phd in historical studies

Department of History

Ph.d. programs.

The Department of History’s doctoral degree program seeks to train talented historians for careers in scholarship, teaching, and beyond the academy. The department typically accepts 22 Ph.D. students per year. Additional students are enrolled through various combined programs and through HSHM.  All admitted Ph.D. students receive a  full  financial aid package  from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 

History of Science and Medicine

The  Program in the History of Science and Medicine  (HSHM)  is a semi-autonomous graduate track within the Department of History. HSHM students receive degrees in History, with a concentration in the History of Science and Medicine.  There is a separate admissions process for students interested in the History of Science and Medicine. For more information, please see the  HSHM website . 

Combined Doctoral Programs

Joint ph.d. programs.

Ph.D. in World History

World history concentration.

The Doctoral Program in history, with a core focus on world history, trains research historians who plan to teach at the college and university levels. Emphasizing global approaches to historical study, the program encourages students to think beyond national boundaries, comparatively, and in terms of themes that span geographically dispersed areas of the world-trade, migration, disease, religion, state formation, colonialism, and post-colonialism. Studies also include long-term historical processes, major global transformations, and interactions between states and colonial societies. Candidates for the Ph.D. in history may examine African, Asian, European, Latin American, or U.S. history in a world historical context. The program emphasizes mentoring of students in their courses, supervised teaching, and in the doctoral dissertation.

Systematic training in theory and methodology and preparation for college teaching are distinctive features of the Northeastern program. All doctoral students undertake intensive reading in the theoretical literature that informs historical analysis, as well as in global historiography. Each student develops a deliberate methodological focus in an area such as cultural history, social history, environmental and biological history, or public history. Students are mentored in the practice of teaching and are encouraged to lecture and lead discussion sections under the supervision of faculty.

A mix of reading courses and research seminars in area studies and comparative or transnational history provide students with the bedrock of training in the literature and research methods of history. Students may also take a limited number of courses outside the department.

The Department of History maintains close ties with interdisciplinary programs such as Asian Studies; Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies; Law and Public Policy; Women Gender and Sexuality Studies, and with the Departments of African American Studies; Art and Architecture; English; Sociology and Anthropology; and Political Science. Graduate students may obtain a  certificate in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies .

All doctoral candidates must develop and demonstrate a strong reading knowledge of the languages in which they will undertake research. In cases where students require training in languages not offered at Northeastern, the department helps them arrange to take courses at nearby institutions.

The doctoral dissertation presents an original interpretation of a topic of historical significance based on detailed research into primary sources, a survey of the relevant literature, and skilled application of the theoretical and methodological apparatus germane to the topic.

In recent years, the Department of History has been able to provide funding to Ph.D. students for five years.

The GRE will not be required as part of graduate admissions to any certificate, master’s, or doctoral program in CSSH or across the university for matriculation in 2022-2023

Applicants and admitted students are invited and encouraged to join one of our Welcome Days. Please click  here  for more information and to RSVP.

Type of Program

• PhD Program

Get more information about this graduate program.

More programs, bachelor of arts (b.a.) in environmental studies & history, bachelor of arts (b.a.) in history & philosophy, bachelor of arts (b.a.) in history, bachelor of arts (b.a.) in history & asian studies, bachelor of arts (b.a.) in history & cultural anthropology.

• PhD History
• Prospective Students
• MA Programs

The Department of History offers a PhD program centered on rigorous research within a vibrant and diverse intellectual community. While most of our students have a history degree (BA) or degrees (BA and MA), we accept students with a variety of backgrounds and interests. 

Admission is highly competitive. All offers include a full university fellowship for the duration of the program. Between 2017 and 2024, a number of excellent students selected for admission were named  Neubauer Family Distinguished Doctoral Fellows and received additional fellowship support over for five years.

Admissions Deadline (Autumn 2025 program start):  December 5, 2024 at 11:55 

Application Process

Interested students apply to the PhD program through the  Division of the Social Sciences . For questions regarding the application submission and fee waivers, please contact  SSD Admissions.  For questions regarding the History PhD Program or History-specific application components, please contact our  graduate affairs administrator .

Official decisions are sent by the Social Science Admissions Office by late February. The Department cannot release any information on admissions decisions.

Application Advice

The requirements for the application can be found on the divisional  admissions pages . The following advice is specific to your application to the Department of History.

Your  writing sample  should be a complete self-contained work. The ideal sample should be in the field of history (or a closely related field) that you plan to pursue at Chicago. Include the class or publication for which the sample was written. We do not have a page or word limit for writing samples. For papers longer than thirty pages, please flag a section for the committee.

Your  candidate statement  provides us with vital insight into the intersection of your intellectual goals and personal trajectory. It should communicate: 1) the ambitions you wish to pursue through doctoral work in history; 2) the specific questions and themes that will shape your dissertation research; 3) the personal and intellectual trajectory that has brought you to those themes and questions and prepared you to pursue them; and 4) the reasons that the University of Chicago and its faculty are well-matched to your doctoral plans.

The most helpful  letters of recommendation  come from faculty members who can assess your ability to work on your proposed historical topic.

Prospective students are asked to identify one or two primary fields of scholarly interest from a list in the application. Our faculty pages are sorted by field. Please see those pages for more information on faculty working in your field of interest. Please note, however, that we highly encourage applicants who work across field boundaries and do not apportion admissions by field.

There is no minimum  foreign language requirement  to enter the program, but successful applicants should possess strong language skills in their proposed research language(s) and be aware of the  language requirements for the various fields . All students are required to take a language exam in the first quarter of the program.

The University sets the  English-language assessment  requirements. Refer to the  Division of the Social Sciences  for English-language requirements and waivers.

Submission of  GRE scores  is entirely optional. Those who choose not to submit scores will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process.

MA Program Consideration

All applicants who are not admitted to our PhD program are automatically forwarded for consideration by our MA programs, unless the applicant specifically opts out of this process on their application. That said, as referred applications are considered later than most other MA applications, scholarship assistance for students admitted to an MA program through the referral process may be limited. If you are interested in our MA programs and would need scholarship assistance to attend, we would encourage you to apply directly to the MA as well as our program (note that this would require a separate application and application fee). MA applications are accepted  multiple times per year  with decisions typically issued within 6 to 8 weeks. Questions about applying to an MA program should be directed to  [email protected] .

Campus Visits

We encourage prospective students to reach out to potential faculty mentors through email. Please consult our faculty page to find professors who share your interests. Our graduate affairs administrator can provide additional information about the program.

The University also offers  graduate campus tours  throughout the year that are led by graduate students. Please check their website for campus visitor updates.

Admitted PhD students are invited to visit campus for "History Day" at the beginning of Spring Quarter.

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Graduate Students

Learn more about our  students' research interests and dissertation projects.

CURRENT STUDENTS

Ph.D. Program

Stanford Ph.D. Program in History aims to train world-class scholars.

Every year we admit 10-12 promising students  from a large pool of highly selective applicants. Our small cohort size allows more individual work with faculty than most graduate programs in the United States and also enables funding in one form or another available to members of each cohort.

Fields of Study

Our graduate students may specialize in 14 distinct subfields: Africa, Britain, Early Modern Europe, East Asia, Jewish History, Latin America, Medieval Europe, Modern Europe,  Ottoman Empire and Middle East, Russia/Eastern Europe, Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine, South Asia, Transnational, International, and Global History, and United States. Explore each field and their affiliates . 

The department expects most graduate students to spend no less than four and no more than six years completing the work for the Ph.D. degree. Individual students' time to degree will vary with the strength of their undergraduate preparation as well as with the particular language and research requirements of their respective Major fields.

Expectations and Degree Requirements

We expect that most graduate students will spend no less than four and no more than six years toward completing their Ph.D. Individual students' time-to-degree vary with the strength of their undergraduate preparation as well as with the particular language and research requirements of their respective subfield.

All History Ph.D. students are expected to satisfy the following degree requirements:

• Teaching: Students who enter on the Department Fellowship are required to complete 4 quarters of teaching experience by the end of their third year. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships and teaching a Sources and Methods course on their own.
• Candidacy : Students apply for candidacy to the PhD program by the end of their second year in the program.
• Orals:  The University Orals Examination is typically taken at the beginning of the 3rd year in the program.
• Languages: Language requirements vary depending on the field of study.
• Residency Requirement : The University requi res  135 units of full-tuition residency  for PhD students. After that, students should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status. 

