Public History, Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public History program requires

1. an earned master’s degree in history or a related field from an accredited university of college.
2. completion of at least 18 semester hours of graduate or undergraduate history credit. Applicants who do not meet these minimums and are admitted conditionally have one year to satisfy the conditions of admission.
3. an acceptable grade point average (GPA) in master’s degree work (and an acceptable GPA in undergraduate history classes).

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Application deadline for the Ph.D. is February 1. The History Department does not consider graduate students for spring or summer admission.

Applicant must

1. submit application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
2. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
3. submit letters of recommendation from at least three public history professionals or academics that address the candidate’s potential for successfully completing a Ph.D. in Public History and describe the qualities that will make them an excellent public historian;
4. submit an approximately 500-word letter of intent noting why applicant wishes to pursue a Ph.D. in Public History, why applicant wishes to do so at Middle Tennessee State University, and career goals after a Ph.D. in Public History is attained;
5. submit a professional portfolio containing work that demonstrates mastery of research methods, historical analysis, interpretation, and presentation. The portfolio may include research papers, projects, publications, proposals, exhibits, and other public history-related work.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in Public History requires completion of 60-80 semester hours. 

Once admitted to the program, each candidate must

1. complete 60-80 hours of graduate history courses, all at the 6000 and 7000 level, with a minimum of 42 hours at the 7000 level (see Curriculum section below for specifics);
2. fulfill a foreign language/professional skill requirement;
   Before filing a degree plan with the College of Graduate Studies, students must elect to satisfy the foreign language/professional skill requirement by choosing one of the following options:
   1. demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language for research purposes by passing the specific proficiency examination administered by the World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures ;
   2. elect an alternative research or professional skill such as GIS, oral history, quantitative analysis for history, American Sign Language, a specialized area of critical theory, or a professional level of competency in relevant information technology platforms. Students are responsible for finding appropriate courses or an expert willing to train them and test competency. The public history director, graduate director, and major professor all must approve petitions for alternative research or professional skills. Regardless of the option selected, a student will demonstrate proficiency in the professional portfolio.
3. maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree each semester;
4. develop a residency proposal and identify a professional mentor for the professional residency colloquium;
5. take and pass written and oral preliminary exams in the history field and interdisciplinary field. The written exams are based on coursework and a substantial reading list developed by both the student and the field advisors. As part of the oral exam, the candidate must defend the residency proposal. The written exams are evaluated by the student’s history advisor and interdisciplinary advisor; the oral exam is evaluated by the student’s dissertation advisory committee.
6. enroll in the Professional Residency Colloquium for two consecutive semesters and develop a professional portfolio;
7. constitute a dissertation committee and develop a dissertation proposal;
8. orally defend the professional portfolio (which includes an essay integrating experience, knowledge, and practice) and dissertation proposal;
9. complete a dissertation and successfully defend it in the final oral examination.

Curriculum: Public History

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements. In addition, a maximum of 32 hours of dissertation research may be required to fulfill degree requirements.

Program Notes

Students entering with a Master’s in History and extensive, recent, professional experience may have up to 12 credit hours applied after a determination that the content of previous courses and the nature of recent professional activities meet the student learning outcomes for graduate courses in history.