The Ph.D. curriculum allows students to refine their knowledge of their respective fields while mastering advanced research methods. To these ends, the Ph.D. program offers courses in the following areas: Ancient Greek and Roman, Late Antique and Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, Modern, Contemporary, Asian, Islamic, and African/Oceanic/Pre-Columbian.

Ph.D. students have seven years to complete all coursework and the Qualifying Examinations. After the Qualifying Examinations have been passed, a student has an additional seven years to complete the Ph.D. dissertation.