Department of History homepage collage showing art and photos from across the centuries, going from Martin Luther King, Jr. all the way back to Pre-Modern history.

PhD Program

Specialize in European or American History

The doctoral program study in 1) European History with specialization in a) Premodern history, with a particular emphasis on Mediterranean history, Late Antiquity, the Early Middle Ages, Medieval religious and cultural history, and the Later Middle Ages.; b) Modern Europe, with an emphasis on German history; and 2) American history, with a special emphasis on Atlantic history, the Civil War era, religious history, southern history, twentieth-century history, and African American history.

Apply

Office of Graduate Admissions

Concentrations (Required)

American History
European History

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Successful completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, preferably with a major in history.

Academic Standards

Maintain a 3.00 overall graduate grade-point average in coursework attempted.

Program Requirements

Credit Hours Required

72 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Complete the following course at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

HIST 510 – Foundations of Graduate Study in History

Minimum course requirements outlined by the Graduate School (48 graduate credit hours beyond the BA, or 24 graduate credit hours beyond the MA):

For students who enter without an MA, a minimum of 39 of the 48 credit hours of coursework must be graded A-F.
- Students who enter without an MA must complete 18 graduate credit hours in their major doctoral field.
- Nine credit hours of coursework may be taken outside the department.
- Students who enter without an MA must complete two 600-level research seminars.
For students who enter with an MA from another institution, a minimum of 27 of 36 graduate credit hours must be graded A-F.
- Students with an MA from another institution should take not only the 24 post-MA graduate credit hours required by the Graduate School, but also an additional 12 graduate credit hours, for a total of 36 graduate credit hours at UT; if approved by the adviser, these additional 12 credit hours may include non-graduate-level language instruction.
- Students who enter with an MA must complete 9 graduate credit hours in their major doctoral field.
- Students who enter with a non-thesis MA must complete two 600-level research seminars.
- Students who enter with a thesis MA need complete only one 600-level research seminar and HIST 621.
- Up to six graduate credit hours may be taken outside the department.
All students must complete 9 graduate credit hours in a teaching field, which will either be World History or an approved alternate field.
- Alternate teaching field: This entails three graduate courses in a major field other than the student’s own and requires approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, the student’s adviser, and a faculty member in charge of supervising that alternate field, and culminates in a two-hour oral exam conducted by the adviser and two course instructors. No more than one of these courses can be an independent study.
All 600-level coursework must be completed at the University of Tennessee.
Except by prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies in History, a student’s coursework must be at the 500-level or above.
Complete 24 credit hours of dissertation credit, HIST 600
- Original research forms the basis for the dissertation.
- After passing the Comprehensive Examinations, Doctoral candidates must register for a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester of HIST 600. Candidates must be engaged in some phase of active research to receive credit for HIST 600.
- A final oral defense is given on the dissertation in its historical context.

Non-Course Requirements

Fulfill the foreign language requirement.
- Students must demonstrate competency in a foreign language or languages through coursework or examination.
  - Students in pre-Modern Europe will be required to pass three language exams, including Latin. The other two languages will be determined in consultation with the adviser.
  - Students in Modern Europe will be required to pass two language exams, as determined by the adviser.
  - Students in US history will be required to pass one language exam.
- The foreign language requirement must be fulfilled before taking the comprehensive examination.
Comprehensive Examination
- The comprehensive examination consists of an eight-hour written exam and a two-hour oral exam and must be taken no later than the semester following the semester in which the student completes the residence, coursework, and language requirement (summer excluded).
- Failure to take the comprehensive examination within the required time will be counted as a failure on the examination.
- Only students with an overall graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 will be allowed to take the comprehensive examination.
- A student who fails the exam must repeat it the following semester (summer excluded).
- A second failure on either exam will cause the student to be dropped from the history graduate program.
- A student who does not repeat a failed exam within the required time will likewise be dismissed from the program.