History, Doctorate
About the program.
Georgetown’s Department of History has global reach, and is an established leader in international, global and comparative history. The department is a leader in the growing emphasis on transnational history in the classroom and faculty scholarship, with recognized strengths in the Atlantic World, the Pacific World, international diplomacy and cultural interactions, the global environment, and comparative gender relations. Georgetown’s doctoral student community in History numbers roughly 100, with new cohorts of 10-12 fully-funded students each year. Alumni have gone on to distinguished careers as historians in and out of the academy. In addition to the attention of a distinguished and award-winning History faculty, students benefit from Georgetown’s many regional studies programs and intellectual centers, where interdisciplinary activity is prized. Additionally, there are opportunities for language training. The department also offers an M.A. in Global, International & Comparative History .
Connect with Us
Program Contact: Carolina Madinaveitia – [email protected]
Begin your application today!
Degrees Offered
Joint degree programs.
- Ph.D./M.A. (Arab Studies)
- Ph.D./M.A. (German and European Studies)
Admissions Requirements
For general graduate admissions requirements, visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page. Review the program’s website for additional information on program application requirements. Application Materials required:
- Application Form
- Non-Refundable Application Fee
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Optional: Statement on Diversity, Personal Background & Contributions
- Writing Sample
- Letters of Recommendation (3)
- Transcripts – Applicants are required to upload to the application system copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page for additional details and FAQs.
- TOEFL = 80 minimum
- IELTS = 7.0 minimum
Application Deadlines
- Fall: December 1
Degree Requirements
Ph.D. students must complete 36 hours of graduate course work, prove proficiency in two languages other than English (one language for students in United States history), pass written and oral examinations in three fields and complete a doctoral dissertation.
MAGES/Ph.D. in History
CGES and the Department of History offer a dual course of study leading to a MAGES/Ph.D. in History. Dual degree students save roughly one year of taking course work by pursuing the two degrees simultaneously, while still receiving full preparation in both their discipline and in regional studies.
The curriculum includes a total of three years (60 credits) of course work drawn from MAGES program and the Department of History. In the belief that the complexities of world affairs, no less than the demands of an academic career, recommend breadth in graduate education, this program is designed to provide a strong interdisciplinary foundation for more advanced, specialized work in European history.
Candidates complete all requirements for both the Ph.D. in History and the MAGES degree requirements with the following variations:
- MAGES free elective course work must be comprised of required courses from the Department of History.
- Students must pass their foreign language examination prior to taking departmental comprehensive examinations.
Application
Students who are interested in this program may either apply to both degree programs at the same time, or may apply for the Ph.D. portion of the program during their first year of study in the MAGES program. Students may apply to receive the MAGES degree upon completion of all Ph.D. course work and the MAGES portion of their comprehensive exams. Applicants to the joint MAGES/Ph.D. program must complete all application procedures and fulfill all entrance requirements for the MAGES program. Applicants must also submit a separate application packet for the History program according to the guidelines set out by the History Department. Application requirements for the History program can be found on the Department of History website .
College of Arts & Sciences
PhD Financial Aid
The Department offers various types of financial aid to students in the doctoral program. The application for admission serves as the application for financial aid; no separate application for funding is needed. All students admitted to the program are also admitted with a funding package.
Department Fellowship
Stipend ($38,950 in 2024-2025) and tuition support (nine credits and/or thesis research, depending on year in program) for five years, two additional years of tuition support, and health insurance for the duration of the fellowship. Students must maintain good academic standing for funding to be renewed. Students receiving these awards normally serve for three years as Teaching Assistants assigned to work with members of the faculty. Two of the five fellowship years are non-service. All first-year students are exempt from service requirements. A second year without service is guaranteed, and can be taken after the student has passed comprehensive exams. Students in years 1-5 who receive service funding during the academic year are eligible for a summer supplement, per GAGE regulations. Students who receive external grants during their five-year fellowship period have the opportunity to apply to extend their funding for use in the sixth or seventh year.
