FAQ's for Newly Admitted History Ph.D. Students
First Steps
How do I accept my admission offer and prepare for my first semester of doctoral study?
1. Complete all the steps for newly admitted graduate students enumerated here.
2. Update your contact preferences and chosen name and pronouns in Patriot Web.
3. Set up your GMU email, including an email signature that clearly identifies you and your role at the University.
- Check your Mason email regularly in the weeks leading up to your first semester. Full-time students admitted with funding should set up their GMU email no later than early July prior to their first fall semester.
- All Mason employees are required to use their GMU email accounts for professional correspondence.
4. Schedule an initial advising meeting with the Ph.D. Director to discuss classes for the fall semester. If you have previously earned relevant graduate coursework credit, bring your official transcripts to this advising meeting to assist with course planning.
5. Register for classes at your earliest convenience. Review How to Register for Courses on our website. The University Registrar maintains the official academic calendar.
- Most first-year students will enroll in HIST 610 and HIST 696.
- Make note of the last day to add/drop courses for the semester.
6. Attend departmental, CHSS, and University orientation events for graduate students.
Assistantships, Funding, Tuition Waivers
What is the contracted date range for my assistantship?
Two full semesters beginning in August (fall semester) and ending in May (spring semester). Assistantships do not run over the summer semester.
Who will I be assisting?
Our students either serve as teaching assistants, which provides valuable teaching experience, or as research assistants in the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, the Center for Mason Legacies and other University Libraries initiatives, or the Journal of Social History, which is edited at Mason. The Chair of the Department of History & Art History makes these assignments and will contact you via your GMU email with details on your assignment.
Can I have outside employment while working as a graduate assistant?
No, unless given permission by the Ph.D. Director and the Department Chair.
How do I renew my assistantship?
You will receive communication from the department about continuing your assistantship, should you meet program requirements.
Are there fees that tuition waivers do not cover?
They do not cover books.
How do I know if my tuition waiver has been applied?
You should check your account balance in Patriot Web.
How many credits are covered by tuition waivers?
The number of tuition waiver credits provided can vary from year to year. That said, the current College standard is 17 credits of tuition waiver per student for fall and spring semesters.
Who can I contact regarding GA (graduate assistantship) pay (scheduling, paychecks, etc.)?
The Accounts Payable portion of Fiscal Services handles all graduate student employment pay matters.
What employment benefits do full-time graduate assistantships cover?
Full-time GA positions provide a stipend, subsidized graduate student health insurance, a payroll deduction for campus parking, and a tuition waiver up to 17 credits per academic year (fall and spring only). Health insurance and payroll deduction for campus parking are optional and must be renewed by the student each year in August. Stipend and tuition waiver renewals require no action taken by the student for processing and disbursement.
Advising
Who will be my advisor?
The Ph.D. Director is the initial advisor for all Ph.D. students. Within your first year of Ph.D. study, the Ph.D. Director will assign you a research mentor who can assist you with finding your research specializations, which will determine the departmental faculty members who serve on your dissertation committee.
Who can I ask about...
Non-academic administrative questions? The Graduate Coordinator, Lea Burgess, coordinates all graduate assistantships, student employee benefits, and special registration matters. (General registration is handled by the Mason Student Services Center.) Your faculty mentor may also be able to help.
Student employee pay checks? Accounts Payable
Registration Issues and Student Accounts Information? MSSC Mason Student Services Center
- In person service available in Sub I Building, Suite 1003, lower-level lobby
- Email contact: mssc@gmu.edu
International Student Services? Office of International Programs and Services