history phd program

Before you apply

• For admission to the Ph.D. program, all applicants require an M.A. degree in History or a related discipline with a minimum GPA of 3.0, though normally, applicants are not admitted with a GPA below 3.5. 

• All applications, regardless of field, are assessed in the light of the department's projected ability to provide appropriate supervision at the dissertation stage of the student's program. 

• Prospective Ph.D. students who lack appropriate preparation in history, but who present strong academic credentials otherwise, may, in certain instances, be required to pass a number of 7000 level courses in History (taken as Occasional Students) as determined by the Admissions Committee, and pass a qualifying examination before being admitted into the program. 

• Qualifying examinations for Ph.D. students are, as a rule, similar in scope and method to the procedures laid down for Coursework Stream M.A. students. But whereas all Coursework Stream M.A. students take 24 credit-hours of courses, Ph.D. qualifiers are seldom required to take more than 12 or 18 credit hours of courses. 

• If a student is required to take only two graduate courses in History to qualify, he/she must achieve a GPA of 3.5, with no individual course grade of less than B. If he/she/they is/are required to take three graduate courses in History to qualify, he/she must achieve a GPA of 3.33, with no individual course grade of less than B. 

• In addition to the written qualifying examinations and the successful completion of the required coursework with the minimum grades noted above, Ph.D. qualifiers will present themselves for an oral qualifying examination which covers material taken in the courses and may also include questions on the broad scope of their historical studies. 

• The Graduate Executive Committee in History, composed of eight elected faculty members plus the Head and Associate Head, reviews all Ph.D. admission applications and recommends acceptance or rejection of each application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Complete the Candidacy Exam (GRAD 8010) or equivalent as required by their program and determined by the assigned examining committee. See below for more information on this requirement.

• 2 zero-credit, pass/fail courses

  • GRAD 7500 Academic Integrity Tutorial must be completed online within your first term of registration.

  • GRAD 7300 Research Ethics Course must be completed online within your first year of registration.

• Meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course and time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses). 

• PhD Thesis (GRAD 8000)

  • An essential feature of Ph.D. study is the candidate’s demonstration of competence to complete a research project and present the findings. The thesis must constitute a distinct contribution to knowledge in the major field of study, and the research must be of sufficient merit to be, in the judgement of the examiners, acceptable for publication. The thesis will normally be written in English but may be written in French. Departmental/unit supplementary regulations may allow the thesis/practicum to be written in a language other than English or French.

  • The thesis must be written according to a standard style acknowledged within the candidate’s particular field of study and recommended by the department/unit, be lucid and well-written, and be reasonably free from errors of style and grammar (including typographical errors). Additional recommendations for a thesis are outlined in Appendix 1: Thesis/Practicum Types. 

  • The final version of the thesis must be submitted by the candidate to the Faculty of Graduate Studies following the guidelines found on the Faculty’s website. 

  • For more information about writing your PhD thesis, consider participating in our Planning, Researching, and Writing Workshop, which runs every Fall and Winter semester. Click here for more information.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

• As soon as possible, but no later than 24 months after a student has commenced their program, the student’s program of study should be registered with the Faculty of Graduate Studies on the “Program of Study and Appointment of Advisory Committee” form and should include: 

  • information about the minimum or expected time for completion of the degree; 

  • coursework to be taken along with course classification (“S”, “X”, “A” or “O”); 

  • any additional language requirement; 

  • the research area in which the thesis will be written. 

• The approval of the student’s advisor/co-advisor and the Head of the department/unit are sufficient for registration. The program of study, including withdrawal from individual courses and any subsequent changes, must be approved by the student’s advisor/co-advisor, the advisory committee, and the Head of the department/unit. Withdrawal from courses or changes of course category without such approval may result in the student being Required to Withdraw from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

CANDIDACY EXAM

• A period of preparation for candidacy exams in history, normally lasting no less than nine months, is considered an integral and essential part of doctoral studies in History. 

• The candidacy examination involves an oral examination as well as written examinations in three different fields of history: one major field and 2 minor fields, determined in consultation with the proposed dissertation advisor, student, and the Chair of the Graduate Executive Committee. One of the minor fields may be prepared in consultation with an advisor (who is also a member of FGS) in an ancillary department. 

• The written and oral candidacy exams that follow that period of preparation test the student’s knowledge of the history in the relevant fields as well as the relevant historiography. 

• The general definition of an historical field allows for flexibility, but it is the responsibility of the student’s Advisory Committee to prepare an exact description of particular fields in accordance with the student’s individual and special interests. While a field of History normally will be a geographical and chronological unit, it can in certain special cases be a thematic one. No student, however, is allowed to offer more than one thematic field. 