Browse the Ph.D. Handbook to learn more .

The History Department offers 5 years of financial support to PhD students.  No funding is offered for the co-terminal and terminal M.A. programs. A sample Ph.D. funding package is as follows:  

• 1st year: 3 quarters fellowship stipend and 1 summer stipend 
• 2nd year: 2 quarters TAships, 1 quarter RAship (pre-doc affiliate), and 1 summer stipend 
• 3rd year: 2 quarters TAships, 1 quarter RAship (pre-doc affiliate), and 1 summer stipend 
• 4th year: 3 quarters of RAships (pre-doc affiliate) and 1 summer stipend 
• 5th year: 3 quarters of RAships (pre-doc affiliate) and 1 summer stipend

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Join dozens of  Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your studies at Stanford. candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment. If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about  KHS admission .

How to Apply

Admission to the History Graduate Programs are for Autumn quarter only.  Interested applicants can online at  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/apply/apply-now and submit the following documents: 

• Statement of Purpose (included in Application)
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
•  Transcripts are required from all prior college level schools attended for at least one year.  A scanned copy of the official transcript is submitted as part of the online application.  Please do not mail transcripts to the department.   We will ask only the admitted students to submit actual copies of official transcripts.
• 1 Writing Sample on a historic topic (10-25 pages; sent via  Stanford's online application system  only)
• The GRE exam is not required for the autumn 2024 admission cycle
• TOEFL for all international applicants (whose primary language is not English) sent via ETS. Our University code is 4704.
• TOEFL Exemptions and Waiver information
• Application Fee Waiver
• The department is not able to provide fee waivers. Please see the link above for the available fee waivers and how to submit a request. Requests are due 2 weeks before the application deadline.

The Department of History welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. Review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays in order to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

The Department of History also recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

Application deadline for Autumn 2024-25 is Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 11:59pm EST . This is a hard -not a postmark- deadline. 

All application material is available online. No information is sent via snail mail. Interested applicants are invited to view a Guide to Graduate Admissions at  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/ . 

Questions? 

Please contact  Arthur Palmon  (Assistant Director of Student Services).

Department Bookshelf

Browse the most recent publications from our faculty members.

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Uncertain Past Time: Empire, Republic, and Politics | Belirsiz Geçmiş Zaman: İmparatorluk, Cumhuriyet Ve Siyaset

Embodied Knowledge: Women and Science before Silicon Valley

Compton in My Soul

The Fox Spirit, the Stone Maiden, and Other Transgender Histories from Late Imperial China

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Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

The PHD in Historic Preservation was launched in 2017 and is oriented toward the training of future historic preservation scholars. The first of its kind in the United States, the program aims to expand the discipline’s range of intellectual entanglements and cultivate new paradigms for scholarly research, experimental practice, global action, and communication.

As a doctoral program, it underscores a historical understanding of the discipline’s evolving challenges and purposes; promotes theoretical speculation on alternative modes of practice suited to deal with the ethical, technical, aesthetic, and social problems of the twenty-first century; and fosters a critical and scholarly culture conducive to preparing the discipline’s next leaders. Candidates are expected to conduct independent research with support from the preservation faculty’s wide range of expertise, the Historic Preservation Laboratory, the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, and the rest of the scholarly community at GSAPP and Columbia University, more broadly.

The curriculum requires two years of coursework, one year to prepare and take general exams, and two years for independent research and writing. The total time to completion is expected to be five years. The Ph.D. in Historic Preservation is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Admission for 2024

• The application deadline for 2024 admissions was January 4, 2024 and is now closed.
• For additional information about the application process and requirments, please see the GSAS website.

Please visit the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for admissions details.

In addition to the requirements shown on the GSAS website, all students must submit one transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a statement of academic purpose, and three letters of evaluation from academic sources.

Applicants are encouraged to submit an optional portfolio if it speaks to their research interest in experimental preservation approaches that explore material intersections of the PAAST (Preservation Art Architecture Science and Technology) with urgent contemporary environmental and social issues. For more information on the portfolio format, please review the Admissions FAQ .

All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS .

For more information, refer to the Admissions Information and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Recent News

PhD in History

The Department of History offers only a PhD. We do not admit students to a terminal master's degree in history; however, students in the PhD program may earn a master’s degree in history the way to their doctorate. We do offer an interdisciplinary MA in heritage studies and public history.

PhD Degree Requirements

For your PhD, you will be expected to meet the following requirements:

• 27 credits in 9 history classes, including Scope and Methods of Historical Studies (8015) in the first semester and a History Research Seminar (8021), which would focus on prospectus writing to be taken in the second or third year, as well as two courses in a chosen comparative area
• 12 credits from outside the history department related to your course of study
• 24 thesis credits
• Reading knowledge in at least one language outside of English before preliminary exams (this requirement may vary depending on your field of study and may include competence in quantitative methods)
• Completion of preliminary written and oral exams
• Completion of the dissertation
• Final oral dissertation defense

Note: If you enter the PhD program with a master’s, you will be expected to complete your coursework and preliminary exams by the end of your second year or the first term of the third year.

Master’s Options

Students interested in completing a Master’s degree while pursuing their PhD may do so. All students who choose to pursue a master’s must complete 30-31 credits of coursework, have a reading knowledge in one foreign language, and can choose to write a thesis or expand upon three seminar papers.

We are now offering an MA in heritage studies and public history in conjunction with several departments, programs, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the College of Design. This MA provides history professionals with broad disciplinary perspectives in several areas including archival research, archaeology, material culture studies, architecture, preservation, or landscape studies.  View more information on the MA in Heritage Studies and Public History .

Graduate Minor in History

Students pursuing graduate degrees in other departments may minor in history. To earn a master’s minor, students will be asked to take two history courses and craft a thesis with a historical dimension. Students wishing to earn a PhD minor will be asked to take four history courses, including Scope and Methods of Historical Studies. Minor students must also take a written and oral examination, which can be incorporated into their home department, as long as a historian sits on the examining committee.

Non-Degree Graduate Credits

Non-degree seeking students can join graduate seminars as well, more information can be found  here .

College Resources for Graduate Students

Visit CLA’s website for graduate students to learn about collegiate funding opportunities, student support, career services, and more.

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PhD in History

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Study History Where It Is Made

AU’s PhD in History will prepare you for a career as an educator, researcher, analyst, and writer working in academia, public and institutional history, and other fields requiring investigative and analytical skills. In this program, you will develop a deeper understanding of how historians investigate and interpret the past while you explore the past with your own original research .

You will receive a high level of mentorship and develop close working relationships with your professors. Under the guidance of our award-winning faculty , our students complete strong dissertations and present work at top conferences while making valuable connections and gaining experience in the Washington, DC, area.

This program is ideal for students interested in American and modern European history, including Russian history. Our department also has strengths in a variety of subfields , including public history, African American history, women’s/gender history, politics and foreign relations, and Jewish history. This diversity will open your options for research and allow for specialization without sacrificing breadth of study.

Rigorous Study with a Degree of Flexibility

Our program combines rigorous training in scholarship with the flexibility to pursue your intellectual interests. Our coursework will give you a solid foundation in historical theory and methodology, research methods, and United States or modern European history. Together with your academic advisor, you will design a program of study to match your academic goals . You will acquire and demonstrate mastery of tools of research , such as foreign languages, quantitative research methods, oral history, new media, and other methodologies. Your doctoral examinations will be tailored to fit your individual fields of study. You will then pursue your own research in writing your doctoral dissertation.

The Department will supervise PhD dissertations in the history of Modern Europe (normally for the period 1789 to the present), United States history (including the colonial period), US foreign relations, and modern Jewish history.

See all admissions and course requirements .

Cutting-Edge Faculty Dedicated to Your Success

Our history faculty makes national news, uncovers under-represented areas of history, and guides doctoral students , helping them generate innovative and influential research . From predicting presidential elections to publishing award-winning books and articles, our distinguished professors produce relevant historical scholarship and will train you do the same. With academic and professional mentorship from our faculty, you will you will enter the field as a thoroughly prepared and well-connected scholar.

