Science

Introduction:

The History of Science Program at UCLA offers graduate students the opportunity to work with some of the leading scholars in the history of science, medicine, and technology.  Here at UCLA we pursue cultural, gender, historical, literary, political, and social approaches to these studies.  Through our affiliation with the UCLA Center for the Cultural Studies of Science, Technology, and Medicine, graduate students have the opportunity to work with faculty from other departments, including anthropology, English, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

The program runs a colloquium series, which includes about 12 invited speakers in history of science, technology, or medicine each year.  In addition, the Southern California Colloquium in history of science organizes 3 day-long workshops each year.  In 2000 Norton Wise joined the permanent faculty. He is a specialist in the 19th and 20th centuries, in science in Britain and Germany.

The history of science field has also a few TAships and RAships of its own.  You will be automatically considered for these if you express interest in the history of science in your application to the history department.

This web site will provide you with the essential information for the History of Science Graduate Program, including how to apply. For further inquiries, please contact the Graduate Office using the contact information provided here.

Requirements for Doctorate

Courses:
At least 9 graduate courses are required, including at least 2 two-quarter research seminars. UCLA is on a trimester calendar, with three quarters during the academic year.

Qualifying Examinations:
Students will take a written examination in the spring of their second year in residence. They will be examined on three fields, two from the history of science and a third from some other field of history. The history of science fields will be chosen from the following:

1. History of European science before 1700
2. History of European science since 1700
3. History of American science
4. History of medicine and biology
5. History of technology
6. History of science outside Europe and America
   cultural studies of science, technology, and medicine

Any of these fields, but especially the last, may include significant coursework taken outside the Department of History. Students failing the written examination may request by petition to repeat it in the spring of their third year of graduate study. Before taking the written examination, the student must have passed at least one language exam. Sample reading lists are available for the first two exams.

Students must also pass the oral qualifying examination normally in the ninth quarter of graduate study at UCLA, and no later than the end of the twelfth quarter. The second language exam must be passed before taking the oral examination. The student will be examined on a dissertation prospectus and on four fields as they relate to the prospectus. The student should select faculty members from each of these four fields. One of the fields, and hence also one of the examiners, must be chosen from outside the Department of History.