The Departments of History of the University of Guelph, the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University offer a joint program leading to the Master's and PhD degree. The Tri-University Program in History includes members from all three departments covering a wide range of research interests.It is a semi-autonomous program responsible directly to the three graduate schools. It looks after admissions, arranges courses of instruction, names students' advisory committees, and monitors student programs generally.Students in the Tri-University Doctoral Program in History register either at Guelph or Waterloo or Wilfrid Laurier (depending on where their thesis supervisor is located) but undertake their course work and use faculty and library resources at all three participating universities. Students in the program are governed by the general regulations of the universityin which they are registered and their degree is granted by that university.
All inquiries and applications concerning this program should be addressed to the Director, Tri-University Doctoral Program in History, at the University of Guelph.
All applications requesting financial support for the Fall term must be received and be complete by the preceding 1 February of that year. Successful applicants will start their graduate studies in September.
The program uses a self-administered application package. The applicant must assemble all relevant documentation and forward the complete package to the Tri-University Doctoral Program.
The application requirements are as follows:
- A copy of the completed on-line PDF application form (on-line application);
- Payment of $75.00 (Cdn) application fee;
- three completed recommendation forms;
- two official transcripts or authorized grades and/or degrees from your university. Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by a certified literal translation;
- a resume of the applicant's academic and work experience, including any publications and scholarly papers presented and pointing out any other information that might be helpful to the admissions committee. The resume must be signed by the applicant and the resume of the work experience must indicate the language of business at each place of employment;
- a statement of the applicant's research interests (We suggest that this should be at least 2-3 pages in length and should explain the applicant's reasons for pursuing graduate studies, the applicant's interest in the areas in which the applicant would like to work and possibly a proposed thesis topic.);
- a sample of the applicant's scholarly writing (This will likely be a chapter of the applicant's MA thesis or a paper written for a graduate course, and will not be returned to applicants.);
- one advisor/campus preference form;
- in the case of international applicants, an official statement of your acceptable English-language test results, and an official statement (affidavit or notarized statement from the sponsor) regarding funding, where applicable.
The completed application package must be received by the Program by 1 February of the year in which you anticipate entering the Program.
Students will be admitted only after they have obtained an MA in which they have received at least an A- standing. Only students who are graduates of accredited Universities and Colleges are eligible for admission. Since not all applicants can be admitted, close attention is paid to samples of applicants' written work, to applicants' transcripts and past record as a whole, and to their statement of research interests. Applications are considered by the Coordinating Committee of the Tri-University Graduate Program.
Students will not be accepted into the program without the agreement of the Coordinating Committee, the local graduate committee and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the university at which they must register. No student will be assigned to a doctoral supervisor without approval from the supervisor. There will be no part-time admissions.
Applicants from outside Canada whose previous education cannot be assessed readily may be required to demonstrate their knowledge by other means such as the Graduate Record Examination administered by the Educational Testing Service, Box 899, Princeton, NJ, 08541. Applicants whose first language is other than English are required to submit evidence of proficiency in the English language or pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A net score of 600 is required (250 on the computerized version) and a score of 4.0 on the TWE. (See Graduate Studies Calendar - Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English.)
Students will not be accepted into the program without the agreement of the Coordinating Committee, and the local graduate committee and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the university at which they must register. No student will be assigned to an advisor without the approval of the advisor in advance. There will be no part-time admissions.
This statement of degree requirements is intended merely to inform prospective students of the Program's general expectations and is not an official publication of any of the participating universities. The Program guidelines and regulations outlined here remain subject to regulations in the university calendar for the campus at which the student registers and in the Program Handbook for the campus at which the student registers.
The aim of studying a Ph.D. Major field and two minor areas of concentration is to provide a wide intellectual basis for scholarship and teaching, as well as to allow reading complementary to the area of doctoral research. Each student is required to demonstrate competency in one major field and two minor areas of concentration.