• The written and oral candidacy examinations are set, administered and graded by a committee of five persons, including two experts in the candidate's major field, one in each minor field, and the Chair of the Graduate Executive Committee in History (or delegate). Except for the Chair, each committee member will be a specialist in the field of examination and will also be a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Chair of the Examining Committee is entirely responsible for the conduct of the examination. 

• Students must complete their candidacy examinations before the end of their second year in the Ph.D. Program. Every Ph.D. student must pass their candidacy examinations before developing a Thesis Proposal. 

Preparation:

• A field is prepared by acquiring substantial knowledge of its literature. Since the literature of any field is diverse and vast, it is necessary for the student to produce a list of books and scholarly articles deemed to provide minimal adequate coverage of that field. 

• In their first year in the doctoral program, students are expected to select courses in consultation with the Chair of the Graduate Executive Committee which will best prepare them for the candidacy examinations. Readings for this coursework may form the basis of the field preparation. 

• In addition, students must develop (in consultation with their proposed dissertation Advisor and three other members of the Graduate Faculty) reading lists which will guide their self-directed studies in preparing for the examinations. 

• Major field lists normally contain the equivalent of 75 monographic works and minor fields contain the equivalent of 40 monographic works each. Reading lists must be submitted normally within three months of the completion of coursework to the Graduate Executive Committee for approval. 

• Normally a period of 9 to 12 months following the completion of coursework will be devoted to reading in preparation for the examinations. In the course of preparing for the exams, field advisors may schedule occasional tutorials or provide additional preparatory materials (i.e.: sample questions) if deemed appropriate. 

• Written exams are set by the four field advisors. The two major field advisors confer to set the major field questions while the minor field advisors set their own exams. Each of the three written candidacy exams are set as exams of three hours duration, but the student is allowed a maximum of four hours to write each one. The three exams are normally completed over the course of one week. Minor field exams will be marked by the examiner who set the exam while the major field exam will be marked by both major field examiners. 

• The minimum required passing grade on the major field exam and on any minor field exam set by an advisor in History is 3.0 (B). The minimum required passing grade on any minor field exam set by an advisor in a department other than History is 2.5 (C+). The minimum required GPA across the three exams is 3.33. 

• Students who fail to meet these minimum grades may be permitted one opportunity to re-write the failed exam(s) within three months of the original exam date. Students who fail any one repeated exam will not proceed to the oral exam and will be required to withdraw from the Doctoral Program in History. 

• Provided the candidate receives a ‘pass’ grade in each of the written exams, they may proceed to an oral examination of all three fields, which normally follows the last written examination within one week. 

Oral Exam Format:

• The Examining Committee meets before the student is scheduled to arrive. It discusses the three written exams and assesses the overall performance of the candidate. The Chair outlines the procedure to be followed during the examination. After this preliminary conference, the student is ushered into the room by the advisor. 

• The student is examined orally for about 30-40 minutes in her/his/their major field and for about 25-30 minutes in each of her/his/their two minor fields, and the whole examination lasts normally about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the Chair is satisfied that enough questions have been asked, the candidate is asked to withdraw from the examination room. A brief discussion of the oral examination follows, and a final decision of Pass/Fail is reached within ten to fifteen minutes. The student is then recalled and informed of the result. 

• Unanimous approval of the examiners is required to pass the candidacy examination. Grades are not assigned; the examiners are simply expected to indicate whether the student has passed or failed. The Chair of the Examining Committee must submit a brief report on the oral examination. This report becomes part of the student's file. 

  Students who fail the oral examination are permitted the opportunity to re-sit the oral examination within three months of their initial failure. If they fail the oral examination at the second attempt, they will be required to withdraw from the Doctoral Program in History. 

ADVISORS

• Every Ph.D. student must have an advisor throughout their program, recommended to the Faculty of Graduate Studies by the Department/Unit Head. The advisor is responsible for supervising the student’s graduate program. The advisor is the student’s first point of contact at the University of Manitoba and must be familiar with the general policies and regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies as well as the specific supplementary regulations of their academic department/unit. In this capacity, the advisor assists the student in planning the graduate program and ensures that the student is aware of all graduate program requirements, degree regulations, and general regulations of the academic department/unit, the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the university, and external funding agencies. The advisor provides ideal Timeline counsel for all aspects of the graduate program and stays informed of the student's scholarly activities and progress. The student’s advisor also acts as a channel of communication to the student’s advisory committee, the department/unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

• The advisor must: 

  • hold an appointment in the student's department/unit. 

  • be a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (see the FGS website for details); 

  • hold a Ph.D. or equivalent (see note below); 

  • be active in research; and 

  • have expertise in a discipline related to the student’s program. 

• Equivalency will be approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and determined on a case-by-case basis, and assessed by the potential advisor’s demonstrated research record and current research activities. 

