to right, Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard, Steven Weinstein, Nathaniel Barlow, and David Kofke (a professor at the University at Buffalo). Mohamed Samaha participated remotely and appears on the video screen behind the group and alongside Nagshineh’s picture.

Nastaran Nagshineh is one of the first Ph.D. candidates to bridge RIT’s Rochester and Dubai campuses. Her accomplishment creates a path for future students at the university’s international campuses.

Nagshineh completed her Ph.D. in mathematical modeling while working full time as a mathematics lecturer at RIT Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, teaching as many as five classes a semester. She described her Ph.D. journey as “an exercise in perseverance” due to competing demands and long days. Rochester is eight hours behind Dubai, and the time difference meant many late-night classes and meetings.

“I saw this collaboration as an opportunity, rather than as a challenge, because my primary adviser, Dr. Steven Weinstein (RIT professor of chemical engineering), and my co-adviser, Dr. Mohamed Samaha (RIT Dubai associate professor of mechanical engineering), both have the same area of research interest,” she said. “They both worked toward my success.”

Nagshineh is one of 67 RIT Ph.D. students who defended their thesis this academic year and who will earn their doctorate. RIT awarded 63 Ph.D. degrees in 2023.

In 2020-2021, RIT’s Graduate School met and surpassed the university’s goal of conferring 50 Ph.D. degrees during an academic year. That number will continue to grow as students cycle through the seven new Ph.D. programs that RIT has added since 2017, said Diane Slusarski , dean of RIT’s Graduate School.

Meeting these goals puts RIT on a path toward achieving an “R1,” or research-intensive designation, from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning. RIT is currently ranked as an R2 institution . Many factors go into changing a university’s status, including research investment and maintaining a three-year average of 70 Ph.D. degrees awarded per year, according to Slusarski.

“We have met the goals of the strategic plan, and now we look forward to contributing to the research innovation in the future,” Slusarski said. “We want to help the new programs thrive and win national research awards.”

RIT’s emphasis on high-level research is seen in Nagshineh’s Ph.D. work. She applies mathematical modeling to the field of fluid dynamics. Her research has been published in top-tier journals and has gained notice, said Weinstein, her thesis adviser.

Weinstein describes Nagshineh’s accomplishments as “a testament to a fantastic work ethic and commitment” and is inspirational to younger students at Rochester and Dubai.

“The collaboration between RIT Dubai/Rochester has continued,” he said. “Another paper was submitted a few weeks ago with Mohamed Samaha and Nate Barlow (RIT associate professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics) as co-authors, as well as Cade Reinberger, a younger Ph.D. student in my research group.”

Mathematical modeling is one of RIT’s newer Ph.D. degree programs, and Nagshineh is among its earliest graduates. The program has doubled in size since it began accepting students in 2017, Slusarski said. This past fall, the mathematical modeling program had 35 students, with two graduating this year.

Altogether, RIT has 13 Ph.D. degree programs currently enrolling 438 students, with computing and information sciences accounting for the largest with 117 students. RIT’s other Ph.D. programs include astrophysical sciences and technology , biomedical and chemical engineering , business administration , color science , electrical and computer engineering, imaging science , mechanical and industrial engineering , microsystems engineering , and sustainability .

New programs in cognitive science and physics will launch in the fall.

The growth in RIT graduate education—with more than 3,000 master’s and doctoral students—reflects a demographic change in the student population, Slusarski said. “We have a higher percentage of women in the graduate programs than we have for RIT undergraduate programs.”

RIT’s graduate programs enroll 42 percent women, according to Christie Leone , assistant dean for the Graduate School.

Nagshineh, who also holds an MS in electrical engineering from RIT Dubai, welcomes her role as a mentor to other women students on both campuses.

“As a young woman in an Arabic country, the power of women is often underestimated and undervalued, and I hope to serve as a role model to female students, especially those that question their path,” Nagshineh said.

She plans to continue in her career as a professor and a researcher. “I would like to pursue a research program where I can advise my own students and teach them more deeply.”

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Danielle Vander Horst, Undergraduate/Graduate Coordinator, Published in New Book "Of Things and Stories"

Danielle Vander Horst (MA '19), History of Art Undergraduate/Graduate Co-ordintor, has recently been published in the Archaeological Institute of America's annual peer-reviewed book series,  Selected Papers on Ancient Art and Architecture . Volume 8 of the series is titled,  Of Things and Stories: Current Approaches to Object Biography, Medium, and Materiality  (2024, edited by Christina Marini and Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory). 

