A Handbook for History Graduate Students at UNB, Updated June 2013

Transcription

1 A Handbook for History Graduate Students at UNB, Updated June 2013 Introduction The most complete source of information about graduate work in History at UNB is the current Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies ( the website of the School of Graduate Studies ( and the UNB History Department website ( This Guide is designed to summarize the most important parts of the larger body of information provided in these sources for the convenience of prospective students. It is also designed to explain the operating policies of the graduate program for the benefit of currently enrolled students. For further information directly bearing on the History Graduate Program, write to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3 or the Department at Fields of Study The Graduate Academic Unit in History will offer most of its graduate courses in the following fields: a) Canadian History, with particular emphasis on the history of the Atlantic Provinces; b) Military History, emphasizing the history of war in the twentieth century; c) The History of Colonial North America; d) Women s and Gender History, focusing on theoretical and historical perspectives which can be combined with other graduate fields or stand alone. Theses and reports are normally written in one of these fields. Special arrangements can be made for research in other fields should a faculty member be prepared to supervise the research and should students have access to appropriate primary sources. The Current Program The History Graduate Academic Unit (GAU) consists of historians on faculty at both the Fredericton and the Saint John campus of UNB. There are also several members of the St. Thomas University History Department in Fredericton and a number of faculty at other institutions who are authorized to assist in graduate supervisions as Honorary Research Associates. For a listing of faculty with research interests see the Departmental website (URL above).

2 The program typically accepts ten to fifteen new MA students yearly and two or three new PhD students. Graduate course work is done in seminar classes that meet once a week for three hours. A weekly one-hour Program Seminar brings students in the program together to discuss various matters of professional interest: for example, thesis writers have the opportunity to present pieces of their work for peer comment and evaluation, and members of the Graduate Faculty discuss teaching, grant applications, and thesis and dissertation research and writing. The Master of Arts Program The History GAU offers two routes to the MA degree, differing in the relative emphasis placed on course work and thesis, and in the normal time required to complete the degree. 1. The MA Degree by Thesis and Course Those students in the MA program who choose the thesis and course option find that the average time to completion is five or six terms (three terms per calendar year: fall, winter, summer). Typically, students in this stream complete two graduate seminar courses during the fall term, including HIST 6925 (Philosophy and Writing of History), and devote the remainder of their time to defining a thesis topic and negotiating their selected topic with the thesis supervisor. During the winter term MA candidates in the thesis stream normally take two more graduate seminars, one of which is HIST 6007, Thesis Reading Course (3ch). This is an individual reading course which students complete under the direction of their supervisor, in the area of the intended thesis. The final third of the student s time during the term is devoted to thesis research. Normally all course work will be completed by the end of the winter term, and after that students devote themselves full time to MA thesis research and writing. Traditionally History MA theses have been substantial pieces of research based on work in primary, and usually archival, sources. They are generally not to exceed 100 pages of text. Our MA program by thesis differs from a number of other Canadian MA programs in that it probably takes somewhat longer to complete and offers financial support to superior students for a significantly longer period. MA students on Arts Faculty Assistantship are eligible for up to five terms of support. In order to facilitate the timely completion of MA degrees, unless there are extenuating circumstances, assistantship funding will be withheld for the second year until all course work from the first year is completed satisfactorily. Moreover, students with incomplete courses from the fall and winter terms will be ineligible for travel funds (see below) for summer research trips until all course work is complete. 2. MA Degree by Course and Report The MA degree by course and report places greater emphasis on course work and less on thesis research and preparation. It can normally be completed in three terms (one calendar year). Students in this stream normally complete three graduate seminars during the fall term of their first academic year in the program, one of which shall be HIST 6925 (Philosophy and Writing of History). In the winter term they normally take two graduate courses, one of which will be HIST 6006 (Report Reading Course). The remaining time is devoted to research and preparation of the Research Report.