• Usually, the student and the advisor choose to work together by mutual agreement. In departments/units where the choice of thesis topic advisor is postponed for some time after entry into the program, the Head of the department/unit or the selection committee shall appoint a faculty member to advise the student as to the rules and regulations and on program and course requirements. This interim period must not exceed eighteen (18) months after entry into the program before a permanent advisor is chosen. 

• Although a potential dissertation advisor is normally identified upon application for admission to the Ph.D. program, the Graduate Chair will act as the student’s de facto advisor and is responsible for monitoring a student’s progress through the program until the student has successfully completed their candidacy examinations. 

• The potential dissertation advisor shall serve as a co-advisor, in conjunction with the Graduate Chair, until the student has completed their candidacy exams.

Advisory Committee

• The Department/Unit Head is responsible for recommending the advisory committee for each Ph.D. student. Advisory committees are selected by the advisor/co-advisor in consultation with the student and should consist of individuals whose expertise is consistent with that necessary to provide additional advice and guidance to the student during their program. The advisor/co-advisor is the Chair of the advisory committee 

• The advisory committee must consist of a minimum of three (3) voting members (including the advisor/co-advisor as a single member sharing a single vote), all of whom must be members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is expected that advisory committee members will have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent. Equivalency will be determined by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or designate. 

• In addition, individuals who are not a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and who do not hold a Ph.D. degree or equivalent, but who possess specific and extensive expertise and experience, such as professionals, artists, Knowledge Keepers or Elders, may serve on the advisory committee as a full voting member. No more than one such knowledge expert may serve on any individual advisory committee and must be nominated by the Department/Unit Head or Graduate Chair with a justification of their role and be approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or designate. Advisory committees may alternatively include one (1) non-voting invited member who has expertise in a related discipline but is not a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Committees may include a Knowledge Expert or invited member, not both. 

• Under no circumstances should graduate students, Post-Doctoral Fellows, and Research Assistants or Associates serve on graduate student advisory committees, regardless if they hold a rank of Adjunct Professor. 

• The composition of, and any changes to, the advisory committee, including the advisor/co-advisor, must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies on the “Program of Study and Appointment of Advisory Committee” form. 

• Advisory committee meetings must be held at least annually and are not intended to take the place of meetings between the student and advisor/co-advisor, which should occur with much greater frequency than the advisory committee meetings. 

• A dissertation advisory committee, normally consisting of three members of the History Graduate Faculty (the advisor and two other faculty members) will be established for a doctoral student following the successful completion of their candidacy examinations. 

• At this point, the dissertation advisor will replace the Graduate Chair as the student’s primary advisor and will be responsible for monitoring the student’s progress. 

• A fourth dissertation committee member from outside the History department is normally enlisted to serve as an ‘internal-external’ advisor and examiner. This member need not be identified until the thesis proposal has been approved.

THESIS PROPOSAL

• A thesis proposal is to be submitted within three months following the successful completion of the candidacy examinations and within no more than 24 months of the student’s initial registration in the program. 

• The proposed thesis research must be approved by the advisory committee and, if necessary, by the Human Research Ethics Board or Animal Care Committee before the work has begun on the thesis research or project. 

• The thesis proposal should conform to the format spelled out on the Department’s Thesis Proposal form. In general, the proposal should outline in some detail the problem that the student intends to investigate as well as the theory, methodology, and potential primary and secondary sources to be employed. 

• The proposal should be crafted in consultation with the student’s dissertation Advisor and other members of the advisory committee. 

• The proposal, once approved by the Advisor and the other members of the dissertation Advisory Committee, is presented to the Graduate Executive Committee for evaluation and approval. A student who submits a proposal that is not approved will be allowed a second attempt. 

Thesis Examination Procedures 

The final examination for the Ph.D. degree proceeds in two (2) stages: 

1. Examination of the candidate’s thesis by the examining committee;

• University of Manitoba (Internal) Examiners: The candidate’s advisor/co-advisor is considered to be a single voting member of the examining committee. All voting members of the advisory committee are expected to serve on the examining committee; any exceptions must be approved in advance by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. All examiners must be members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is expected that examining committee members will have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent. Equivalency will be determined by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

• External Examiner: The candidate’s advisor/co-advisor, in consultation with the advisory committee, will recommend the names of at least three (3) distinguished scholars from outside The University of Manitoba with particular experience in the field of the thesis research and significant Ph.D. student supervisory/examination experience to serve as the external examiner. The recommendations must be made to the Dean (or designate) of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for approval online and must include: 

  • A CV of each of the prospective external examiners; 

  • A short statement explaining:

    • The rationale behind the recommendations; 

    • The prospective external examiners’ qualifications (if not already explicit on the CV). This includes a current list of their scholarly publications and research activities and, importantly, their experience with Ph.D. student supervision/examination (e.g., Ph.D. students they have supervised to completion; Ph.D. students they are currently supervising; experience serving as external examiner for Ph.D. examining committees).