"From the gold of the shaft graves of Mycenae to an undecorated Late Roman lekythos, and from facade statuary in Roman Ephesus to electroplated teapots in present-day household assemblages on the island of Kythera, this volume presents a selection of essays on the complex and ever-progressing relationships between things and people across time and space. Past and present advances in the discourse on materialisms are approached from a case study perspective through the lens of two different but complementary themes: object biography and materiality in relation to medium. Each essay offers a distinct insight into the always shifting meanings, values, and relational connections of things, exploring a diversity of concepts, contexts, and material elements from prehistory to today."

Vander Horst's chapter, "Containing Yourself: Romano-British Face Pots as Proxy for Body and Self" is a continuation of the work she conducted for her MA in Archaeology at the Cornell Institute for Archaeology and Material Studies.

"This paper seeks to offer a new approach to Romano-British face pots wherein these vessels can be understood as active agents in socio-cultural contexts related to votive and funerary practices...The result of this discussion is that face pots in Britain may be seen as productive outlets for pre-Roman ideologies concerning what the body is and how it can look and how, as proxies for human agents, they can act as agents in their own right." 

Full publication details can be found here  and on the AIA website .

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2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Another Day at The Orifice

• May 28–June 9, 2024
• 2-7pm Daily, by appointment only June 7-9
• Opening Reception:  May 30, 7-9pm
• Closing Reception:  Thursday, June 6, 6-9pm

Description

The University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design is pleased to present the 2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Another Day at The Orifice, from May 28 through June 9 at Railspur (Top Floor). Join us for the opening reception on May 30, 7-9pm, and the closing reception on Thursday, June 6, 6-9pm during the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk. Throughout their programs, graduate students work with their advisors and other artists to develop advanced techniques, expand concepts, discuss critical issues, and emerge with a vision and direction for their work. Another Day at The Orifice features the cumulative thesis work of the eight graduates receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photo/Media, Painting + Drawing, and 3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture.

2024 MFA Graduates: Dave Braun, FS Bàssïbét, Rachel Dorsey, Amara Eke, Ren Han, Michael Hong, Ali Meyer, Kevin Phan

Gallery Hours

2-7pm Daily from May 28 – June 6

By appointment only on June 7–9 (graduation weekend).

Book an appointment now.

Location + Accessibility

The Top Floor at Railspur is a 14,000-square-foot space inside a historic 1906 brick building at 419 Occidental Avenue South. The entrance to the top floor is through the alley (direction signs will be placed around the building). There is wheelchair access throughout the building.

Transportation

The RailSpur building is readily accessible via public transportation—Metro bus lines, the Light Rail (pioneer station), and the First Hill Streetcar. Garage and street parking are also available in the area. It is highly recommended to use public transit, specially on game days and during the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk.

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Roger Ware Brockett, 84

Providing community support

A change of mind, heart, and soul

Julia Tellides.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Tracing largely forgotten history of major community 

Julia Tellides explored shifts, upheavals of Thessaloniki between two wars 

Christy DeSmith 

Harvard Staff Writer

Part of the Commencement 2024 series

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 373rd Commencement.

Julia Tellides discovered the rich Jewish heritage of Thessaloniki two years ago on a  Harvard Summer School Study Abroad  program.

“It was the first time I heard about there being a large Jewish community anywhere in Greece,” said the graduating senior, a joint history and classics concentrator. “I thought, why have I never heard about this before? If anyone should know about this history, it’s me.” 

Tellides, who grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, with a Greek father and Jewish mother, went on to devote her senior thesis to the city’s politically active Jewish residents during a period of upheaval in the early 20th century. Once home to the largest Sephardic Jewish population in Europe, Thessaloniki (traditionally known as Salonica or Salonika) proved a gold mine of Jewish culture and resistance, with Tellides surfacing new insights on the community’s struggle for survival. 

“For an undergraduate to have gone into such depth, and with such originality, is remarkable,” said Tellides’ thesis adviser  Derek Penslar , the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History and director of Harvard’s  Center for Jewish Studies .

Greece’s second-largest city, situated 300 miles north of Athens on the Aegean Sea, once served as an economic and cultural crossroads. “It was one of the most important ports in the Ottoman Empire,” Tellides explained. It was also a melting pot where Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexisted in relative peace. 

That changed when the Greek government took control in the early 20th century, with Thessaloniki changing from “a multicultural, multireligious empire to a Christian nation-state,” said Tellides, whose second thesis adviser was  Paul J. Kosmin , the Philip J. King Professor of Ancient History.

