Distinguished Majors Program

Third Year

The DMP begins in the spring semester of the third year with HIST 4890 (Distinguished Majors Colloquium). This intensive reading, writing, and discussion course is intended to familiarize students with a wide range of methods and approaches to history, develop their analytical and writing skills, and help them narrow their interests and identify a research topic. Class meets for 2.5 hours each week. After selecting a thesis advisor, students will begin guided work, culminating in the drafting of a thesis prospectus. Students will also have the opportunity to develop proposals for funding to support their research over the summer between the third and fourth years. Students should plan to spend at least part of their summer advancing their thesis project, whether doing background reading or archival research. 

All students in the DMP must take a History Workshop (HIXX 3501/3502) and if they have not already done so, are strongly encouraged to satisfy this requirement in the fall and no later than the spring of their third year. Although students in the DMP are not required to take one of the Major Seminars (HIXX 4501/4502) or Major Colloquia (4511/4512), they are welcome to do so if they wish and may find it particularly advantageous if there are seminars available in their historical field of interest and/or with their thesis advisor that may help jumpstart their research. 

Fourth Year

The fourth-year program consists of HIST 4990 and HIST 4991, the year-long Distinguished Majors Seminar, which provides a total of six credits for researching and writing the thesis. In the fall semester, the class meets roughly every other week to provide support and assistance in conducting research and beginning writing in earnest. Over the course of the semester students will work closely with primary sources, deepen their familiarity with the scholarly literature in their field, and draft a full chapter for peer review. Students in HIST 4991 should expect to devote most of their energy in the spring semester to the completion of the thesis. The class will meet periodically, but for the most part you will be working independently and in small peer-review groups. The first draft of the completed thesis will be due in mid-March, with the final revised draft due by mid-April.

Grading and Levels of Distinction

As a rule, theses are evaluated by the student’s advisor, the director of the DMP and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. In addition to assigning grades, the director of the DMP along with the director of Undergraduate Studies assigns levels of distinction (e.g., Distinction, High Distinction, Highest Distinction). The levels are determined, above all, by the quality of the thesis but also by performance in all aspects of the program. Applicants should realize that there is the option of denying Distinction if the quality of the thesis is below the department’s standards. In this (fortunately, rare) case, the student will graduate as a regular history major. The College of Arts and Sciences requires a minimum GPA of 3.4 for graduation with distinction; should a DMP student successfully complete the thesis but graduate with a GPA below 3.4, the student will graduate as a regular history major.

Prizes and Awards

DMP students are eligible for prizes and awards that are typically awarded at the end of the academic year. The Director of Undergraduate Programming will send an email to majors each year with information regarding department prizes and awards..

Admission

Admission to the DMP is competitive. There are fifteen openings, and we often receive twice as many applications. Successful candidates have excellent analytical skills, the ability to write well, a capacity for self-directed work, and a commitment to undertake serious research.

DMP students should be resourceful, persistent, and motivated. They must be the kind of individuals who will work steadily and methodically toward a long-term goal. They have to be able to learn from the inevitable missteps and find their own way to solutions. They should be prepared to sacrifice some of their other commitments — and even winter or spring breaks — to the goal of producing a thesis.

The College of Arts and Sciences requires a 3.4 overall GPA for a degree with Distinction and applicants typically exceed this threshold. However, interested applicants with a GPA below 3.4 should speak to the director; students with superior grades in the major have occasionally been admitted if they can demonstrate that they are on track to raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum level. Most admitted students have a GPA of 3.6 or above as well as top grades in their history courses.

Applicants need not have a specific research interest when they apply, but they should be individuals who will, over time, develop a passion for a particular historical topic. After all, work on the thesis will consume much of the DMP student’s attention during the fourth year.

Can DMP students study abroad?

Yes, but it requires careful planning. DMP students must be on Grounds in the fall of the third year and for the entire fourth year. Therefore, students should plan to study abroad before beginning the program, or in the spring of the third year. Note that spring of the third year is the semester in which most DMP students take the required 45xx seminar. DMP students who choose to study abroad that semester must plan ahead to complete their major seminar at another time. This will likely mean taking it at the same time as one of the DMP courses. DMP students who have studied abroad in the past report that this resulted in a very demanding course load, but that the experience was worthwhile.

Can DMP students complete a double major?

Yes, many do. You must plan ahead to ensure that you can complete the courses for the DMP and your second major in the proper sequence. The College permits students to complete only one DMP or honors major.

Do most DMP students continue on to graduate programs in history?

Some do, and DMP students have gone on to top PhD programs in history. However, most pursue careers outside academia. Graduates have been successful in law school, in graduate programs in fields other than history, in government jobs, and in business. The DMP is good preparation for any career that requires critical thinking and good writing, as well as skills such as the analysis of evidence and the construction of an argument.