Graduate Student Handbook

The most important dates to know relate to your academic programme and form the rough shape of your academic year. These are guidelines and departmental deadlines, not, for the most part, university deadlines. You can find the university's list of important dates here: Important Academic Dates

Master's students (one year)

The average MA thesis length is around 30,000 words, but should be no longer than 50,000 words. Once the thesis has reached a completed draft stage, a supervisory/examining committee will be formed with the help of the principal thesis supervisor.

Thesis submission: See the Submitting Your Thesis section of the FGS Sharepoint site for most recent updates and requirements.

There are three potential date ranges for scheduling a thesis defence: early August, mid-November, or mid-March. August defences and some April defences will lead to convocation in the fall, while November defences and some April defences will lead to convocation in the spring.

To give your committee time to read and respond to your thesis draft, the draft should go to your supervisor four weeks before your defence date. They will read and respond to it, to give you time to make edits before it goes to your second reader.

As noted above, there is an oral defence of the thesis with the candidate and the thesis supervisory/examining committee. This will be based only upon a discussion of the thesis.

There are four possible fates for a MA thesis:

• Pass without any revisions (rare);
• Pass with minor revisions (not requiring resubmission to supervisory/examining committee);
• Conditional pass with major revisions (requiring resubmission to the supervisory/examining committee);
• Fail (extremely rare). 

Candidates must also pass the oral defence to be considered to have passed the full project.

The final version of your thesis, revised according to the guidance of the examining committee, must be submitted to DalSpace following the specifications and guidelines of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. These FGS guidelines are mind-bogglingly exact. Copies of the format guidelines can be obtained from Faculty of Graduate Studies website, and you can (should!) submit your thesis to FGS for a format check at least a week before the FGS submission deadline.

Courses in bold and italics are offered in 2025-2026.  Please note that we are currently updating the course offerings, and more will be added over the next few months. Incoming students should not register for program classes before consulting with their supervisor and the Graduate Coordinator.     

NOTE: All MA students will enroll in HIST 5800: The Master's Seminar and two of the following classes. In special circumstances, graduate-level classes may be taken with other departments, or directed readings may be arranged.

MA classes

• HIST 5000  or 5001- Directed Readings
• HIST 5007 - The European Enlightenment
  
• HIST 5045 - The French Revolution
  
• HIST 5056 - Fascist and National Socialist Movements in Europe 1900-1945
• HIST 5060 - Topics in the Civilization of Baroque Italy
• HIST 5061 - Prelates, Peasants and Primates: From Italian History to the Behavioural Sciences
• 5088 - Modern Russia and the West
  
• HIST 5090 - Twentieth-Century Russian History through Literature
  
• HIST 5091 - Soviet History Seminar
  
• HIST 5104 - Punishment, Crime and the Course in Early Modern England c. 1550-1850
• HIST 5105 - The English Civil War: Society, Religion and Politics 1603-1660
• HIST 5106 - Topics in Early Modern English History
  
• HIST 5110 - Rome and the East
• HIST 5117 - Winston Churchill
  
• HIST 5160 - Advanced Seminar in Baroque Culture
• HIST 5222 - Topics in Canadian Social History
  
• HIST 5250 - Popular Culture in the Atlantic World 1650 to 1800
  
• HIST 5255 - State and Society in Canadian History 
  
• HIST 5320 - Empowerment, Gender and Development
• HIST 5370 - North American Landscapes
• HIST 5400 - Topics in African History
• HIST 5401 - State Violence, Communal Conflict and Criminality in Modern South Africa
  
• HIST 5404 - Crime and Punishment in Modern Africa
• HIST 5430 - Making of Colonial Africa (1850-1930)
• HIST 5431 - Struggles in the City: Labour, Migration and Urban Life in Colonial Africa
• HIST 5435 - Rise and Fall of African Slavery
  
• HIST 5452 - South Africa Since 1860
  
• HIST 5470 - Wars and Revolutions in Nineteenth-Century Africa
  
• HIST 5471 - Wars and Revolutions in Twentieth-Century Africa
  
• HIST 5475 - African Intellectuals and the Modern Experience
• HIST 5500 - Topics in Modern History
  HIST 5503 - Sultans and Shahs
  
• HIST 5510 - Topics in Islam and Middle East History
  
• HIST 5545 - Scripture and Statecraft: The History of Islamic Political Thought (7th-21st Centuries)
  