According to a 1913 census, the Jewish population in Thessaloniki numbered  around 90,000 . Tellides’ scholarship focused on the community’s activism in the years between World Wars I and II, with Jewish residents organizing in opposition to rising antisemitism and discriminatory public policy. One example is a 1924 mandate for all businesses to remain closed on Sundays.

“Other historians have acknowledged the significance of the Sunday closing law — if Jews observed the Sabbath they effectively lost a day of work, which made it very hard to make a living,” Penslar noted. “Julia’s original contribution was depicting how the Jewish community reacted to the crisis, how they interceded with the Greek government, and even more interestingly how they interceded with international organizations in the spirit of the Minority Rights Treaties created after World War I.”

Tellides, a history lover from childhood, also examined a moment in the 1930s when the Greek government sought to take over the city’s vast Jewish cemetery, with more than 350,000 graves dating as far back as the Roman era. “They wanted to build a university campus on top of it,” she said.

With support from Harvard’s  Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies ,  Center for Jewish Studies , and  Department of the Classics , the Leverett House resident traveled to Thessaloniki last summer to conduct archival research and explore the city. But Tellides, who bolstered her Greek skills with coursework at Harvard, quickly found herself unable to decipher materials written in Ladino, a Romance language developed by Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in the late 15th century. 

“Many of these spaces commemorate the community’s death rather than its life.”

“What I read instead was their correspondence with international Jewish organizations,” shared Tellides, who plans to teach English to kindergarteners in Athens following graduation. “They were desperately trying to overturn these laws through diplomatic channels, political pressure — anything they could possibly do.”

As Tellides walked the streets of Thessaloniki, she found little that celebrated the city’s Jewish heritage. All that exists are a couple of Holocaust memorials, two surviving synagogues, and a  small but impressive Jewish museum . 

“Many of these spaces commemorate the community’s death rather than its life,” she writes in her thesis before calling for more memorials to the lasting influence of Jewish residents. 

One thing the city has in abundance are vestiges of the ancient Jewish cemetery, which was in fact dismantled during the Holocaust. “They used the tombstones to rebuild after World War II,” Tellides said. “They’re built into landscaping walls and parks. One of the biggest churches has Hebrew inscriptions in its floor.”

That harrowing chapter wasn’t a focus for Tellides, but it was impossible to set aside entirely. Thousands of Jews had already left Thessaloniki by the 1940s. During Nazi occupation, about  96 percent  of the remaining population was deported and killed in concentration camps. 

“So much is gone. Not only in terms of the amount of people killed, but all their synagogues, communal centers, and neighborhoods — everything was confiscated or actively destroyed during World War II.”

“So much is gone,” Tellides said. “Not only in terms of the amount of people killed, but all their synagogues, communal centers, and neighborhoods — everything was confiscated or actively destroyed during World War II.”

For Tellides, the scale of loss made it all the more important to focus on the interwar period. “It’s really inspiring, but also difficult to understand how hard they were working to save their community,” she said.

“The thesis is a case study of the failure of the Minority Rights system of the interwar era,” Penslar observed. “Julia catalogs and analyzes Jewish activism and agency in Thessaloniki in ways that go well beyond existing scholarly literature on the subject.”

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Mom delivers baby in car hours before defending her Rutgers doctoral thesis

• Updated: May. 08, 2024, 3:05 p.m. |
• Published: May. 08, 2024, 11:30 a.m.

Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez delivered her son, Enzo, hours before defending her dissertation at the Rutgers-New Brunswick Graduate School of Education. Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

• Tina Kelley | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Giving birth and defending a doctoral dissertation could easily be considered among the most stressful items on a bucket list. For Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez, it was all in a day’s work. One day’s work.

She even grabbed a shower in between.

On March 24, Brevard-Rodriguez, director of Aresty Research Center at Rutgers University, was finishing up preparations for her doctoral defense the next day. Eight months pregnant with her second child, she didn’t feel terrific, but she persisted.

She was trying to hone down to 20 minutes her remarks on “The Beauty Performances of Black College Women: A Narrative Inquiry Study Exploring the Realities of Race, Respectability, and Beauty Standards on a Historically White Campus.” The Zoom link had gone out to family, friends, and colleagues for the defense, scheduled for 1 p.m. the next day.

“Operation Dissertation before Baby,” as she called it, was a go.

But at 2:15 a.m. on March 25 her water broke, a month and a day early.

As the contractions came closer and closer, her wife drove her down the Garden State Parkway, trying to get to Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair before Baby Enzo showed up.

But the baby was faster than a speeding Maserati and arrived in the front seat at 5:55 a.m., after just three pushes. He weighed in at 5-pounds 12-ounces, 19 inches long, and in perfect health for a baby four weeks early.