• Advisors and/or departments/units must contact the prospective external examiners to obtain this information and determine if they are available to review the thesis prior to submitting the recommendations to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

• If any of the recommended examiners do not meet the criteria specified below, a detailed explanation should be included with the rationale for the recommendation. 

• The external examiner must: 

  • hold a Ph.D. (or the equivalent if outside of North America); 

  • hold the rank of Associate Professor, Full Professor, Senior Scholar or Emeritus Professor (or the equivalent if outside North America) at a university, or have comparable expertise and standing if not a faculty member at a university; 

  • have an established reputation in the area of the thesis research and be able to judge whether the thesis would be acceptable at an institution comparable to The University of Manitoba; and 

  • have a demonstrated record of supervising a significant number of Ph.D. students to completion, and significant recent experience with the supervision/examination of Ph.D. students. 

• The external examiner must not: 

  • have held any faculty appointment within the candidate’s home department/unit at the University of Manitoba within the last 10 years;

  • have acted as an external examiner for a student of the same Ph.D. advisor and/or co-advisor within the previous two (2) years; 

  • have been associated with the candidate at any time or in any significant way in the past five (5) years, present or reasonably foreseeable future (as advisor/co-advisor, colleague, teacher, co-author of published material, family member etc.); or 

  • be associated with the candidate’s advisor/co-advisor in any of the following ways: 

    • former student within the last ten (10) years; 

    • research advisor/co-advisor within the last ten (10) years; 

    • research collaborator within the last five (5) years; 

    • co-author of published material within the last five (5) years. 

• The Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or designate will choose the external examiner from the list provided by the candidate’s advisor/co-advisor or department/unit and will make the formal invitation to the external examiner. The Dean (or designate) of the Faculty of Graduate Studies shall ensure the anonymity of the external examiner until their report has been submitted.

2. Oral examination of the candidate by all examiners on the subject of the thesis and any matters relating thereto. 

• Departments/Units cannot proceed with scheduling the oral examination prior to receiving the approved internal and external examiners’ reports from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is the responsibility of the Advisor and/or Department/Unit to contact the internal and external committee members to determine their availability and arrange a date for the examination. The oral examination may be held in-person, remotely, or using a hybrid model. Any in-person participants must be hosted at either The University of Manitoba Fort Garry or Bannatyne campus or the St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, normally during regular business hours. It is the responsibility of the department/unit to provide the appropriate space and technology for their chosen delivery method(s) (i.e., room booking, ensuring that the chosen facilities meet minimum standards expected for a Ph.D. defence, determining the meeting platform to be used). The Advisor or Department/Unit must inform the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the following information no later than two weeks (10 business days) prior to the date of the examination: 

  • The date and time of the examination; 

  • The method of delivery (i.e., in-person, remote, or hybrid); 

  • The location and/or platform to be used; and 

  • Whether the external examiner and invited member (if applicable) will attend. 

  • In addition, the candidate must submit biographical information/CV and an abstract of the thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at least two (2) weeks in advance of the date of the oral examination. 

• The department/unit or advisor(s) are strongly encouraged to contact prospective chairs to determine their availability to chair the examination. The method of delivery (i.e., in-person, virtual, or hybrid) must be disclosed to prospective chairs. Chairs should attend in the same manner as the candidate (e.g., for hybrid examinations, the chair should participate in-person only if the candidate also participates in-person). Prospective chairs must: 

  • Be members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies; 

  • Hold a rank of Assistant Professor or above; and 

  • Not hold an appointment, including nil-salaried appointments (e.g., Adjunct) in any unit represented by the advisor and co-advisor. 

TIMELINE

Program Length: 4-6 years. (Program must be completed within six years of the start date.)

• Don’t isolate - that makes this so much harder! Stay connected with your advisor and your fellow students. Attend workshops offered by the library or HGSA events. You can join us for our monthly meet-ups, get feedback on you writing at our writing workshop, present your research at our Fort Garry Lecture Colloquium, join our Discord server (email hgsa@umanitoba.ca for the invite link!) or find ways to volunteer on campus.

Other notes

• Ph.D. students must maintain a minimum degree grade point average (DGPA) of 3.0 with no grade below C+

• Manitoba Student Aid will only provide funding (if you qualify - for more information, click here to visit the Manitoba Student Aid site) for 3 years.

For more information, contact the University of Manitoba department of history.

Department of History
403 Fletcher Argue Building
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
Phone: 204-474-8401
https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/departments/history/
history@umanitoba.ca