Endless Opportunities in a Historic City

Pursuing your doctorate in the nation’s capital provides you with unparalleled access to renowned museums, archives, institutions, and resources . From the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution and National Archives to the DC Historical Society, our students are only a metro ride away from exceptional local and national repositories. As part of the Washington Consortium , students at American University are able to take courses at colleges and universities throughout the DC metropolitan area, providing the opportunity to work with a variety of faculty in diverse programs and fields of study.

A truly global city, DC, contains hundreds of embassies, cultural organizations, and enclave communities. Brimming with history , the DC area offers Civil War battlefields, the Capitol, Mount Vernon, the White House, and countless landmarks of the colonial period, Revolutionary War, Civil War, and more recent American history. The city is also home to smaller historical organizations like the DC Historical Society and the DC Preservation League. Whether your interest is global, national, or local, this historic city undoubtedly has something for you.

Explore the Possibilities

Our students go on to become university and college faculty and administrators or work in federal and state governments, for museums and archives, and in other exciting fields. Our alumni teach at universities around the world , from the University of Houston in Texas to University of Prince Edward Island in Canada and Ludwig Maximilians Universität in Munich. Our PhDs hold positions with the nation’s most important institutions , including the Library of Congress, Department of State, National Archives and Records Administration, American Historical Association, National Endowment for the Humanities, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Recent and Current PhD Dissertation topics

• Auketayeva, Laura : "Gender and Jewish Evacuees in the Soviet Union during the Holocaust" 
• Barry, Michael : "Islamophobic & Anti-Islamophobic Ideas in America"
• Brenner, Rebecca : "When Mail Arrived on Sundays, 1810-1912" 
• Boose, Donelle : "Black Power and the Organizing Tradition: Work-ing Women of Washington, DC. 1965-1990"
• Chatfield, Andrew : "American Support for India’s Self-Determination from 1915-1920: Progressives, Radicals, and Anti-Imperialists"
• Duval, Lauren : "Landscapes of Allegiance: Space, Gender, and Mili-tary Occupation in the American Revolution"
• Englekirk, Ryan : "The Third Team: Unmasking Fraternity and Mascu-linity Among Major League Baseball Umpires 1970-2010" 
• Estess, Jonah : "The People’s Money: The American Revolution, Cur-rency, and the Making of Political Economic Culture in American Life, 1775-1896" 
• Frome, Gavin : "American Protestant Service Workers in Viet Nam, 1954-1975"
• Gabor, Ruth : "'Moda' for the Masses: Moscow Fashion’s Appeal at Home and Abroad during the Cold War"
• Gibson, Laura : "It’s Love that Counts: The History of Non-Nuclear Families in American Domestic Sitcoms"
• Grant, Jordan : "Catchers and Kidnappers: Slave Hunting in Early America" 
• Grek, Ivan : "Illiberal Civil Society in Russia, 1992-2000"
• Harris, Curtis : "Hardwood Revolution: The NBA's Growth & Player Revolt, 1950-1976" 
• Hawks, Julie : "Capital Investments: Engineering American Cold War Culture" 
• Jobe, Mary "Allison" : "'We Remember Him for His Character': The Life of James W. Ford and the Communist Party USA" 
• Kaplan, Anna : "Left by the Wayside: Memories and Postmemories of the Integration of the University of Mississippi"
• Killian, Linda : "Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine: The Shared Political Ideology at the Heart of American Democracy" 
• Kitterman, Katherine : "'No Ordinary Feelings': Mormon Women’s Political Activism, 1870-1896" 
• Langford, Amy : "Creating a Body Politic: Boundary Crossings and the (Re) Making of Latter-Day Saints on the U.S. Border, 1885-1920"
• Levin, Jeffrey : "Felix Warburg and the Establishment of the Hebrew University" 
• MacNeill, Lindsay : "Policing Politics in Austria, 1918-1955"
• Milwicki, Alon : "Baptizing Nazism: An Analysis of the Religious Roots of American Neo-Nazism"
• Rafferty-Osaki, Terumi : "'Strictly Masculine': Reforming and Per-forming Manhood at Tule Lake, 1942-1946" 
• Recordati, Maurizio : "Russia Turns Inward: Russian Grand Strategy in the Post-Crimean War Period (1856-78)"
• Sowry, Nathan : "Museums, Native American Representation, & the Public: The Role of Museum Anthropology in Public History, 1873-1929"
• Styrna, Pawel : "Polish-Russian Relations, 1904-1921"
• Vehstedt, Scott : "'Lets Help Finland': The Return of American Relief Aid in the Winter War, 1939-1940"
• Weixelbaum, Jason : "At the Crossroads of Fascism: The Decision of Ford, General Motors, and IBM to do Business with Nazi Germany"

Alumni Job Placements

Graduates of the history PhD program are working as professors, researchers, and directors across the US and at international locations. Here is a list of where select graduates have or are currently working:

• Director, National Coalition for History
• Assistant Professor, University of Prince Edward Island
• Assistant Professor, Towson University
• Assistant Professor of History and Director of American Studies, West Chester University
• Independent historian
• Senior Archivist, National Archives
• Associate Professor, Ryerson University
• Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• Historian, US Army
• Senior policy adviser and special assistant to the president of the Humane Society
• Historian, Office of the Historian, Department of State
• Museum Director, Renton History Museum, Oregon
• Public History Coordinator, American Historical Association
• Assistant Professor, Bridgewater State University
• Lecturer in Sociology, California State University at Bakersfield
• Assistant Professor, Delaware State University
• Historian, Global Classroom, US Holocaust Museum
• Director, Digital Archive, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
• Assistant Professor, Illinois State University
• Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland at College Park
• Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Assistant Professor, University of West Florida
• Independent historian and filmmaker
• Adjunct Assistant Professor of History, US Naval Academy
• Administrative Support Specialist at FEMA
• Senior editor and writer, National Endowment for the Humanities
• Instructor, Religion Dept., National Cathedral School (earned Master of Divinity after PhD)
• Curriculum and Publications Coordinator, AU Registrar's Office
• Assistant Professor, Seminole State College

News & Notes

PhD candidate Reza Akbari presented at the Middle East Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada. His presentation,  Etched in Mistrust: Continuity and Change in US-Iran Nuclear Negotiations (1969-1978),  argued that America's drive to keep Iran's nuclear program peaceful began decades before the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

PhD candidate  Andrew Sperling  published " A Halloween Party in Boston Turned Ugly when a Gang Hurled Antisemetic Slurs and Attacked Jewish Teenagers ," detailing the events of an antisemetic attack on Jewish teens at a Halloween party in 1950. 

Theresa Runstedtler 's new book on Black ballplayers of the 1970s and '80s setting the NBA up for success: Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywoof, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA (2023) .

Doctoral student Maurizio Recordati Koen won first prize in the 2022 Trench Gascoigne Essay Competition for "The Stuff of Strategy: How Sublime Strategics Turned into a Real Thing" in RUSI Journal.

John Schmitz (CAS/PhD '07) published Enemies among Us: The Relocation, Internment, and Repatriation of German, Italian, and Japanese Americans during the Second World War .

Doctoral student Jonah Estess presented his paper, "Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems: The American Revolution and the National Origins of the Politicization of Money" as part of the panel at this year's Business History Conference.

Andrew Demshuk published Three Cities after Hitler: Redemptive Reconstruction across Cold War Borders .

PhD candidate Katherine Kitterman wrote on women's voting rights in Utah for the Washington Post.

Inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow

Nguyet Nguyen brings new perspective to the Vietnam War.

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History, PHD

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD History

The PhD program in history offers outstanding opportunities for graduate study in North American, European, public and global-comparative history.

The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies' world-class faculty members deliver courses and individualized mentoring in a wide range of historical topics, such as urban history, environment and sustainability studies, politics and policy, immigration, gender, race and ethnicity, and comparative history. In addition, doctoral history students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the numerous collaborative opportunities that exist throughout the university in ASU's many innovative schools and centers.

Degree Requirements

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (16 credit hours) HST 502 Public History Methodology (3) HST 640 Historical Methods (3) HST 641 North American History (3) HST 643 Global History (3) HST 644 Area Studies in History (3) HST 682 Advanced Research Skill (1)

Electives and Research (44 credit hours)

Other Requirement (12 credit hours) HST 591 Seminar (6) HST 792 Research (6)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) HST 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information In general, all credit hours must be at the 500 level or above. Graduate credit may be awarded for 400-level courses; it must be approved in advance and documented in the student's file.