• HIST 5550 - Orientalism and Occidentalism
• HIST 5555 - Arab Intellectuals
  
• HIST 5600 - Topics in Late 19th and 20th-Century American and British History
• HIST 5610 - Women in North America
  
• HIST 5613 - Women's Suffrage from the French Revolution to World War I 
  
• HIST 5701 - Medieval Civilization
  
• HIST 5702 - The Medieval Church
• HIST 5703 - Celtic Britain and Ireland to 1400
• HIST 5704 - Crime and Society in Post-Conquest England
• HIST 5707 - Material Culture: Theory and Practice
  
• HIST 5800 - The Master's Seminar (Fall and Winter Terms)
  

*The Advanced Seminar in Baroque Culture is a Summer term class taught in the Czech Republic, and requires special arrangements to apply and to register. See the Undergraduate Calendar, HIST 4162.

Doctoral students

The most important dates to know relate to your academic programme and form the rough shape of your academic year. These are guidelines and departmental deadlines, not, for the most part, university deadlines. You can find the university's list of important dates here: Important Academic Dates

There are two major academic elements to your first year – exams and assignments.

Exams

You must choose and define three fields of study (two major, one minor) in consultation with your thesis supervisor. Students are expected to read 80 books for each of the two major fields and 40 books for the minor, with no more than 200 books in total. Performance in each of the three fields will be evaluated by means of a written and an oral examination in September of the second year (see other options below). Performance will be assessed by two readers. Exams are graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

The field exams are three hours long. Under exceptional circumstances, application may be made in writing to the Graduate Coordinator to allow an extra hour. The field exams are marked by your field supervisor and a second reader.

The oral examination follows as closely as possible upon the written exams (a typical pattern is Monday, Wednesday, Friday for the written exams, and then the following Monday for the oral). The oral is attended by the field supervisors and second readers in all fields, and questions will pertain to the field reading lists.

Comprehensive Field and Examination Options

With approval of the Graduate Studies Committee, on a case-by-case basis students can request one or more of the following options:

• Take-home exams can be arranged in lieu of written exams. Maximum length of take home for major area: 5000 words/20 pp. double-spaced; maximum length for minor area: 2,500 words/10 pp. double-spaced.
• In lieu of a written exam, a student can develop and submit a full-credit course proposal and syllabus with themed readings of primary and secondary sources. This syllabus, along with the assigned readings, would be discussed and defended during the oral exam. (Note: this option would not change the number of books being assigned for that field).
• For the minor field, students can request to submit a series of formal historiography papers in lieu of a written exam. These papers would be graded and later defended during the oral exam. Total length of assignments: 30-40 pp. double-spaced.
• Students can request to designate their minor field to be a fixed term (i.e. 12-weeks) work placement or internship at a local archive, museum, or heritage site. A 15-20 pp. (double-spaced) “field report” would be submitted at its conclusion and would be discussed/defended at the oral stage of the examinations.

Assignments

In addition to establishing a list of readings at the beginning of the year, the student and field supervisors will also establish a set of written assignments due during the field courses. The precise number and nature of these assignments can vary, but should cumulatively amount to no less than 6,000 words and no more than 12,000 words. These written assignments should be designed to assist the student in preparing for the examinations and to provide timely feedback in case of difficulties.

Schedule

Part-time PhDs will spread their program requirements over a longer period of time. Whereas full-time PhDs finish their fields of study and comprehensive exams concurrently by the autumn of Year 2, part-time PhDs would finish their fields of study and comprehensive exams successively (one after the other) with a small oral exam after each written exam (with field supervisor and 2nd reader).

For example, a major field of study could be undertaken with an exam (written and oral) at the end of Year 1, followed by successive fields of study and exams in Years 2 and 3. The length of readings for the field studies and the length of the exam would be equivalent to the expectation of full-time PhDs. The evaluation process of the exams will be the same (2 readers, minimum grade of A-). Typically, a dissertation proposal would be expected at the end of Year 3, followed by field research (Years 4 and 5) and thesis writing (Years 6-8).

These rules apply to both MA and PhD students.

If the thesis topic is in European history, Russian history, or Medieval history, the student must pass a test of reading proficiency in the relevant language. 

In Canadian history, the student must pass a test of French language reading proficiency, regardless of the language requirements of the thesis research. 

