The Postgraduate Degree Programme of Department of History

Course

Post Graduate Courses are the study of a particular subject within a wider subject area and is the basic building block of a postgraduate qualification.
A course includes lectures; assessment such as assignments, essays, reports, tests and exams; and either tutorials or presentations.
8.1 Registration procedure for the Postgraduate Programme in history is as follows: Master of Arts / Master of Philosophy Programmes

The following students may directly register for M.A; M.Phil degree programmes.

Applicants who have obtained a 1st or 2nd Class in the Special Degree Examination in Arts this University or its equivalent from a recognized university in the subject(History) in which the applicant proposes to registrar for a Master’ degree programme;
Applicants who have obtained a 1st or 2nd Class (Upper Division) in the General/ Combined Degree Examination in Arts of this university or its equivalent from a recognized university with a grade not less than a ‘B’ in the subject in which the applicant proposes to register for a Master’s Degree programme;
Applicants who have obtained a distinction/merit pass in the Postgraduate Diploma Examination of this University or its equivalent from a recognized university in the subject which the candidate proposes to register for a Master’s Degree progarmme;

Department Profile

Department of History offers various courses for the following degrees

M.A. Stream I- (one year)
M.A. Stream II (two years)
M.Phil.
Ph.D

Duration of PG Program of History

The duration of each course is:

MA Programme

Stream I (One Year)

Eight subject-related courses

Stream II: (Two Years)

Six subject-related courses
A dissertation

Courses for M.Phil. Degree Programme:

Six subject-related courses
A dissertation

Ph.D. Programme:

No Course work
Thesis

Duration

1. The Period for the completion of the requirements for Doctor of Philosophy is 3-5 years

2. Students are admitted to the Ph.D. programme any time of the year.

Research Dissertation or Thesis

MA (Research) students must submit a thesis with less than 20,000 words.
M.Phil students must submit a thesis with less than 60,000 words.
Ph.D students must submit thesis with less than 80,000 words

All students who desire to submit a research thesis must follow the steps mentioned below

A postgraduate candidate must submit and present his/her synopsis to Departmental Higher Degree Committee (DHC) to obtain approval from the Department.
Once approved the DHC must forward it to the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee for approval at the Faculty level.

Offering Course from Department of History

HIS- 601 Historical Methodology and Historiography
HIS- 602Sources of Ancient History (Literature)
HIS- 603 Social Theories and Institutions of the South Asian Sub-continent up to Circa 1200 A.D.
HIS- 604 Identification of Sources for the Study of Socio-Political Developments in Sri Lanka 1796-1931 AD
HIS- 605 Western Political Thought – Some Thematic Issues up to the French Revolution
HIS- 606Historiography (Historical Method and Philosophy of History)
HIS- 607 Analysis of Sources for the Study of Socio-Political Developments in Sri Lanka 1796 – 1931 AD
HIS- 608Issues of Colonial State Formation and National Integration in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka
HIS- 609 History of Sri Lanka from the Third Century B.C. to the Middle of the Sixth Century A.D. (Epigraphy and Archaeological Sources)
HIS- 610 Sources of Ancient History (Epigraphy)
HIS- 611 Political Theories and Institutions of the South Asian Sub-Continent up to Circa 1200 A.D.
HIS- 612 Identification of Sources for the Study of Socio-Political Developments in Sri Lanka, 1931 to the Present Day.
HIS- 613 Analysis of Sources for the study of Socio-Political developments in Sri Lanka, 1931 to the Present Day.

All courses are not offered annually but a selected number of seven or eight courses are offered for M.A/ M.Phil students.

Evaluation methods is continuous Assessment for which two methods are used

Assignments or Presentations ( Total 02 for each course) 40%
Final written examination 60%

Any student who fails to obtain at least 50 marks out of 100 with a minimum of 20 marks for the assignment and 30 marks for the final written examination in any subject related course shall be required to repeat that course.