The doctoral program requires a minimum of 84 credit hours and may be completed in four to five years. Students with a master's degree may apply 30 credit hours toward the 84 required credit hours with approval of the academic unit and the Graduate College. If the student does not already have a master's degree in a related field, then the remaining 30 credit hours are made up of electives and research to reach the 84 credit hours required for the doctoral program.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree, in any field, from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. The most competitive applicants have a GPA of 3.30 or higher.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• statement of purpose
• resume or curriculum vitae
• writing sample
• three letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. The history program requires a TOEFL iBT score of at least 90. A student whose native language is not English also must submit a copy of an article or research paper in the student's native or principal research language in addition to the English writing sample required of all students.

Students are required to submit a minimum of three email addresses of faculty or others qualified to speak to the student's suitability for graduate study in history. Letters of reference should be submitted by the recommenders in addition to the electronic reference form they are asked to complete.

The statement of purpose is to be addressed to the history admission committee and should explain the applicant's scholarly background and training, career goals, the primary field the applicant wishes to pursue, the proposed research specialization, and why the applicant wants to pursue graduate study at ASU; it should be about 500 words in length.

The writing sample, either published or unpublished, may be an article, a research paper, or any other extended sample of expository skill, and it must be no longer than 35 pages in length. Longer writing samples should not be submitted without first consulting the graduate director. Documents and files should not be password protected. Acceptable file types are .rtf, .pdf and .doc.

Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, application deadlines, learning outcomes.

• Identify and complete applications for funding opportunities that can support their research
• Demonstrate mastery of three domains of historical knowledge as well as display expertise in their proposed topic of study
• Accomplish meaningful contributions to the profession through accepted publications and presentations

Career Opportunities

Graduates possess the foundational skills in research, writing, and communication and fundamental training needed for careers in research, archival work, higher education, teaching, public history, government service, and a host of other areas in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

They serve as first-rate historians, highly qualified instructors at two-year schools and universities, researchers and consultants for business and government, archivists, foreign service officers, management professionals, community organizers and public servants. Other career examples include:

• editorial and publishing professional
• K-12 school teacher
• museum director and staff
• nonprofit director
• university professor

Global Experience

With over 250 programs in more than 65 countries (ranging from one week to one year), study abroad is possible for all ASU students wishing to gain global skills and knowledge in preparation for a 21st-century career. Students earn ASU credit for completed courses, while staying on track for graduation, and may apply financial aid and scholarships toward program costs. https://mystudyabroad.asu.edu

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

• [email protected]
• 480/965-5778

History PhD

First awarded by the University of Maryland in 1937, the Doctorate in History is conferred for superior achievement in historical research, writing, and interpretation.

Additional Information

• Forms and Resources
• Funding and Awards
• People (Department Directory)

PhD Program Overview

The Doctorate in History (PhD) is an essential component in the training of professional historians. The most significant requirement of the PhD degree program is the dissertation, an original and noteworthy contribution to historical knowledge. In anticipation of dissertation research, students spend several years mastering bibliographical tools, research and writing methods, and general, special, and minor fields of study.

Admission to the PhD program is offered to highly qualified applicants holding at least a Bachelor's (BA) degree, normally in History or a related discipline. Application and admissions procedures are described on the Department of History's  graduate admissions page .

The length of time required to complete the PhD varies by field of study and student. Students admitted with a Bachelor's (BA) degree might expect to complete the program in five to six years of full-time study. Students entering with a Master of Arts (MA) degree might expect to complete the program in four to five years of full-time study. The degree must be completed in no more than nine years.  Students typically take two years of course work, prepare for and take language exams (if required for their field) and comprehensive exams, and then research and write the dissertation.

Program Requirements and Policies

General program requirements.

• Course work in the major and minor fields
• Language examinations if required by field
• Comprehensive examinations
• Dissertation prospectus
• Advancement to candidacy
• The dDssertation

Each of these program requirements must be met before the PhD can be conferred.

Course Requirements

All PhD students entering with a Bachelor's (BA) degree (or equivalent) must take, at a minimum, the following courses (total 30 credits, not including 12 credits of “Dissertation Research”):

• Contemporary Theory (HIST 601; 3 credits)
• Major Field General Seminar (HIST 608; 3 credits)
• Readings courses in the major field (HIST 6XX and 7XX; 9 credits)
• Readings courses in the minor field (HIST 6XX and 7XX; 9 credits)
• Research seminars (HIST 8XX; 6 credits)
• Dissertation Research (HIST 898/899; 12 credits)

Special Notes:

• Courses completed during previous post-baccalaureate degree programs and/or at other institutions may be considered to satisfy course requirements. However, students entering the PhD program with a Master's (MA) degree or equivalent in History or a related discipline must take a minimum of two  600-800 level courses in the major field, one of which should be with the major advisor.
• Requests for course requirement waivers, equivalency, and credit transfers should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies. A request must include the course syllabus and transcripts showing the final grade. The endorsement of the advisor is typically sought.
• Up to nine credit hours of major and minor field readings courses may be taken at the 400 level.  Students seeking to take a 400 level course for graduate credit should consult the instructor of record to discuss course expectations before registering.
• HIST 708/709: “Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations” does not count toward the nine-credit readings seminar requirement.
• Students in the U.S. and Latin America fields are expected to take two major field seminars (HIST 608)–in this case, one of these 608s will be counted toward the “Readings courses in the major field” requirement.
• Students must complete the entire program for the doctoral (PhD) degree, including the dissertation and final examination, during a four-year period after admission to candidacy, but no later than nine years after admission to the doctoral (PhD) program. Students must be advanced to candidacy within five years of admission to the doctoral (PhD) program. 

Fields of Study

Doctoral students should choose one of the following as their “major field” of study:

Global Interaction and Exchange

• Jewish History (Classical Antiquity to the Present)

Latin America

Middle East

• Technology, Science, and Environment

United States

Learn more about fields of study and faculty work produced in each field by visiting the research fields page .

The Minor Field

All doctoral students are required to complete a minor field of study outside the major field of study. This requirement is typically met through nine credit hours of coursework. However, a student may opt to satisfy the requirement by written examination.

A minor field is usually a field of history outside the student's major field of concentration. For example, a student in the U.S. field may select a minor field in Latin American history; a student in the Women & Gender field may select a minor field in European history. The minor field may be a standard national-chronological field (e.g., 19th-century United States; Imperial Russia; Postcolonial India), or it may be a cross-cultural, cross-regional thematic field (e.g., the Atlantic in the era of the slave trade; gender and Islam). Or, it might be taken in a department or program outside of History (e.g., Women's Studies, English, Government & Politics, Classics and Comparative Literature).

For students opting to satisfy the minor field requirement via coursework, all courses must be approved by the student's advisor and must, to the satisfaction of the advisor and the Graduate Committee, form a coherent field of historical inquiry distinct from the general field. Courses taken at the master's level may count towards fulfillment of the minor field requirements, subject to the approval of the advisor and, in the case of courses taken at outside institutions, of the director of graduate studies.

Language Requirements

Language requirements must be fulfilled before a student is admitted to candidacy. While no MA degree requires language examinations, students will often have to learn one or more foreign languages in their field of study to successfully complete their research. They will also need to learn these languages if they wish to continue on towards a PhD. When applying for either program, preference will be given to students with prior experience with languages in their fields of study.

Language requirements differ across the varying fields within history.

No foreign language requirements for the PhD. If a student’s dissertation topic requires research in foreign language materials, the advisor will decide if the student needs to show proficiency by taking an examination in the language in question.

Spanish and Portuguese. For admission, applicants will be evaluated on their language abilities, and preference will be given to applicants with a strong command of Spanish and/or Portuguese. All PhD students must show proficiency by examination in both languages by the time they are admitted to candidacy. Exceptions to one of those languages (typically Portuguese) if the student’s dissertation requires the use of indigenous languages or documents produced by ethnic minorities. In such cases, students must be proficient in those languages.

One language (in addition to English). Depending on the field, the adviser may determine that the student needs to show proficiency in an additional language.