“I did have to detail her car afterward,” the new mom said of her wife.

Brevard-Rodriguez was feeling so good after the birth that she decided against asking to reschedule her thesis defense.

“I had more than enough time to regroup, shower, eat and proceed with the dissertation,” she said. She had a quick nap, too. The doctors and nurses supported her decision and made sure she had access to reliable wifi at the hospital.

She gave her defense with a Rutgers background screen. When she learned she had passed, she dropped the fake background, and people could see Brevard-Rodriguez in her maternity bed, and Enzo in her wife’s arms.

“I said, ‘You guys missed the big news,’ and they just fell out,” said Brevard-Rodriguez, who waited for the reveal because she didn’t want extra sympathy from her dissertation committee.

Melina Mangin, chair of the Educational Theory, Policy & Administration Department at the Graduate School of Education, was astounded.

“Tamiah had delivered a flawless defense with zero indication that she had just given birth,” she said. “She really took the idea of productivity to the next level!”

Finishing her doctorate in education and having her last child were fitting 40th birthday presents to herself, Brevard-Rodriguez said. She turned 40 in November and returns to work in late August.

Stories by Tina Kelley

• Quintuplets graduate together from N.J. university
• These 6 N.J. high school seniors were just named among the top students in the nation
• Rutgers negotiated with protesters but ignored pleas from Jews on campus, lawmakers say

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com .

Tina Kelley may be reached at [email protected] .

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Department of the History of Art

Congratulations to phd student ella gonzalez on upcoming publication.

The Department of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins proudly congratulates Ella Gonzalez, a graduate student in the program, on her forthcoming publication (co-edited with Cynthia Coburn and Ellen Caldwell), titled   Gender Violence, Art, and the Viewer: An Intervention . The book is set to be released by Penn State University Press and is currently available for pre-order.

“We extend our warmest congratulations to Ella Gonzalez on this remarkable achievement,” said Mitch Merback, chair of History of Art at Johns Hopkins. “Her dedication to critical scholarship and her contributions to this important field of study are truly commendable. We are proud to have her as a member of our academic community.”

Ella Gonzalez is currently pursuing her graduate studies in the History of Art program at Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests include Art and archaeology of Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean world.

For more information about Ella Gonzalez and her forthcoming publication, please visit Penn State University Press .

N.J. Quintuplets Make History as They Graduate from Montclair State University

Graduate Spotlight Times Five: The Povolo quints follow their own paths yet all earn their degrees in four years

Posted in: Business , Education , Homepage News , Humanities and Social Sciences , Science and Technology , University

Update: Since Montclair shared their story on May 6, 2024 the Povolos’ achievements have been shared by media outlets throughout the country. Read more about them locally in NJ Monthly and watch them on ABC News 7 , News 12 New Jersey  and CBS New York.

Being a quintuplet is exceptionally rare. Rarer still is all five attending the same college and graduating on the same day. But that’s what the Povolo quintuplets – Victoria, Ludovico, Ashley, Michael and Marcus – have accomplished at Montclair State University. On Monday, May 13, they will make history at the University’s Commencement when they walk across the platform to receive their degrees one after the other.

The milestone at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, is believed to be the first time quints have simultaneously graduated from a New Jersey higher ed institution, with the Povolos joining just a handful of other multiple siblings in the nation who celebrated their “quintessential” college experience by graduating from the same college in the same academic year.

From Montclair, the Povolos will earn degrees in five different majors:

• Victoria Povolo, Biochemistry; minor Italian
• Ludovico Povolo, Political Science, minor Pre-Law, Business
• Ashley Povolo, English, Teacher Education Program, certification in P-12
• Michael Povolo, Nutrition and Food Science, concentration Dietetics
• Marcus Povolo, Business Administration, concentration International Business

“Montclair helped us be together, but also helped us to become our own people, with our own majors, our own interests, our own friend groups,” Victoria says. “We customized our own paths, but we got to the finish line together.”

The siblings credit their parents, Paolo Povolo, a building engineer for Cushman & Wakefield, and Silvia Povolo, assistant housekeeping supervisor for the University, for encouraging them to follow their dreams and instilling both a strong work ethic and the importance of education.

“The support that they have for us, obviously, there’s a reason why we made it this far,” Victoria says. “Our parents always encourage us to do our best, and the best doesn’t look the same for everyone, which I think is also something we learned growing up and explains why we’re all doing different things.”

Marcus Povolo has landed a job with the financial giant JPMorgan Chase & Co. He’s the only sibling to live on campus, a move he made so that he could easily access the campus train station to commute to Jersey City for work and have a quiet place to study. To stay on track to graduate in four years, he took courses during the summer and winter breaks, asynchronous classes and expedited classes.