3 The research report is equivalent to an extended research essay or a short thesis, and a length of 40 to 60 pages is acceptable. Although it must involve original research, the topic may be more limited than for a thesis, may address historiographical questions exclusively, and need draw less extensively upon research into primary sources. It is expected that the topic for the report will arise out of one of the graduate courses completed and will be supervised by the instructor of the course. In format and examination the report is treated similarly to a thesis. Students electing to do the MA by report are eligible for financial support for up to four terms. The Doctoral Program The Graduate Academic Unit in History accepts a small number of highly qualified students in its PhD program. The GAU considers applications in its major fields. Students interested in working in other areas than these must show why study at UNB is particularly suitable or necessary to their special interests to be considered. The GAU regards PhD applicants as applying not only to work in History, but also to work with a particular supervisor. Before applying to the PhD program, students must get in touch with an appropriate member of the full-time Graduate Faculty who will agree to act as supervisor, though securing such an agreement does not in itself guarantee admission. The History GAU will generally admit only those applicants for the full-time PhD program who are likely to be funded. The program for each PhD student is constructed to meet the student s individual needs and interests. After a student is accepted, a Supervisory Committee will be set up which consists of the Supervisor and two other members of the Graduate Faculty. The student s program, including the number and nature of courses to be taken, language requirements, field examinations, etc. will be defined by this committee in consultation with the student. PhD students on assistantship are eligible for up to twelve terms of support. PhD candidates must register for the PhD thesis (HIST 6998) throughout their program. In addition to course and research requirements, the University offers PhD students an opportunity to participate in a teaching apprenticeship, when they will work with a member of the faculty in designing and executing an undergraduate course. In some cases, students who have completed their reading fields may have the opportunity to teach a course in order to fulfil the apprenticeship requirement, though this particular opportunity is not always available. In order to facilitate the timely completion of PhD programs, the department has approved the following regulations and guidelines: Committees will design field requirements so that they can be completed in one calendar year. Under normal circumstances, field preparations must be completed by the end of the second year. Without extenuating circumstances, assistantship funding will be withheld for the third year if the field requirements have not been met by the end of the second year. Committees will make regular reports of the candidate s progress to the Director of Graduate Studies. It is expected that a working draft of the dissertation be complete by the end of the fourth year.

4 Graduate Courses The Graduate Academic Unit typically offers five or six graduate seminars a year. Courses include selected topics in Canadian and regional history, military history, American foreign policy, and 20th century European history. HIST 6925, the Philosophy and Writing of History, is required of all MA students and is offered during the fall term. Please see the history website and university calendar for detailed listings; keep in mind that not all listed courses are offered in the same year. Graduate students are normally not admitted to undergraduate honours seminars. In exceptional cases, participation in an honours seminar may be required as partial fulfilment of the graduate-level work assigned in connection with an individual reading course. Normally, all assignments connected with a graduate seminar must be completed by the end of the examination period. Language Requirements All students pursuing the MA degree by thesis or report in the field of Canadian history must show a reading knowledge of French sufficient to allow them to use that language in their historical research and study. That ability will normally be demonstrated by translating or paraphrasing a selected passage or passages from a secondary historical source with the aid of a dictionary. The reading requirement must be satisfied before the degree is granted. There are no formal second language requirements for students in other fields. Thesis Supervisors 1. Students are responsible for selecting their own thesis supervisor, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the faculty members in the field. 2. Students should advise the Director of their preferred supervisor by the end of the fall term. 3. Students may change supervisors only after consultation with, and with permission of, the Director of Graduate Studies. 4. The supervisor and the program of study must be approved by the Graduate Committee. Thesis Titles 1. Students will complete a thesis registration form which must be signed by the supervisor and filed with the Director. 2. The thesis title must be approved by the Graduate Committee and the GAU. 3. Students who decide to change their thesis title must register this change with the Director and obtain approval. Format of Graduate Theses and Reports Regulations concerning the format of reports, theses, and dissertations are available at:

5 Students are encouraged to complete their reports, theses, and dissertations in an electronic format. Guidelines for this can be found at Examination of Theses and Reports (A) Doctoral Dissertation: The regulations for the examination of the doctoral dissertation are set by the Graduate School, available at The basic procedure involves, first, examination in the History GAU so that revisions may be incorporated into the thesis before the final copy is prepared. Once the GAU committee has approved the dissertation, the corrected/revised version is forwarded to the Graduate School for examination. The examining committee of the Graduate School will include members of the GAU committee, at least one examiner from another unit in the university, and one examiner from another university. (B) Master s Thesis: Regulations regarding Masters theses and reports can be found at The following procedure for the examination of MA theses is designed to identify the steps which must be followed in examining a thesis or report and to indicate to students the amount of lead time that they must allow if they intend to graduate at a particular Fall Convocation or Encaenia. The deadline established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies for the receipt of examined and corrected theses and reports is usually five weeks in advance of Fall Convocation or Encaenia. This means that their deadline is normally the end of the second week in September for Fall Convocation and the end of the third week in April for Encaenia. However, specific dates vary from year to year, and students should consult the Calendar of Academic Dates on the School of Graduate Studies website at: a) At least two weeks before submission, the candidate notifies the Director of Graduate Studies (DoGS) that thesis is almost ready; the DoGS in consultation with the candidate s supervisor, selects and alerts examiners. b) The thesis in penultimate draft must be submitted for GAU examination at least four weeks prior to the Graduate School deadline for thesis submission, but it should be noted that more time will be required if the departmental or external examiner requires revisions before the oral is scheduled. c) When the thesis is submitted it is understood that the supervisor (or the co-supervisors) have approved the thesis. d) The thesis in penultimate draft is first given by the DoGS to the GAU reader who is allowed at least one week to read the thesis. e) The GAU reader may ask the candidate to revise the thesis, may return the thesis as unacceptable or may advise the DoGS that the thesis is acceptable. f) Once the DoGS has been informed that the thesis is acceptable the candidate will be instructed to prepare the final draft. g) The thesis in final draft will then be sent to the external reader who will be allowed at least one week to read the thesis.