For admission, students must have proficiency at the advanced intermediate level in at least one major Middle Eastern language (Arabic, Persian or Turkish). All PhD students must acquire advanced proficiency in their chosen language either by course work or exam by the time they are admitted to candidacy. In addition, students must demonstrate proficiency in one European language by the time of their comprehensive exams.

Ancient Mediterranean

For admission, students should present knowledge of classical Greek and Latin at the intermediate level and reading knowledge of either French or German. Knowledge of classical Greek, Latin, French and German is required for the PhD. Other language skills, eg. Italian, Spanish, Modern Greek or Hebrew, may prove to be necessary for dissertation research but are not formal program requirements. Students satisfy the requirement in Latin and Greek in one of two ways: either by completing three upper level or graduate courses (400-600 level) in each language and obtaining at least a B in all courses and an A- or better in at least two of the courses; or by passing a departmental sight translation exam. This exam consists of translating (with the help of a dictionary) three passages of three sentences each (roughly one-fourth to one-third OCT page) selected from prose authors of average difficulty. Students show proficiency in French and German through the regular departmental language exams.

Medieval Europe

For admission, proficiency in either Latin, French or German and familiarity with a second of those languages. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in Latin, French and German. They can satisfy the Latin requirement in one of two ways: either by taking three upper level or graduate courses (400-600 level) and obtaining at least a B in all courses and an A- or better in at least two of the courses; or by passing a departmental sight translation exam. This exam consists of translating (with the help of a dictionary) three passages of three sentences each (roughly one-fourth to one-third OCT page) selected from medieval prose authors of average difficulty. Students show proficiency in French and German through the regular departmental language exams. Depending on the field, students may have to know an additional national/regional language like Spanish or Italian.

Early Modern Europe

For admission, proficiency in one foreign language related to the field. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages. Depending on the field, students may also have to know Latin.

Modern Europe

For admission, students must know the language of the country or region in which they are interested. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in the language of the country/region in which they are interested plus another European language.

Russia/Soviet Union

For admission, three years of Russian or the equivalent. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in Russian plus either French or German. Depending on the area of interest, the adviser may require an additional language.

For admission, advanced intermediate-level proficiency in modern Hebrew. All PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in modern Hebrew and one other language necessary for their fields. The advisor may require other languages as necessary.

Chinese History

For admission, students must have had at least two years of university-level Chinese language courses. All PhD students must acquire advanced proficiency in Chinese since they will be using Chinese documents for their dissertations.  Before admission to candidacy students must pass a Chinese language exam in which they will translate about 30 lines of modern, scholarly Chinese into English. As with all departmental language exams, students will be able to use a dictionary, and they will have four hours to complete the translation.

Language Examinations

Except as specified for Latin and ancient Greek, the typical language proficiency examination includes a summary and translation of a passage from a work of modern scholarship in the student’s field. The director of graduate studies appoints a faculty member, typically the student’s advisor, to coordinate the exam and select an excerpt from a published work of historical scholarship in the student’s field. Students write a 200-300 word summary of this five-to-seven page excerpt from the scholarly literature in their fields, and then they do a direct translation of an indicated 30-line passage within that excerpt. The direct translation must be accurate and rendered in idiomatic English. Students have four hours to complete the exam, and they may use a language dictionary that they themselves provide.

Language exams can be taken at any time before candidacy. The exams are read by two members of the faculty: typically, the student’s advisor, who chooses the passage and serves as chair of the exam committee, and one other member of the faculty chosen by the D\director of graduate studies in consultation with the advisor. Faculty from outside the department who have the necessary expertise are eligible to serve as evaluators. The two possible grades are pass and fail. If the two readers do not agree, the director of graduate studies will appoint a third faculty member to read the exam. Students who do not pass on the first attempt may retake the examination without prior approval. After a second failure, the student must petition for reexamination. The chair of the language exam committee will notify the director of graduate studies about the results of the exam within one week after the exam, and the graduate coordinator will notify the student in writing about the results, which will then be inserted into the student’s records. All students should normally pass their language examinations during their third year of the program, though given the complexity of the language requirements in different fields of study, the department recognizes the need to exercise some flexibility in the timing of this requirement.

• Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive examinations (comps) are a standard feature of historical training in the United States. The examinations require the examinee to demonstrate mastery of historical scholarship and historiography in a major field, including specialized mastery of the authors, themes, works and topics most relevant to the intended dissertation topic. All students register for HIST 708/709: “Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations” for two semesters, once in the semester prior to the one in which they are scheduled to take the examinations (normally the fifth semester of the student’s program) and the second in the same semester as their examinations (normally the sixth semester of the student’s program). As noted above, these courses do not count towards the nine-credit readings seminar requirement.

Comprehensive examinations include the following:

• A special field examination in the form of an essay. Students prepare an essay of 4,000 to \5,000 words in length, 16-20 pages, double-spaced in a 12-point font. The special field is a subfield of the major field in which the dissertation is centered.
• A take-home major field examination administered in written format. Students have 48 hours to complete the exam, which should be 5,000 to 6,000 words, 20-24 pages, double-spaced in a 12-point font in length.
• A two-hour oral examination by the examination committee, including coverage of both the take-home major field exam and the essay that comprises the special field exam.

Timeline : The comprehensive examinations are administered during the first half of the student’s sixth semester in the program. The special field essay has to be submitted to the graduate coordinator before the student takes the major field examination. The oral examination follows within two weeks of passing the major field examination and the special field essay. Students entering the program with an MA in history might be expected to complete their comprehensive examinations during their fifth semester in the program. (Also see the “Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Examinations and the Prospectus” at the end of this document.)

Reading Lists : The format, content and length of the reading lists for the comprehensive examinations vary by field but the list should normally be in the range of 200 to 250 books. Of these, about two-thirds should be in the major field and one-third in the special field. In all fields, students develop their reading lists in consultation with their advisors and other members of the examination committee. The reading list must be compiled and approved by the examination committee by the end of their second-year summer (after the student’s fourth semester in the program). For students coming in with an MA in history who would like to take their examinations during their fifth semester in the program, the list must be ready by the end of the student’s third semester. After approval, limited changes may be made solely by mutual agreement of the student and his/her advisor.

The examination committee : The examination committee consists of three or four members of the Graduate Faculty, typically all members of the history faculty. The director of graduate studies designates the committee members and chair, in consultation with the major advisor and the student. The committee chair shall not be the student's advisor. All committee members contribute questions to the written and oral examinations. Most or all of these same committee members are normally also on the student’s dissertation committee but the composition of the examination and prospectus committees do not need to be the same.

Grading : Comprehensive examinations will be graded pass, pass with distinction or fail.

Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Exams and Prospectus

• Both the initial version of the prospectus and the special field essay are due before the major field take-home examination during the first half of the sixth semester of the student's program.
• The major field take-home examination should be completed also during the first half of the sixth semester of the student's program after the initial version of the prospectus and the special field essay are submitted.
• The two-hour oral examination on both the take-home major field exam and the essay that comprises the special field exam follows within two weeks of passing the major field examination and the special field exam. This oral exam can take place during the second half of the sixth semester of the student’s program.
• The one-hour oral examination based on the initial version of the prospectus also takes place during the second half of the sixth semester of the student’s program but only after successful completion of the two-hour oral examination (#3 above).
• The final version of the prospectus as approved by the advisor is due on the first day of the academic semester that immediately follows the comprehensive examinations, which is normally the seventh semester of the student’s program.

Prospectus & Candidacy

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus is a written précis of the proposed dissertation research, its significance, the sources and methods to be used, the relevant bibliography including primary source materials and the plan of completion. It is intended to form the substance of grant proposals students will write in order to apply for both internal and external grants and fellowships. Each field of study has its own expectations for the length of the prospectus, but normally these should be concise documents not to exceed 10-12 pages in length, followed by a bibliography. In all fields, the prospectus is developed by the student in close collaboration with the advisor and other members of the examination committee.

The preparation of the prospectus includes the following stages :

• An initial version of the prospectus.
• A one-hour oral examination based on that initial version.
• A final version incorporating any revisions suggested by members of the dissertation committee and approved by the advisor submitted to the graduate coordinator.

