Purpose and Scope of the Portfolio The doctoral portfolio is a foundational milestone in the Ph.D. program and serves as the written component of the comprehensive examinations. It represents a significant demonstration of the student’s professional development and scholarly readiness to advance to candidacy. Unlike traditional timed written exams, the portfolio requires students to compile and revise work that reflects the kind of scholarship they will produce throughout their academic careers. It emphasizes historiographical depth, original research, teaching preparation, and professional self-reflection. Students produce the portfolio in close consultation with their advisory committee and defend it during the oral examination, typically held during their sixth semester in the program. Required Contents of the Portfolio Overview Statement The overview statement (8–10 pages / approx. 2,400–3,000 words) introduces the doctoral portfolio and provides a structured reflection on the student’s intellectual development and academic preparation. It serves as a thoughtful bridge between coursework and candidacy—connecting the student’s work to date with their emerging identity as a professional historian. The statement should accomplish two goals: Articulate the student’s intellectual growth and scholarly trajectory during the first three years of the program, including: Key areas of historiographical interest; Methodological and thematic approaches developed through coursework and the comprehensive exam preparation process; How intellectual interests have evolved over time and through mentorship. Provide a guided tour of the portfolio’s contents, explaining how each component demonstrates readiness for advanced research, teaching, and professional engagement. The statement should address: Reading Lists: How each list was assembled in collaboration with a committee member; how the items selected reflect and engage with central historiographical debates in the field. Historiographical Essays: How the essays identify major scholarly questions and demonstrate critical synthesis of secondary literature. Research Paper: What the project demonstrates about the student’s ability to formulate and pursue original historical questions using primary sources. Syllabi: The intellectual and pedagogical rationales behind each course; how readings, structure, and assignments are shaped by the student’s field knowledge and teaching philosophy. Optional Materials (if included): How any supplemental materials contribute to a broader scholarly profile or reflect professional growth. The tone of the overview should be reflective and analytical, not promotional. It should demonstrate scholarly maturity and a developing sense of purpose—without the expectation of having a fully defined dissertation or career path. Rather, it should show how the student is prepared to advance to candidacy, equipped with a strong foundation in historical research, teaching, and historiography. Reading Lists in Three Fields Students must submit three reading lists (Max. 50 books per list), one developed in consultation with each member of the portfolio committee. The purpose of these lists is to foster deep understanding of the historiography in each of the student’s selected fields. Each list: May contain up to 50 books, with three articles equivalent to one book; Should reflect both coursework and new material added during portfolio preparation; Must be accompanied by regular meetings with the supervising faculty member, where students are expected to demonstrate command of the field’s major debates, themes, and scholarly positions. Students will also demonstrate their grasp of these fields in the oral examination. Historiographical Essays Students must include at least three and no more than six historiographical essays (3–6 total essays). Some of these essays may be written in coursework. Each coursework essay: Should be between 5–15 double-spaced pages (approximately 1,500–4,500 words); Must clearly engage with major historiographical debates or themes; May be revised to clarify arguments or reflect updated understanding. Students should expect to write one additional historiographical essay for each field, on one or more major themes related to their field. These essays must: Be no longer than 15 double-spaced pages (or 4,500 words); Be based on secondary sources only; Be approved in topic and scope by the relevant faculty member. Original Research Paper Students must include one original research paper based on primary source research and analysis. This may be: A seminar paper written during coursework (revised or unrevised); A paper developed independently, such as a publishable article or public-facing project. The purpose is to demonstrate the student’s capacity for independent research, evidence-based argumentation, and historical writing at a professional level. Annotated Syllabi Students must include two annotated syllabi, one for a survey course and one for an upper-level undergraduate seminar related to their field of specialization. In most cases, students will produce at least one of these syllabi as part of HIST 8001 (Teaching History in Colleges and Universities). If not completed in that course, they must be developed in consultation with the major professor and/or committee members. The syllabi may be discussed in the oral examination. Optional Materials Students are encouraged to include optional materials that reflect scholarly development and professional engagement. These may include: Conference papers or posters; Public history or digital humanities projects; Teaching statements; Teaching evaluations or sample assignments; Grant proposals or fellowship applications; Book reviews, blog posts, or published work. These materials are not required but may enhance the committee’s understanding of the student’s broader strengths and career preparation. Important Note Students should not include their dissertation proposal in the portfolio. The proposal is developed and defended after the student has passed the comprehensive exams and been admitted to candidacy. Portfolio Fields Each doctoral portfolio must be structured around three distinct fields of study, each supervised by a different member of the student’s advisory (comprehensive exams) committee. These fields should be substantially different in scope, method, or thematic focus, and together they should demonstrate a coherent but wide-ranging foundation for historical research, teaching, and professional practice. Each faculty member is responsible for helping the student define the field they supervise, assemble a reading list, and assess the student’s readiness through regular meetings and the oral examination. The portfolio fields are defined as follows: 1. Primary Field The primary field reflects the student’s main area of research specialization and is typically the geographic and temporal foundation of the future dissertation. It prepares the student for research, publication, and teaching in their central area of scholarly expertise. Examples: Modern U.S. History Early Modern Atlantic Twentieth-Century Latin America Medieval Europe Nineteenth-Century East Asia Reading lists and written work in this field should equip students to understand major historiographical debates, contribute original scholarship, and teach survey and upper-level courses. 2. Comparative Field The comparative field is intended to expand the student’s intellectual range by engaging with historical questions beyond the bounds of the primary field. It should reflect scholarly conversations that cut across traditional national or chronological boundaries. Examples: Atlantic World Imperialism and colonialism Slavery Comparative Revolutions Migration and Diaspora The goal of this field is to promote synthetic thinking and historiographical engagement that prepares students for broad teaching and research responsibilities. 