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PhD in History

Program overview

With expertise in research and innovative teaching, our program provides doctoral students with a strong foundation in the history of the Atlantic world from pre-colonial times to the modern era. Students complete the program in an average of 5.6 years—well below the national average of 8 years. 

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History offers students opportunities to take courses and gain expertise on Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the United States, Europe, and Asia. The program is the nation’s first and most experienced doctoral program centering Atlantic histories, offering innovative cross-regional and comparative perspectives and training from pre-colonial times to the modern era. It examines fundamental exchanges of peoples, technologies, and ideas that have defined and challenged communities across broad spans of time and space. The doctoral program emphasizes Comparative and Atlantic History and explores the many dimensions of these exchanges. The curriculum emphasizes comparative and Atlantic frameworks while reflecting the vitality of a cross-disciplinary approach.

The FIU Catalog provides the most complete and accurate degree descriptions and requirements. Please refer to it for a more complete and comprehensive version of the requirements. 

  • Credit requirements

    PhD in History is not available fully online. Full-Time International Students in Fall and Spring are permitted one fully online course per semester; please consult with ISSS at FIU for any questions. PhD students need to demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages other than English. Students will select courses in consultation with Advisor or GPD 

    Entering with an MA in History

    • 3 credits in Historical Methods (HIS6059); ​
    • 6 credits in courses designated with a Comparative/Atlantic History focus (HIS6289); ​
    • 12 credits within a geographical concentration (e.g., AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, LAH). This must include 6 credits in a two-semester research seminar;​
    • 9 credits outside of the geographical concentration area. This can include additional courses designated as Comparative/Atlantic History;​
    • No more than 3 credits can be taken outside the department without permission from the Graduate Program Director; ​
    • A minimum of 15 credits of dissertation research (HIS7980)​
    • Total: 45 credit hours ​

    Entering without MA in History

    • 3 credits in Historical Methods (HIS6059); ​
    • 9 credits in courses designated with a Comparative/Atlantic History focus (HIS6289); ​
    • 21 credits within a geographical concentration (e.g., AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, LAH). This must include 6 credits in a two-semester research seminar;​
    • 15 credits outside of the geographical concentration area. This can include additional courses designated as Comparative/Atlantic History;​
    • 12 credits in elective courses; ​
    • No more than 6 credits may be taken outside of the department without permission from the Graduate Program Director; ​
    • A minimum of 15 credits of dissertation research (HIS7980)​
    • Total: 75 credit hours

     

  • Comprehensive exams
    Following completion of all coursework, satisfaction of language requirements, and the constitution of a dissertation committee, students will be required to pass their comprehensive examinations as indicated in the department’s guidelines. After the completion of their comprehensive examinations and the approval of a dissertation proposal by their dissertation committee, students will write a doctoral dissertation. The time needed for the research and writing of dissertations in History is variable, although doctoral candidates normally spend one year engaged in continuous field research and a second year in full-time writing.
  • Language requirements
    All students must acquire reading competence in two languages other than English. The language requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways: (1) achieving a High Pass on the departmental examination in one language, and at least a Pass on the second, or by receiving a grade of “B” or “B+” for Pass and “A” or “A-“ for High Pass in an appropriate course approved for this purpose by the Director of Graduate Studies; or (2) achieving a Pass or High Pass on the departmental examination in one language, and competency in digital humanities or a social science quantitative skills demonstrated by receiving a grade of “B” or “B+” for Pass and “A” or “A-“ for High Pass in an appropriate course approved for this purpose by the Graduate Program Director. Students must receive at least one High Pass. Language requirements vary by concentration field. Language exams will be graded on a High Pass, Pass, and Fail basis; a High Pass is required in the student’s primary language. Students should check with the department’s Graduate Program Director to determine which languages are appropriate for their program of studies
Ideally situated at the crossroads between Latin America and the United States, Florida International University provides an excellent environment to study Atlantic and World History. The Department of History's doctoral program in Atlantic History includes top experts who are very knowledgeable about the region.

Adam M. Silvia PhD 2016

Combined MA/PhD

The Department offers combined MA/PhD programs with African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Highly qualified graduate students can complete the MA in an interdisciplinary area studies or professional field in route to the PhD in History. Students interested in these joint degrees must apply to both programs and meet admission requirements for each. The combined degree option is available through the online application system.

  • MA in African and African Diaspora Studies/PhD in History

    MA in African and African Diaspora Studies/PhD in History
    This program will train doctoral students within the discipline of Atlantic History while giving them area studies expertise in African and African Diaspora Studies in order to help them stay competitive in seeking careers with an international focus in today’s global, cultural, and intellectual environment. In tandem, these two programs can offer students an unusually close fit and remarkably beneficial synthesis in interdisciplinary approaches to both the Atlantic world and the African diasporic experience.

  • MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/PhD in History

    MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/PhD in History
    Capitalizing on the intellectual affinities between the graduate programs in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and in Atlantic History, the program allows students to enroll simultaneously in both programs. The MA program provides a multi-disciplinary perspective on the region as well as deep expertise on the region’s history, culture and political economy, while the PhD Program in Atlantic History is aimed at honing students’ skills in historical methods while training them to approach individual nations and regions of Latin America and the Caribbean as sites of broader exchanges along the Atlantic corridor.

  • MA in Asian Studies/PhD in History

    MA in Asian Studies/PhD in History
    This interdisciplinary program is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced studies of historical and contemporary trends. The degree provides students with a strong foundation in the traditional cultures and modern socio-economic societies of Asia, with an emphasis on East Asia.

Admission

The application and review process takes place once a year for admission in the Fall semester. The doctoral application deadline is December 1.

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