Environmental History Fellowship
Each year the Georgetown History Departments awards a full five-year fellowship in environmental history. Holders of this fellowship may study any part of the world, in any period. Students interested in this opportunity should apply to one of the nine fields the Department offers and make clear their interest in environmental history in the application. No separate application for the Environmental Fellowship is required. Students holding this fellowship have no formal service requirements to the Department. In other respects the terms are the same as with renewable Department Fellowships. (see above). Students interested in applying for this fellowship should contact Prof. John McNeill .
Fellowship in the History of the Early Modern World
Starting in 2009, the History Department will occasionally award a five-year fellowship for students interested in early modern history with a global reach. Students interested in this opportunity should apply to one of the nine fields the Department offers and make clear their interest in environmental history in the application. No separate application for the Environmental Fellowship is required. Students holding this fellowship have no formal service requirements to the Department. In other respects the terms are the same as with renewable Department Fellowships (see above). Students interested in applying for this fellowship should contact Prof. Alison Games .
Funding Past the Fith Year
Students who have exhausted their five-year funding package are eligible to apply for Department funding to support their sixth and/or seventh year of study. These stipends are offered via annual competitive review and are dependent on availability of funds.
Evan Armstrong North Graduate Research Award Fund
This fund has been established by Dr. Diane Tarantino North, in the memory of her son, Evan Armstrong North, a distinguished graduate of our Master of Arts in Global, International and Comparative History (MAGIC) program who went on to win a fellowship in our Ph.D. program, where he continued to do outstanding work. Evan North’s extraordinarily promising scholarly career was cut tragically short by his untimely death in April 2011 at the age of 28. His mother is hopeful that Evan’s “legacy as a seeker of truth, creator of knowledge, and dedicated teacher will endure through the establishment of this Fund.”
The income from the promised endowment will support a merit-based research award for a graduate of the MAGIC program who has been admitted to the Georgetown History Ph.D. program, or—in years when no MAGIC graduate joins the Ph.D. program—for a graduate of another Master’s program who has joined our doctoral program. The History Department’s Graduate Studies Committee will select award recipients in accordance with its policies and procedures.
Global Engagement
Global database, ph.d. in history.
Learn More About Ph.D. in History
Department of History
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
IMAGES
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COMMENTS
Welcome to Georgetown’s Ph.D. program in History! We are a top-notch program with strengths in multiple fields, and we encourage students with interests that span geographical regions, time periods, and thematic foci.
The doctoral program in history at Georgetown University is top-notch with strengths in multiple fields and geographic regions. Explore more!
PhD Application Information and Requirements. Georgetown has a highly selective History doctoral program: we accept only 10 percent of those who apply, and incoming classes average about 8-12 students. General questions about the application process can be referred to Prof. Katie Benton-Cohen, Director of Doctoral Studies, or Carolina ...
Ph.D. students in the History Department work closely with Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship to improve as teachers. Our Ph.D.s enter the academic job market with extensive training and experience as teachers.
The Department of History at Georgetown University is a collegial community of undergraduate majors, graduate students, alumni, and more than 40 full-time faculty members. Our faculty is broadly international in its range of skills and interests and we are known as a leader in global, trans-regional, and comparative history; we bring equal ...
We strongly encourage applicants to contact their prospective mentor and other faculty members with whom they wish to pursue their doctoral degree, as well as current students in the program, prior to submitting an application, in order to verify whether Georgetown History is a good fit.
The program offers students rigorous training in historical methods, foreign languages, and analytical and writing skills. Graduates have gone on to careers in fields such as government service, NGO work, and global business, as well as top-ranked doctoral programs in History and related disciplines.
CGES and the Department of History offer a dual course of study leading to a MAGES/Ph.D. in History. Dual degree students save roughly one year of taking course work by pursuing the two degrees simultaneously, while still receiving full preparation in both their discipline and in regional studies.
The Department offers various types of financial aid to students in the doctoral program. The application for admission serves as the application for financial aid; no separate application for funding is needed. All students admitted to the program are also admitted with a funding package.
Ph.D. in History. The Department of History sponsors this doctoral program with strengths in the history of the United States, early modern and modern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Russia and the Soviet Union, and East Asia.