The reading proficiency test in any of these fields is a translation test, in which students may make use of a bilingual dictionary.

In any other geographic research area (e.g., American, African) the thesis supervisor may require the student to pass a specific language reading test if the supervisor deems special language skills to be relevant to the proposed thesis research. The reading proficiency test in any of these fields is a translation test, in which students may make use of a bilingual dictionary.

In both programs, the expectation is that the language requirement will be met at or before the thesis proposal stage. Please note that students are entitled to take language courses without any additional fee if the supervisor is willing to write a letter to FGS noting that the language in question is necessary to the research project.

Autumn is not only the time of falling leaves and mounting heating bills, it is also the season of applications. This is particularly relevant for one-year MA students who intend to pursue doctoral work the following year. Unfortunately, having begun one program, you must also begin considering the next step and the next program. The Faculty of Graduate Studies has up-to-date information such as addresses, application forms, deadlines, and brochures on graduate programmes within Canada and abroad, as well as fellowships and scholarships. 

SSHRC Scholarships

The main source of graduate scholarships for Canadian citizens is the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, generally known as the SSHRC (‘the shirk’).

SSHRC MA scholarships 

Students in the second year of their ‘one year’ MA program can apply for these scholarships. Details are available at the SSHRC website.  

SSHRC doctoral fellowships

The most important deadline in the fall is for the SSHRC doctoral fellowships. All PhD students who are who are Canadian citizens and do not currently hold Killam or SSHRC fellowships are REQUIRED by the university to apply for SSHRC doctoral fellowships. (You cannot be considered for a Killam scholarship unless you apply for a SSHRC.)

Though the competition is intense, Master’s students anticipating entering a doctoral program the following year should strongly consider applying. The application requires a rigorous program proposal and students must also arrange for up-to-date transcripts to be submitted with the application.  

For both the MA and PhD scholarships, the SSHRC process requires ranking of applications by the Department, ranking of applications within the university, and then passing these applications on to the national competition. To rank these applications, the Graduate Committee requires submission of completed SSHRC applications by a date in late November.

Other major scholarships

OGS (Ontario Graduate Scholarship)

For students considering Ontario universities, the deadline for Ontario graduate student applications is usually the end of October.

FCAR (Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l’Aide a la Recherche)

For residents of Quebec, the deadline is usually early October.

Hannah (History of Medicine)

For students considering doctoral work in the history of medicine, the deadline for Hannah scholarships is usually 1 November.

Students considering the United States for a doctoral program must also arrange to write the GRE examinations.

The History Department has the Peter Fraser and the Patricia Keene scholarships. Application details will be provided in the Master's Seminar.

There are some minor scholarships that are designed to fund specific research areas or specific categories of student. Once again, students are advised to consult with the Faculty of Graduate Studies for further information.

Tuition fees are set and administered by the university and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, not the department. Master’s students should know, however, that after three terms (one full academic year) they are only liable to pay continuing fees (either part-time or full-time), which are a fraction of program fee. For students in financial need, particularly after the first academic year, the Faculty of Graduate Studies may offer some aid.

Students who need to interrupt their program of studies  are advised that they must apply for a leave of absence from the Faculty of Graduate Studies; such leaves are usually granted one term at a time for a maximum of 12 months.  There are specific deadlines for applications for a leave of absence, as noted on the application form. These forms can be found on the FGS Sharepoint site.

There are some other university scholarships available through the Harmonized Scholarship Process, and the Department has the Peter Fraser and Patricia Keene scholarships. Application details will be provided in the Master's Seminar.

The advertising and appointment of Teaching Assistantships is governed by the terms of a collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Within those terms, the responsibility for the allocation of teaching assistantships lies with the Chair of the Department.

Teaching Assistant (TA) assignments are drawn up by professors based upon enrollments in their classes and anticipated needs. There are two types of single-term, half-class TA assignments: T90 (90 hours) and T130 (130 hours). Some TAships are offered as part of funding packages, and no further application is required. The rest are advertised via Dal email in early September. Interested students are required to submit an application to the department.

The assignments are often very different in character — some may, for instance, be mostly marking, while others may include running tutorial groups. The workload standards are established by the CUPE Collective Agreement.

Most current full-time students in the one-year MA or first year doctoral programme who wish to do a teaching assistantship will be assigned one. No guarantees can be offered, however, as the collective agreement sets the terms of possible assignments, and the number of Teaching Assistantships depends on enrollment and budgets.