3. Method, Theory, or Practice Field; or Thematic Field The third field provides space for students to pursue a methodological, interdisciplinary, or professional interest or a thematic interest that supports their overall intellectual development. It must be distinct from the other two fields and should enrich the student’s training in one of the following ways: Methodological: Focused on the tools or techniques historians use (e.g., oral history, archival theory, statistical methods, textual analysis). Interdisciplinary: Anchored in a conceptual or theoretical approach drawn from related disciplines (e.g., critical race theory, feminist theory, political economy, environmental humanities). Professional or Pedagogical: Focused on teaching, public scholarship, or another area of professional preparation (e.g., digital humanities, public history, historical memory and commemoration). Thematic: Drawing on multiple geographies and temporalities centered on one unifying theme. Examples of Method, Theory, or Practice Fields: Oral History and Community-Based Research Environmental Humanities and Historical Analysis Theories of Race and Identity in Historical Practice Public History and Civic Engagement Decolonizing Historical Pedagogy History and Digital Media Archives and Historical Practice Examples of Thematic Fields: Gender Sexuality Violence Environment This field should be proposed by the student in consultation with the supervising professor and must be formally approved as part of the portfolio plan. Reading lists and portfolio materials must reflect the same level of rigor and engagement expected in the other two fields. Portfolio Preparation and Approval The doctoral portfolio preparation process begins in the third semester of coursework and concludes with committee approval by the end of the sixth semester. Students must meet the following requirements at each stage of this process: By the end of the third semester, students must submit a written portfolio plan (approximately two pages) to their major professor for review. This plan must: Define the student’s three proposed portfolio fields; Identify the proposed faculty supervisor for each field; Outline the student’s plan for completing the portfolio, including which major components they intend to develop during the preparation period. In consultation with their major professor, students must constitute their full portfolio (advisory) committee by the end of the third semester, in accordance with Graduate School guidelines. Before the end of the fourth semester, the student must convene a meeting with the full committee to discuss and refine the portfolio plan. The committee may suggest changes to the scope of fields, portfolio content, or reading list strategies. This meeting ensures shared expectations and alignment before the formal preparation period begins. Students will read works from their approved reading lists and prepare portfolio components—including the overview statement, historiographical essays, syllabi, and original research paper—during their fifth and sixth semesters in the program. Throughout this preparation period, students must meet at least three times with each committee member to discuss readings, review drafts, and confirm progress toward field competency. Students are responsible for scheduling meetings and being prepared. Repeated absences or failure to engage may be reported to the major professor. By the end of the sixth semester, students must submit a complete draft of the portfolio to their major professor. The major professor will review the draft and provide required feedback or revision requests within two weeks. Once the major professor deems the portfolio complete and satisfactory, the student may circulate it to the other committee members for full review. All committee members must confirm that the portfolio meets the program’s requirements before the oral examination can be scheduled. To document this approval, the student must submit a Portfolio Approval Form, signed by all committee members, to the Graduate Program Administrator. If any committee member supervising a portfolio field determines that the submitted materials are unsatisfactory despite prior guidance and revision, they will notify the major professor. If the committee cannot provide the student with guidance about how to achieve approval, the student or major professor may submit the portfolio to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Committee for review. The committee may recommend further revisions, reconstitution of the portfolio committee, or determine that the student has not made satisfactory progress. The portfolio must be approved before a student can proceed to the oral examination. Oral Examination Procedures The oral examination constitutes the final stage of comprehensive exams and serves as the formal defense of the doctoral portfolio. The student advances to candidacy upon successful completion of the comprehensive exams AND the successful defense of the dissertation proposal. Eligibility and Scheduling Students must complete all required coursework before taking the oral examination. The student must secure portfolio approval from all committee members—documented via the Portfolio Approval Form filed with the Graduate Program Administrator—before scheduling the exam. The student must notify the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Program Administrator at least three weeks in advance of the proposed date, to allow the Graduate School to issue its formal two-week notification. The student must complete the oral examination before the beginning of the seventh semester in the program. Format and Conduct The oral exam lasts no more than two hours and covers all aspects of the portfolio: Overview statement Reading lists in each field Historiographical essays Original research paper Annotated syllabi Committee members may question any portfolio component. Students should be prepared to discuss historiography, methodology, pedagogy, and research competence demonstrated in their portfolio. The major professor chairs the examination, coordinates time allocation, and ensures equitable participation by all committee members. The student and major professor must be present in person. Other members may participate remotely via video conferencing. If the major professor cannot attend in person, another committee member may chair with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies. Exceptions may be made in extreme circumstances upon prior approval by the major professor, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Head. During the oral examination each member of the advisory committee will cast a vote to pass or fail; they will confirm their vote electronically after the exam through the appropriate form in Grad Status. There must be no more than one dissenting vote. An abstention is not an appropriate vote for the comprehensive examination. The results of the examination will be reported to the Graduate School within two weeks. Evaluation and Outcomes The oral exam is evaluated field by field, and students may pass or fail individual fields or the entire exam. If a student fails one field, they may petition to retake only that field after a minimum of 30 days. If a student fails two or more fields, they must retake the full oral exam and may petition to do so after 30 days. A second failure of the oral exam—whether part or full—results in removal from Ph.D. candidacy and possible transfer to the M.A. program, as determined by the Graduate Studies Committee. Students who have not completed the oral exam by the start of their seventh semester will have their progress evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee. Assistantship funding may be suspended or terminated unless the student and committee submit an approved remediation plan.