Timeline : The initial draft version of the prospectus should be submitted to the graduate coordinator during the first half of the student’s sixth semester before the student takes the major field examination, normally at the same time as the special field essay. The one-hour oral examination of the prospectus based on the initial version is scheduled during the second half of the student’s sixth semester in the program following satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examinations. The final version of the prospectus as approved by the advisor is due on the first day of the academic semester that immediately follows the comprehensive examination. (Also see the “Combined Timeline for Comprehensive Examinations and the Prospectus” at the end of this document.)

The relationship between the prospectus and the special field Essay: The special field essay normally covers the historiography of the entire subfield within the major field in which the dissertation is anchored, while the prospectus is more narrowly concerned with the specific research topic of the dissertation.

The examination committee: The prospectus oral examination committee consists of the advisor and at least two other members of the Graduate Faculty, who are normally also members of the student’s dissertation committee. The advisor chairs the examination. All committee members contribute questions to the oral examination and make suggestions for revisions. Upon passing the oral examination, the student will complete any revisions requested (as determined by the advisor and the committee) and submit the final prospectus approved by the advisor to the graduate program coordinator.

MA “Along the Way”

When a student receives a pass or pass with distinction and the endorsement to continue on in the PhD program, the student has the option to request that the Master of Arts degree be conferred "along the way," subject to fulfillment of the standard requirements of the MA degree.

In some instances, the examination committee may recommend that a PhD student taking comprehensive examinations be given a pass at the MA level, sufficient for the conferral of a terminal master's degree. Such a recommendation will be made with the expectation that the student not continue on towards doctoral candidacy.

Petition for Reexamination

In the case of failure of a language examination taken for the second time or one or more components of the comprehensive examinations and the prospectus preparation process (special field essay, take-home major field examination, two-hour oral examination and prospectus oral examination), the student may petition the director of graduate studies to take the whole examination or the relevant component(s) a second time. If the petition is approved, the student may retake the examination as soon as possible. A student may petition only once to retake all or part of the comprehensive examinations and the prospectus preparation process.

Successful completion of the prospectus is typically the last step before application for advancement to candidacy.

• Advancement to Candidacy

A doctoral student advances to candidacy when all degree requirements (i.e., course work, demonstrated competence in languages or special skills, comprehensive examinations and the dissertation prospectus) have been satisfied, with the exception of the dissertation.

Formal admission to candidacy (sometimes known as "All but Dissertation" or "ABD" status) is granted by the dean of the Graduate School. The application is routed through the director of graduate studies.

Advising & Committees

Each student admitted to the PhD program will choose an advisor who is a member of the Graduate Faculty and whose intellectual interests are compatible with the student's plan of study. All graduate students are required to choose an advisor by November 1 of their first semester. If they do not choose an advisor by that date, the director of graduate studies will appoint one for them. The faculty advisor will be responsible for advising the student on all aspects of their academic program, for approving the student's course of study each semester, for monitoring their progress through the program,and for notifying the student of the nature and timing of examinations and other evaluative procedures. The advisor, in consultation with the student and the director of graduate studies, will be responsible for constituting the Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Examination committees. The advisor will also represent the student to the Graduate Committee, as appropriate.

At the conclusion of the first year of study, all students will make available to their advisor a transcript of coursework and major written work completed during the first year. Upon review of the appropriate materials, the advisor will then recommend to the director of graduate studies continuation, modification or, as appropriate, termination of the student's program. All recommendations for termination require discussion and approval of the Graduate Committee.

Students may change advisors. The director of graduate studies and the new faculty advisor shall approve changes in advisors before a student advances to candidacy. After advancement to candidacy, changes shall be approved only by petition to the Graduate Committee. A change of advisor must be recorded in the student's electronic file.

Registration and Degree Progress

Continuous Registration

All graduate students must register for courses and pay associated tuition and fees each semester, not including summer and winter sessions, until the degree is awarded.

Pre-candidacy doctoral students who will be away from the university for up to one year may request a waiver of continuous registration and its associated tuition and fees. Waivers shall be granted only if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree and can complete all the degree requirements within the required time limits. Interruptions in continuous registration cannot be used to justify an extension to time-to-degree requirements.

Once advanced to candidacy, a student is no longer eligible for Waivers of Continuous Registration. Doctoral candidates must maintain continuous registration in HIST 899: “Doctoral Dissertation Research” until the degree is awarded.

The Graduate School makes available an official leave absence for childbearing, adoption, illness and dependent care. The dean of the Graduate School must approve the leave. The time-to-degree clock is suspended during an approved leave of absence.

Additional information on continuous registration and leave absence policies is published online in the Graduate Catalog.

Time-to-Degree

All students admitted to the doctoral program are expected to

• advance to candidacy within three years from initial enrollment in the Ph.D. program, and
• complete all degree requirements within six years of entering the program.

Progress-to-Degree

All students in the doctoral program will be expected to demonstrate steady progress toward the completion of degree requirements. At a minimum, the Graduate School requires students to maintain a B average in all graduate courses. However, the Department of History expects a higher level of performance, with the great majority of a student’s grades at the level of an A- or above.

Students in major fields that require lengthy language or special skill acquisition might be granted a one-year extension to progress-to-degree expectations. Additional extensions will require the approval of the Graduate Committee.

In order to meet progress-to-degree expectations :

• 800-level research seminar work should normally be completed by the end of the fourth semester in the program.
• The major field reading list must be compiled and approved by the examination committee by the end of the summer after the student’s fourth semester in the program.
• Students should complete their comprehensive examinations by the end of their sixth semester in the program. Students coming in with an M.A. in history should normally complete their comprehensive examinations by the end of their fifth semester in the program.
• Each student will be expected to submit a copy of the final dissertation prospectus approved by the advisor to the graduate program coordinator at the beginning of their seventh academic semester in the program.
• All students should normally pass their language examinations during the third year of their program.
• The director of graduate studies will review fully each student's progress-to-degree as well as the overall progress-to-degree by degree cohort at least once a year.

Failure to make satisfactory progress-to-degree or to maintain the expected grade point average may result in the suspension or loss of departmental funding, the denial of a petition for extensions, and in extreme cases, a recommendation for dismissal.

NOTE : The above guidelines on continuous registration, time-to-degree and progress-to-degree guidelines are for students matriculating in fall 2018 or thereafter. Students entering the graduate program in prior semesters are subject to guidelines at time of matriculation.

Extensions and Waivers

The Graduate Committee will consider petitions for waivers to departmental guidelines. Petitions for waivers to Graduate School requirements must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School, using the appropriate form. In most instances, the petitioning student will be required to provide a rationale for the waiver request, and, as appropriate, a convincing plan of study. The advice of the student's advisor may be sought. The advisor will be required to endorse any waiver request that involves extensions to overall time-to-degree as well as the major benchmarks of progress-to-degree.

All petitions should be directed to the director of graduate studies. The director of graduate studies, and in some cases the dean of the Graduate School, will notify the student of their disposition of petitions for extensions.

Sample Program of Study

Introduction.

The program of study often varies by field and many factors may extend or reorder the sequence and length of the program of study.

The following program of study assumes that the doctoral student will be assigned a teaching assistantship in the second, third and fourth years of study. Students coming in with an MA in history will be expected to complete the program in five or five and a half years.

Foreign language study is not incorporated into this program.

 First Year (Departmental Fellowship)

• Major Field General Seminar (608) or Contemporary Theory (HIST 601)
• Major Field Readings Seminar
• Minor Field Course
• Research Seminar OR Minor Field Course
• Exploratory Research

Second Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• 2 courses out of the following three categories:
• Research Seminar 
• Research Seminar
• Reading for Comprehensive Examinations
• Initial Prospectus Preparation

Third Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• HIST 708: Readings for Comprehensives”
• Prospectus Preparation 
• Grant Applications
• HIST 709: “Readings for Comprehensive Examinations”
• Prospectus Oral Examination 
• Final Version of Prospectus
• Dissertation Research

Fourth Year (Teaching Assistantship)

• Dissertation Research (HIST 899)

Fifth Year (Departmental or External Fellowship)

• Grant Applications  

Spring & Summer

• Dissertation Writing

Sixth Year  (Departmental or External Fellowship)

• Job applications  
• Job applications

Graduate Placement

Learn more about the career and life paths of our PhD alumni.