6 h) The external reader will report to the DoGS on the acceptability of the thesis. i) The DOGS may then call a meeting of the examining committee. j) The examining committee may return the thesis to the student, may require modifications before the oral, may require minor modifications after the oral or may recommend it go to oral examination without modification. k) Following the decision by the examining committee the DoGS will schedule the oral examination for which at least one week s notice must be given. (C) Master s Report: The examination of the MA report will follow a procedure similar to the MA thesis, except that there will normally be a second GAU reader/examiner instead of an external examiner. Application for Admission 1. Applications to the MA and PhD programs are now completed on-line; potential applicants should review the calendar ( ) and program description ( the entry point for the online application is at 2. In order to be considered for funding, the complete application must be received by 15 January. Students may apply after this date but it is unlikely that they will be considered for funding. The first assistantship competition is conducted in early March, and all funding decisions are completed by the middle of June. 3. Applicants for the MA program must provide official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions that they have attended; three references, at least two of which must be academic; a writing sample; and a statement of interest. Further details are provided on the application site. 4. Applicants for the PhD program must, before completing an on-line application, write to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History, outlining fully their research interests. If necessary, the Director will assist the applicant in suggesting appropriate members of the faculty who might be approached as potential supervisors. Candidates will only be considered for admission to the PhD program if a member of the Graduate Faculty is willing to supervise their research project. Applications must include official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended; three references; a writing sample (preferably an MA thesis or major paper); and a research proposal. It should be noted that the graduate committee will normally admit to full-time study only those applicants who are likely to be successful in graduate assistantship competitions. 5. Applicants may apply to become full- or part-time students. Part-time students are not eligible for financial support. Admission 1. Once the School of Graduate Studies has received a candidate s application, it will be forwarded to the Director of Graduate Studies in History for assessment. 2. The History Graduate Committee then assesses each candidate for admission and makes a recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies who will then inform the candidate.

7 3. For admission to the MA program, the basic requirement is an honours degree in History or its equivalent. Because the department can never admit as many qualified applicants as apply, priority will be given to graduates with a first-class honours degree (A- and above standing in their History courses) and at least 30 credit hours (or the equivalent of five full-year courses) of upper-level History as well as introductory History courses. Those honours history candidates whose standing is below an "A-" average or applicants without an honours degree will be evaluated on a per case basis. It is also expected that a candidate will have had some experience of intensive historical study and research, either through honours seminars or the writing of an honours thesis. 4. Applicants who meet these requirements will be recommended for: a) unconditional admission or; b) conditional admission. Conditional admission is normally given to students in the final year of an undergraduate program or to foreign students who are required to complete the TOEFL or the Graduate Record Exam. Once the degree or the examination has been completed satisfactorily, the student must arrange for a final, official transcript, which indicates the date on which the degree was conferred or the examination was passed, to be sent to the School of Graduate Studies. The School will then issue a Certificate of Admission. 5. Applicants who do not meet the standard requirements will either: a) have their application rejected or b) be admitted to a qualifying program. Applicants will normally be rejected if their academic average is below the required minimum, or if supervision is not available. Unsuccessful applicants may further History courses to raise their academic average and then re-apply, though there is no guarantee of success. A qualifying program will normally be recommended for applicants with a superior academic average who do not have sufficient background in History. In such a case, they will be required to take undergraduate History courses of specified number and fields, and, upon satisfactory completion, will automatically be admitted to the MA program. 6. Admission to the PhD program is not determined by meeting minimum requirements only. The History GAU will only admit a limited number of very strong candidates to its doctoral program. In addition to having research interests which are compatible with those of members of the Graduate Faculty, the candidate must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, maturity of judgement and quality of research. The doctoral program is designed for able scholars who have demonstrated a high degree of self-direction and motivation.

