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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rebarton2" data-source="post: 2651959" data-attributes="member: 28601">Guys,I'm a longtime lurker (first posting, actually), but I can echo Nakia's comments here. I'm a PhD with a specialty in medieval history (a fair amount on Norman history, but not the South Italian kind) and would be happy to offer what guidance I can. Let me say that the single biggest obstacle to your plan will be foreign language - while many MA programs may allow you to get an MA in fields like medieval Europe without the language training, the expectation is that at the PhD level you will be doing research in the original languages - for medieval, of course, this means Latin (and perhaps other languages as well). You'll also be expected to have (or acquire) reading familiarity with relevant modern European languages - usually French and German, but if you're going to study Italy you'll need Italian too. In my experience, language training is the single largest obstacle keeping people from working on PhDs in European (or any non-English-speaking topic). Not having languages is not insurmountable - I had to work up lots of them while an MA student - but it is a serious consideration.You'll also impress a Graduate Admissions committee most if you can be very specific about your research interests - stuff like "I'd really like to work with Professor X at Your University because I'm interested in his/her book Y and in the topic of Z". This sort of specificity will help show your interest to the relevant Prof(s).I'll echo the suggestions about terminal MAs - this is probably the way to go, although you may find that even terminal MAs have trouble finding permanent (sometimes even part-time) teaching at the university level. The job situation of the last 15 years has produced a glut of PhDs who are increasingly forced into taking the sorts of jobs that used to be pretty much the preserve of the terminal MA.I know this sounds pretty grim, so I'll end with a note of hope. If you really love your topic, and are willing to put a lot of time in (plan on 7-9 years for a PhD in European history, especially if you don't have any language training), you should definitely go for it. Your passion will ultimately carry you through (after you've endured a lot of crap)I'm happy to answer more detailed questions off line - you can find my info and email address at the UNCG history department webpage - look for the only medievalist.best of luck,Rebarton</blockquote>

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