Graduate Coordinator, History

2131 Francis Scott Key Hall College Park MD, 20742

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The Graduate Program

 fields of study.

Like all major history departments in this country, we divide our graduate program into fields, most of which reflect the geographic and chronological boundaries that have traditionally organized historical research in the West, but others of which cross those boundaries (such as sociomedical sciences, Jewish history, and International & Global History).Those boundaries continue to define most faculty positions in American history departments. Every prospective Columbia student thus applies to work in a specific field. There are 13 of them, each of which has slightly different requirements:

• Early Modern Europe (1350-1750)
• International and Global History
• Jewish History
• Latin America
• Medieval Europe
• Middle East
• Modern Europe
• Socio-Medical Sciences
• United States

Prospective students should realize, however, that our history department, like many others, also provides opportunities for students to embrace broader lines of inquiry- both within and across traditional divisions by field. We urge our students, first, to explore the convergence of different methodological and theoretical approaches to history- to explore, for example, the intersections between political and social history, or the connections between diplomatic, cultural, and intellectual history. And we encourage our students, second, to consider research that moves beyond the period and place associated with their field. We continue to emphasize deep training in source analysis and empirical research,which are the foundations of professional history-writing. But we also urge students to take on research projects that situate their particular time or place in historical processes that decisively cross traditional boundaries.

We welcome applications, therefore,from students with strong interests in particular fields, who are eager to immerse themselves in the records of particular cultures and are prepared to acquire the techniques necessary for such work (languages and, for certain subjects, such specialized skills as paleography, statistics, or even musical training). But we also encourage applications from students who want as well to think about their work in terms of longer histories and broader theoretical questions.

Faculty members at Columbia conduct research and train students in several such broad, transnational areas, including:

• International history, emphasizing imperial and post-imperial histories from the 1500s forward
• Western intellectual history, medieval to modem
• Diasporic Jewish history
• Ethics and public health
• Women’s history and the history of gender
• Social and political history of the West, including history of markets, commercial culture, labor, and associated legal institutions
• The international history of race, slavery, and emancipation
• The international history of the Cold War and other systems of geopolitics
• The history of science and technology
• The global history of medicine, disease, and public health

However they define their fields, history students are not confined to the resources of our department. They are, rather, encouraged to look beyond our walls to other areas of the university or to other institutions in the New York metropolitan area.

In addition to Columbia’s fine departments in associated disciplines, such as languages and literature, art history, music, philosophy, sociology, political science, or anthropology, Columbia has a wide range of energetic interdisciplinary institutes that provide formal and informal training to graduate students throughout the university, among them the Harriman Institute for Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies , the Middle Eastern Institute , the Institute for Research on Women and Gender , and the East Asian Institute  (along with the Department of East Asian Languages and Culture ). Columbia’s School of Public Health, which offers a Ph.D. in the history of medicine and public health in association with our department; the Law School, with which we offer a joint Ph.D./J.D. program; Teachers College; and the School of International and Public Affairs are four of Columbia’s many professional schools that offer courses and other intellectual opportunities to enhance a student’s training in the history department.

Columbia history students are also entitled to take courses at no additional cost at other area universities through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium , such as NYU, the New School, CUNY Graduate Center, Stonybrook, Fordham, Princeton, and Rutgers .

Whatever larger interests a student may have or may develop, each enters the history program through a particular field. The Graduate Student Handbook lists the thirteen fields and details the specific requirements for each (the principal differences concern language requirements, orals preparation,and seminars). Students and their advisors may, however, agree on adjustments to those requirements in response to a student’s particular interests. Students should also keep in mind that they can formally change fields, with faculty permission, and consequently adjust their programs to reflect their particular needs.

The PhD program in History is one of the leading programs in the country that specifically emphasizes World History as a primary field. The department’s 19 full-time faculty members offer courses spanning the globe: from Asia to Africa to Latin America to Europe to the United States. Interdisciplinary and multidimensional, the program has particular strengths in legal, economic, gender, social, and education history.

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Its innovative curriculum and the faculty’s state-of-the-art research in Digital Humanities further distinguish Northeastern nationally. With rigorous training in historiography and methodology, Northeastern PhDs have consistently won prestigious awards and hold tenure-track positions at research institutions and liberal arts colleges nationally.

Emphasizing global approaches to historical study, the PhD program encourages students to think beyond national boundaries, comparatively, and in terms of themes that span geographically dispersed areas of the world-trade, migration, disease, religion, state formation, colonialism, and post-colonialism. Studies also include long-term historical processes, major global transformations, and interactions between states and colonial societies.

Candidates for the PhD in history may examine African, Asian, European, Latin American, or U.S. history in a world historical context. The program emphasizes mentoring of students in their courses, supervised teaching, and in the doctoral dissertation. Systematic training in theory and methodology and preparation for college teaching are distinctive features of the Northeastern program. All doctoral students undertake intensive reading in the theoretical literature that informs historical analysis, as well as in global historiography. Each student develops a deliberate methodological focus in an area such as cultural history, social history, environmental and biological history, or public history. Students are mentored in the practice of teaching and are encouraged to lecture and lead discussion sections under the supervision of faculty.

The Department of History maintains close ties with interdisciplinary programs such as Asian Studies; Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies; Law and Public Policy; Women Gender and Sexuality Studies; and with the Departments of African American Studies; Art and Architecture; English; Sociology and Anthropology; and Political Science. Graduate students may obtain a certificate in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. All doctoral candidates must develop and demonstrate a strong reading knowledge of the languages in which they will undertake research. In cases where students require training in languages not offered at Northeastern, the department helps them arrange to take courses at nearby institutions. The doctoral dissertation presents an original interpretation of a topic of historical significance based on detailed research into primary sources, a survey of the relevant literature, and skilled application of the theoretical and methodological apparatus germane to the topic.

Learn more about the PhD program in History program from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities .

• One of few PhD programs in the country that specifically emphasizes world history as a primary field of study
• Geographical specialization and foreign language study are required
• All PhD candidates participate in formal college teaching preparation
• Students may enter the program from a Bachelor’s or Master’s level
• Students in the Ph.D program generally receive funding for five years

Graduates of Northeastern’s PhD program have gone on to work in a range of academic programs and fields around the country and the world. Graduates who have earned a PhD are currently teaching and conducting research at various institutions, including Oberlin College, Butler University, Delaware State University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and the American University in Cairo, to name a few.  The diversity of these positions, as well as their prestige, speaks to the quality of graduate education at Northeastern University.

Our graduates pursue careers within academia and beyond, including:

• University of California, Berkeley; Center for Middle Eastern Studies
• Boston College
• Macalester College
• University of Pittsburgh
• Bates College
• George Mason University
• Merrimack College
• The American University in Cairo

Application Materials

Application.

• Application fee – US $100
• Personal statement
• Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
• English proficiency for international applicants
• Three letters of recommendation
• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – Optional
• Writing sample

Admissions deadline: December 1

• Program Website

Request Information for PhD in History

What are you looking for?

Suggested search, graduate studies, welcome to the graduate program in history.

The graduate program in History at USC offers a rigorous course of study that balances depth in particular fields with a broad, transnational, and interdisciplinary perspective. We train our students in historical methods, research, critical analysis of written and visual sources, historical writing, and historical pedagogy through intensive reading courses, seminars, and tutorials. This training culminates in the PhD dissertation, a significant scholarly and historiographical contribution to the study of a field.

The program’s relatively small size facilitates close working relationships between students and faculty and encourages collaboration between students working in diverse areas. It also allows for flexibility, permitting students to form their own specializations across or between traditional field boundaries. Our students also take advantage of the unique opportunities around Los Angeles provided by such leading cultural institutions as the  Huntington Library , the  Getty Center , the  Los Angeles County Museum of Art , the  Wende Museum , and the  Pacific Asia Museum .

Students benefit from the extraordinary resources around USC, including, for example, the  Cinema Arts Library , the  Warner Bros. Archives , the  USC Libraries Special Collections , the  ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives  and the  Feuchtwanger Memorial Library  at the USC Libraries, and the  Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive , which houses the video testimonies of 52,000 Holocaust survivors. The Department of History’s intellectual life is further enriched by its close relationship with many vibrant research institutes and centers on campus (listed below), which provide additional opportunities for research, funding and professionalization.