“This definitely wasn’t easy, managing full-time school and work,” Marcus says. “There were times where I figured doing one would be a lot easier. I just had to push myself through.”

Victoria plans to take a year off to work and save money for medical school to study forensic medicine. She’s held several undergraduate research positions in Montclair’s science labs , opportunities she shared in the Amazon-series The College Tour . She’s currently researching personality disorders and interning in a morgue.

Michael Povolo, a student athlete, will continue at Montclair next fall to complete a 4+1 program, meaning after five years he will have earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nutrition. He’s a defensive midfielder on the Red Hawks lacrosse team, interns at an assisted living community, and coaches youth lacrosse.

Ludovico Povolo, a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, is known by his college friends and at the restaurant where he works by his nickname, Vico. Before college he went by his middle name, Masha. His academic interests have also seen changes. While he once saw himself headed to a career in law, a professor pointed out that with his gregarious nature he might want to consider business. He found it a better fit with his evolving interests. He’ll shortly begin work as a sales and marketing representative for Techtronic Industries in northern New Jersey.

Ashley Povolo, a future teacher, is completing her clinical experience as a high school advanced placement English teacher. She works as a University Fellow and studied abroad in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, which she says took her outside the comfort zone of being part of a big family as she navigated the experience on her own. Ashley wrote a poem about how their birth order (Victoria, the oldest, Vico, Ashley, Michael and Marcus, the youngest by minutes) has shaped their lives.

“They’re my best friends,” Ashley says. “We’ve grown up together and literally know everything about each other. So it did hit me the other day that graduation is the last big thing that I’m going to experience with them at the same time.”

The siblings frequently meet on campus for coffee and meals, and share rides to and from school. “I do need that closeness and seeing them all the time and being around them all the time,” Victoria says. “It completes what I need, and the others for sure think the same. We always regroup, no matter how far we’ve been, no matter where we’ve gone, we always come back and regroup.”

The Povolo quintuplets captured the public’s attention when they were born on the Fourth of July, 2002, and dubbed by a local newspaper “Five Little Firecrackers” on their first birthday.

As they’ve grown, the siblings, now 21, say they’ve enjoyed the curiosity that comes with the rarity of being a quint.

“Personally, I love the attention,” says Vico. “I love talking about it. It’s unique and refreshing.”

College graduation promises to put them in the spotlight again. The University, which will hold two Commencements for students based on their college or school, has made accommodations so the Povolos can receive their diplomas together at the morning ceremony on May 13.

“We’ll need a tissue box for my mom,” Michael says. “She’s definitely going to cry.”

Graduation for five, let alone college for five wasn’t a given for the Povolo quintuplets. “I remember our senior year [at Passaic Valley High School],” says Michael. “We were sitting down and asking, ‘What are we going to do for school?’ We talked about community college, jobs and training programs. Each of us wanted very different things in terms of majors. But the one thing we shared was applying to Montclair.”

The University was close enough to their home in Totowa, New Jersey, that the money they saved by commuting might just make college accessible. All five were accepted and Victoria reached out to the University’s financial aid office to ask about scholarships or loans they might qualify for.

“I was very aware of the financial situation of my family,” Victoria says. “If it had been too much, I would have bowed out and just not gone to college because I didn’t want to put that on my parents, and I didn’t want to put that on myself financially.”

But, as Victoria would learn, each of the Povolos qualified for Presidential Scholarships for high-achieving students, and also qualified for need-based grants and small merit scholarships that in total amounted to a tuition-free four years for the family.

At a meeting with high school guidance counselors in February 2020 – supposedly to “explore ways to pay for college” – Montclair staff presented the family with a giant replica check made payable for five higher educations.

Just the week prior, their parents had looked into refinancing their home. “ And then Montclair pulls up and gives us a great deal,” Michael recalls. Times five, the scholarships and financial assistance made what seemed impossible, possible.

“It’s so big we can’t even put words to it,” says their mother, Silvia Povolo, recalling that moment and what it has since meant to the family. “I always sit down with them and say, ‘You had four years of college that came to your table and you had the chance to take it with no cost. Whatever you learned in these four years, it’s a blessing… it’s a key to open a golden door.’”

A few weeks before graduation, they were still deciding how to celebrate but leaning toward a backyard party.

“It’s a gigantic moment for them and for us,” says their father, Paolo. “So basically, we’ve been saying, ‘when one door closes another one opens.’ In the sense that college is coming to an end, we have to think of the future, we have to think of what’s next … and that is in the making.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren . Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

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