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Faculty of Arts
University of Alberta

Program Requirements

Before proceeding to the researching and writing of the thesis, a student must:

  • take and pass HIST 602 (*1), graded pass/fail (if not previously passed).
  • take and pass four or five other 600-level (*3) HIST courses. Two are normally chosen from the methodological/theoretical/comparative courses HIST 601, HIST 603, HIST 604, HIST 605, HIST 610, and SOC 519. However, if any of these courses (or the equivalent at another university) have been taken at the MA level, these may be counted—with the written approval of the Associate Chair (Graduate Studies)—against the methodological/theoretical/comparative requirement, and the total number of courses varies as follows. If the student has previously taken:
    1. two methodological/theoretical/comparative courses, then he/she simply has to take four 600-level (*3) HIST courses (total: four)
    2. one methodological/theoretical/comparative course, then he/she must take at least one methodological/theoretical/comparative course plus three further 600-level (*3) HIST courses (total: four)
    3. no methodological/theoretical/comparative course, then he/she must take two methodological/theoretical/comparative courses plus three further 600-level (*3) HIST courses (total: five)
  • fulfill the Departmental language requirement. NOTE: The language requirement must be satisfied before scheduling the candidacy examination.
  • fulfill the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research ethics training requirement. NOTE: This requirement applies to all University of Alberta graduate students who started their program on or after 1 September 2004; it does not apply to those who started their program prior to that date.
  • prepare for, take, and pass three written and one oral comprehensive examinations in three fields. NOTE: The exams will be sat after the completion of course work and must be successfully completed before proceeding to the candidacy.
  • take and pass the oral candidacy examination, for which the student prepares a thesis proposal of ten to twenty double-spaced pages (including bibliography), based on some preliminary research.

After passing the candidacy examination, the student must:

  • register with the Graduate Committee the subject of his/her thesis, as approved by the candidacy examining committee.
  • research and write a thesis that represents the result of original historical research, makes a genuine contribution to knowledge, and meets the standards laid down by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The text of the thesis should normally be between 250 and 400 pages in length.
  • successfully defend the thesis in a final oral examination.