Doctoral students at the ‘all but dissertation’ (ABD) stage (students who have successfully completed their comprehensive examinations and thesis proposal) who are interested in teaching a class, whether during the regular academic year or summer sessions, should enquire with the Chair of the Department and the Undergraduate Coordinator. Students are reminded that financial resources are limited and that the CUPE collective agreement affects assignments, so no guarantees can be made about offering classes to doctoral students.

Workshops

Dalhousie’s Centre for Learning and Teaching will offer a workshop for TAs early in the Fall. Consult their schedule at Centre for Learning and Teaching. The Department strongly encourages all TAs to participate in this workshop.

In addition, the Department, with the collaboration of the Graduate History Society (GHS), may offer some specialised workshops. The Graduate Coordinator will meet with the GHS in September to make plans for the coming year. 

Stokes departmental seminars

Most Friday afternoons, beginning at 3:30 p.m., there is a seminar for the entire Department, both faculty and students. Attendance at this seminar is required for History 5800 students and is expected of other graduate students and faculty.

An electronic version of the paper is circulated during the week of the seminar, and paper copies are made available in the History Office. Senior graduate students are encouraged to give papers at this seminar, under the advice of their supervisor.   

See Stokes Program for more information.

A significant part of most history seminars consist of discussion and debate by all the seminar participants. A successful graduate student in History is someone who diligently prepares the assigned readings in anticipation of a lively conversation with their peers.

Graduate students will be expected to make formal presentations during their course work. Developing the skills to synthesize information and present it to an audience is critical for graduate students and future scholars.

Graduate students at both the MA and PhD level must be prepared to enroll in their courses with these expectations in mind.

There is no one approach to teaching graduate-level seminars, and instructors will employ a wide array of methodologies and systems of evaluation. These can include oral presentations, short research papers, historiographical inquiries, primary source reports, bibliographic studies, written and oral examination, and participation and discussion.
 

Faculty of Graduate Studies Grade Scale

Letter Grade              Numeric (%) Equivalent

A+                             90-100

A                                85-89

A-                               80-84

B+                              77-79

B                                73-76

B-                               70-72

F                                  0-69

Graduate matters within the Department are generally governed by an appointed Graduate Committee, chaired by the Graduate Coordinator, who is a faculty member appointed for a fixed term. 

There is one student representative on the Graduate Committee who is involved in its discussions with the exception of the following matters: SSHRC ranking; consideration of new applications; discussions of ranking for funding; consideration of master’s students’ thesis proposals; and discussions relating to faculty workload. The student representative is usually appointed by their peers, through the Graduate History Students’ Society.

Appeals of regulations or guidelines or any other difficulty should first be made to the Graduate Coordinator.

Office space

Because office space on campus is in short supply, carrel allocation for Doctoral students may be available; this cannot be guaranteed, however. Further information will be available in mid-September.

Computer Services

Students are expected  to use their “@dal.ca” email address as their active account, as all information is sent electronically. Detailed information about the university’s email services and other computer services may be found through the IT Help Desk, online or at the Killam Library.

All Dal students are assigned a NetID which gives them access to WiFi and to the public-access computers located around the campus. It is also your login for Sharepoint, and for software downloads available through Information Services and the libraries. Learn how to set up your NetID here.    

Other departmental facilities

Master’s and Doctoral students may use the Departmental photocopier/scanner. They will be charged for this use, through an account with the Department. For envelope aficionados, departmental stationery is also available.

The Graduate History Society usually organizes an introductory event or two at the beginning of September and a number of social events throughout the year following. 

The GHS sends a representative - usually the GHS President - to department meetings. The GHS may also send representatives to sit on some departmental committees, including the Graduate Committee.

This GHS organizes an annual graduate students’ conference, an event that brings in MA and PhD students from other parts of North America, and sometimes even a few from overseas. The best paper presented at this conference, as decided by a panel of students and faculty members, wins the John Flint Prize.

Elections for the GHS Committee take place annually in early September. All graduate students in the department (incoming and current) are permitted to take part in the elections.

For general queries and further information, please email gradhist@dal.ca

Graduate Coordinator:
Dr. Jerry Bannister
Associate Professor
jerry.bannister@dal.ca

Or contact our faculty directly:

Search Department of History faculty by research area or name.