Course of Study
A Ph.D. in history at Notre Dame certifies the recipient as commanding a body of knowledge to which s/he has made a contribution through the dissertation; the degree recognizes skills in research, writing, and teaching. Academic historians at research universities publish and teach; they also serve a variety of roles as reviewers; consultants; citizens of their university, field, and profession; and colleagues. Historians apply their skills in a variety of settings, working as museum curators, in libraries, for government agencies, as administrators, in public or private archives, and at historical sites. With this in mind, the graduate program in history at the University of Notre Dame emphasizes training in research, writing, and teaching, and addresses the ethics, values, obligations, traditions, philosophies, and skills of responsible professionals.
Researching and writing publishable articles and books are core skills for academic historians, which is why the department requires a major research paper in each of the first two years of study, and why success in fulfilling this requirement is a major factor in the evaluation of students at the end of the first and second years. Students should aspire eventually to produce scholarship that makes major contributions to historical knowledge, and to share their contributions in public settings and/or as published work.