One minor area of concentration must be in an area of study distinct from the Major field. One of the minor areas of concentration may be in a discipline other than history and at least one of these should be a constituent part of the Tri-University separate from the university which the student's supervisor is located.
A Major field is designed to prepare someone to teach a first or a second year survey course in that subject; a minor area of concentration is designed to prepare someone to teach third or fourth year special topics. The distinction between a Major field and a minor area of concentration is determined by the depth and range of reading rather than by its geographical or chronological span. There will be reading lists for the Major fields and the minor areas of concentration which will establish a basic core of readings, but allow some flexibility as to the overall content in any given year. One hundred and twenty books/articles generally represent the amount of reading to be done for Major fields and 60 books/articles for each area of minor areas of concentration. Each student must receive a detailed written outline of each field or area requirement, including a % mark breakdown at the beginning of their field or area preparation. A copy of the requirements must be filed with the Tri-University Director. Any changes to the program agreed to by the student and the advisory committee must also be registered with the Director.
The Major field must fall within the following areas of study: Canadian history; early modern European history; modern European history; Race, Imperialism and Slavery; Scottish history.
Minor areas of concentration may be developed from this list or from other areas of specialization in which members of the graduate faculty have expertise. These may include, but are not limited to: British History, Community Studies, Gender Women and Family History, International Relations, War and Society; the history of Science, Medicine and Technology (19th and early 20th century), Latin America and the Atlantic World. The minor areas of concentration are designed so that a student can complete both during two terms and the Major field within two discrete terms. In some exceptional circumstances the Major written papers may be completed in a third term.
The student's advisory committee, in collaboration with the student, will establish the Major field and two minor areas of concentration in which the student wishes to be examined. The student, in consultation with the student's advisory committee, will select either the comprehensive or the colloquium mode of examination, the advisory committee will determine the scheduling of the examinations or colloquium, and approve the thesis proposal submitted by the student before the student proceeds to the selected examination mode.
a) Comprehensive Mode Requirements
This mode requires the student to complete one historiographic essay for the major field and two minor area seminars (maximum 6500 words) and one written examination in each field/ area of concentration and an oral qualifying examination covering the Major field and two areas. In some cases where additional preparation seems necessary, an additional essay may be required. After the Major field and two minor Areas of concentration have been successfully completed, the candidate will sit the oral qualifying examination.
b) the colloquium mode requires two essays (maximum 6500 words each), one of which must be historiographical, to be written in the Major field. And each minor Area of Concentration. Following the completion of Major field and Area preparations to the satisfaction of the advisory committee, the candidate presents an independent research paper (article-length) on a topic approved by the advisory committee, and is examined intensively on that topic at an oral defence.
There will be no double-counting of papers or credit given for papers completed prior to admission to the Ph.D. program.
Students are normally expected to complete their Major field and Area requirements by the end of their second year of study. The comprehensive qualifying exam will normally be completed early in the sixth semester, and the colloquium will normally be presented early in the seventh semester.
Dissertation
Following successful completion of the Ph.D. Major field and two minor Areas of concentration and colloquium or qualifying examination, students will proceed to the research and writing of a dissertation that makes an original and significant contribution to historical knowledge.
Second Language
Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of French (or other appropriate second language, approved by the Coordinating Committee) before the qualifying examination or colloquium. Evidence that a student has already demonstrated similar language ability at another university prior to admission may be submitted to the Coordinating Committee in order to have this requirement waived. The language requirement will be met by the successful completion of a translation examination. Students must take this test by their second term/semester of registration. In the event of failure they must attempt the test every subsequent semester until it is passed or the student decides to withdraw from the program. Failure to comply with this requirement may involve termination of the program or denial of financial assistance.
The same requirement will hold for students whose native language is French except that it will be applied to a reading knowledge of English.
Doctoral Seminar
Students are expected to attend the Doctoral Seminar (History 700) each semester during the residency period and to present a research paper for which they will receive a pass/fail grade.