8 Registration 1. Students normally register in September by reporting first to the Director of Graduate Studies in History for the approval of their academic programs, and by paying their fees. 2. Students not in Fredericton in September must make suitable arrangements for timely registration; a financial penalty is imposed on late registrations. 3. Students are required to register for each term until the degree is completed. Students who for illness or other good reason find it necessary to suspend or terminate their program must do so in writing to the Director or to the Graduate School. Funding 1. Applications with an "A-" average or higher are entered into the Faculty of Arts funding competition for graduate assistantships; the results of the competition are normally available by early March. A limited number of Assistantships may become available for a second funding competition in May or June. Part-time and qualifying students are not eligible for Assistantships. 2. For each competition, the Graduate Committee in History will rank incoming MA applicants with an "A-" average, all incoming PhD candidates, and any eligible unfunded students currently in the program who wish to be considered. The departmental rankings will be forwarded to the Faculty of Arts where a special committee awards the Graduate Assistantships after considering all Faculty of Arts GAU rankings. 3. The Graduate Assistantship for MA students is currently worth approximately $15,000 for the first year of study. The MA Assistantships may be renewed, upon the supervisor s recommendation, for a further two terms of study for the MA by thesis (total amount approximately $11,000). No assistantship funding will be available after the completion of five terms. It is noteworthy that UNB funds MA candidates on Assistantship for a longer period than other universities. 5. Foreign graduate students will be charged an additional Differential Fee by the university. Foreign students receiving Graduate Assistantships will receive additional funding to cover most of the Differential Fee. 6. Graduate Assistantships are paid in instalments; students may arrange to have their fees deducted from their instalments. For information about fees see html 7. PhD candidates receive Assistantships which are valued at about $19,000 per year and these may be held for four years (12 terms), subject to the completion of annual renewal formalities. 8. Graduate students on Assistantship are expected to provide the History Department with 104 hours of work per (typically 8 hours/week for 13 weeks) during the academic year. This work will be assigned by the Chair of the History Department. Typical work assignments include: a) teaching assistance to the instructors of introductory courses, normally involving the direction of one tutorial section. Other assignments may include:

9 b) research assistance to a member of the faculty. c) editorial assistance to the Editor of Acadiensis. 8. Certain other Scholarships and prizes are awarded at the discretion of the History GAU. These include the Hugh John Flemming Scholarship, awarded to fifth year PhD students engaged in the history of the Maritime Provinces or, alternately, to a promising entering student in the field; the Beaverbrook Scholarship; the Bailey Scholarship; and the Folster Scholarship. These scholarships and others are described in the Graduate Calendar. 9. From time to time, the History Department needs to hire additional teaching assistants to conduct tutorials for introductory courses. A modest remuneration is provided for each tutorial taught. The Chair of the Department will make these appointments and interested students should consult the Chair. Funds to Assist Travel and Research 1. The H.H. Stuart Research Fund provides assistance to students who require funds for travel and research while preparing a thesis. Priority is given students writing on New Brunswick and other Atlantic Provinces topics. 2. Students seeking travel assistance should submit completed request forms to the Director of Graduate Studies, including a proposed budget and a specific request for funds. A statement of support from the student s supervisor must also be forwarded to the Director before the request will be considered. Forms are available from the departmental secretaries. 3. Support may be requested for the following items: a) Travel up to the equivalent of economy air fare b) Transportation to and from airports c) Accommodations in student residences or modestly-priced hotels d) $20.00 per day for meals ($10.00 for students on Assistantship) e) Photo-copying and other research costs. 4. Students in the Military and International field can also apply for limited funding from the Gregg Centre. Other travel and research support is available through the Graduate School, as well as assistance for graduate students presenting papers at conferences. Applications may be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies. 5. From time to time some monies are available to assist students in other fields. Program Seminar The Program Seminar is organized by the Director of Graduate Studies, and meets regularly over the fall and winter terms, allowing all graduate students to get acquainted with each other and with the program, explore professional concerns, and learn about the scholarly work of the

10 participants. In the fall term, second-year MA students who are writing theses and reports will be expected to present a chapter of their work, while in the winter term first-year MA students will present research proposals. Other graduate students will act as commentators on these chapters and proposals. Other sessions of the program seminar are devoted to matters such as teaching methods, researching and writing dissertations/theses/reports, and preparing funding applications. Full-time MA students in their first two years are required to attend. All other graduate students and faculty members are strongly encouraged to attend. Computer Services Use of Arts Faculty personal computer clusters and of the University s network is available to graduate students. The History Department also owns a personal computer and scanner, as well as a laptop and data projector, which are available for use by graduate students. Library Carrels All Graduate students may apply for open carrels on the fifth floor of the Harriet Irving Library. All doctoral students and MA students writing theses may apply for closed carrels. Application is made on the fifth floor of the Library. Locker spaces are also available. Inter-Library Loan The Department has a limited amount of funding to help graduate students cover the cost of inter-library loan services. Students should request support, should they need it, in advance. Final Comments More detailed information about the Graduate Program in History, including a list of faculty members, courses offered, and graduate theses completed, is available on line. Please visit the School of Graduate Studies site ( and the History Graduate website (