Contact Details

Director of undergraduate studies (dgs).

Brett Sheehan

Graduate Student Services Advisor

Jennifer Hernandez

USC Graduate School

Graduate School Homepage

Graduate Admissions Website

PhD in History

Modern south asia.

The Tufts History Department has a distinguished tradition of offering doctoral training in Modern South Asian history from the mid-eighteenth to the twentieth century. Successful PhD candidates have gone on to obtain positions in some of the most prestigious institutions of American academe. The program provides doctoral students with an ambience geared to intense and focused research into the most pressing questions of South Asian scholarship today, while also connecting students to the larger international expertise of the Tufts History faculty, faculty in related disciplines such as religion and anthropology, as well as the resources of the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Students in this major field also partake of the active intellectual life surrounding South Asian studies in the Boston area, including the Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies .

The Modern South Asia PhD immerses students in both the breadth and the detail of a complex arena of historical inquiry. Students study local and regional specificities, and also the large-scale political, economic, social, cultural and intellectual interactions that have made South Asia a nexus for globalizing forces in the modern period.

Focus is placed on building expert skills in historical reasoning and analysis, in good writing and exposition, and in historiographic theory and debates.

Students who enter the PhD program in Modern South Asian history at Tufts secure themselves a place in a scholarly tradition that has significantly influenced academic discussions in the United States and abroad by the formulation of new themes and heuristic categories, and by the impressive caliber of its work.

Additional requirements for the PhD in Modern South Asian History:

• Language requirements: English, at least one major South Asian language, and one other appropriate language
• Primary field of concentration: Nineteenth-and twentieth-century South Asia
• Secondary geographic field: An appropriate field in the history of the Middle East, East Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, or East Asia
• Thematic field: An appropriate interdisciplinary and comparative field in topics such as nationalism, agrarian or labor history, world history

Global History

Global History begins with the premise that the world is an ever changing, interconnected system. This program pursues a comparative and connected approach to the study of history. It also explores formations and processes such as colonialism, empire, globalization, and diaspora, that situate places, social groups, and events beyond the limiting conceptual framework of the nation-state, or the world region. At the same time, a global perspective also enhances understanding of a particular region's history, and can illuminate the significance of a well-defined historical place and time by situating it within a larger comparative horizon. Our commitment to cross-cultural studies, perspectives from the Global South, and comparative history provides a context within which students can conduct research across and beyond national or imperial histories.

Students will be able to work in comparative and connected frameworks with scholars who specialize in Atlantic, Indian Ocean, transnational, postcolonial, and global approaches, and whose areas of study include Europe, Africa, Latin America, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States.   Additional requirements for the PhD in Global History

• a major field in a specific regional/national area directly related to the thesis topic.
• a second regional/national field that complements the major field.
• a thematic field that emphasizes global history approaches.
• At least one of the fields should be in non-European/U.S. history.
• Demonstrated competence in two languages besides English.
• At least one graduate course in another discipline.

The Global History PhD program is highly selective and admits only candidates with strong interest in transnational, global and world history research, and demonstrated ability to connect different fields, approaches and historiographies.

To determine whether the Global History program is a good fit for their interests and academic background, applicants should contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Elizabeth Foster . Potential applicants should also write directly to the main faculty members in the department that they hope to work with.

The History department is not currently accepting applications for the Global History PhD program. The program in Modern South Asian History will continue to accept applications. Please contact Professor Foster with additional questions.

Please note: the Department will not be accepting new PhD students in South Asian History or Global History for the Fall of 2024. Please check back for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle.

Requirements for admission:

• Exceptional academic track record .
• Proficiency on entrance in at least one foreign language (proficiency in two foreign languages is required before completion of the degree).
• If appropriate, TOEFL scores.
• Detailed statement of intent, including discussion of planned dissertation field.
• In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the availability of standardized testing, GRE scores are currently waived for students applying to this program.

The prospective applicant should be in contact with Professor  Ayesha Jalal  for the Modern South Asia program, with Professor Elizabeth Foster for Global History.

Requirements for completion:

• Proficiency in two foreign languages.
• Completion of sixteen courses at the graduate level, including the Historiographical Proseminar. Students admitted with a Master’s Degree from another university may transfer up to two courses for Tufts credit, subject to their adviser’s approval.
• At least three semesters of independent readings or research.
• Oral or written examinations in three fields, based on course work and readings, administered by the appropriate members of the department.
• Dissertation directed by the supervising faculty, to be read and defended before a committee including the adviser, at least two other faculty of the History Department, and an expert in the field from another institution. This defense will also include presenting a chapter to the Graduate-Faculty Roundtable.

PhD in Historical Studies

University of naples federico ii, department of humanities.

Historical Studies

The PhD in Historical Studies is a three-year program, that provides students with good abilities to think history – Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary – from an interdisciplinary perspective and beyond conventional boundaries, with a focus on interactions, connections, and comparisons both within and outside such major geo-historical spaces as the Mediterranean, the European, and other cultural regions of Eurasia and the “New World”.…

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Italian-Chinese Dialogues: A Series of Doctoral Seminars in the Humanities

The Italian-Chinese Dialogues emerge within the framework of the agreement between the University of Naples Federico II and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. They aim to foster dialogue, intellectual exchanges, and research collaborations between Italian and Chinese doctoral students in the field of humanities. These dialogues occur every month and seek to bring together diverse cultural and academic traditions, enhancing a more accurate understanding…

Doctoral Program: Public Presentations

Every year, the doctoral program in Historical Studies is presented to students in master’s degree programs:

Memorie, identità e uso pubblico della storia nel contesto europeo

Seminario di studio: Memorie, identità e uso pubblico della storia nel contesto europeo. 12 aprile 2024, ore 10:00-13:30, Aula ex-Cataloghi lignei di via Porta di Massa 1, 80133 Napoli.  Nel pomeriggio, alle 15, seguirà nella stessa sede la presentazione del libro di Vittorio Beonio Brocchieri, Immagini del tempo e della storia nella modernità. Uno sguardo critico, Carocci 2022.

Umberto Roberto was appointed Director of the Italian Institute for Ancient History

Umberto Roberto, a distinguished scholar and full professor of Roman History at the University of Naples Federico II, has been officially appointed Director of the Italian Institute for Ancient History, one of the most prestigious institutions in the field of historical research. This appointment, which will last six years (2024-2030), not only confirms Prof. Roberto’s outstanding contribution to the understanding of ancient history but…

Program of the conference of Ph.D. and Ph.D. students “Traces of Identity”: Feb. 26-27, 2024

Program Conference abstracts and panels

Call for pre-selection: China Scholarship Council (CSC) grant

Call for pre-selection for a.y. 2024-2025 to join the Department of Human Sciences of the University of Naples PhD program with a China Scholarship Council (CSC) grant. We are conducting interviews to select 4 Ph.D. student candidates to apply for a CSC full Ph.D. grant to enroll in the Ph.D. program of the Department of Human Sciences of the University of Naples for the…

Call for Papers: I International PhD Students and Researchers Conference “Traces of Identity”

Call for Papers I INTERNATIONAL PhD STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS CONFERENCE Traces of Identity: Expressions, Manipulations, and Persistences from Antiquity to the Contemporary Age (26-27 FEBBRAIO 2024, Sala Lignea, ExCataloghi, di via Porta di Massa, 1, Napoli) People possess multiple identities because they occupy multiple roles, are members of multiple groups and social categories, and claim multiple personal characteristics, yet the meanings of these identities…

Call for application: Making War and Negotiating Peace

DOCTORAL MASTERCLASS, Mediterranean Worlds and Southern Italy in the Middle Ages “Jean-Marie Martin”, 11th International Seminar, Making War and Negotiating Peace in Southern Italy and in the Mediterranean Space, Salerno, Campus of Fisciano June 19-22, 2023, Deadline: May 14, 2023

Empires in History and Historiography

(Codice Teams: m9skjns)  PRIN 2020ETFH3Y_001Myths of Legitimation and Government of Difference in the European Imperial Regimes during the Modern and Contemporary Age I. Theoretical framework 1. Thursday 7 April 2022, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Aula Biblioteca Salvatore Battaglia, Porta di Massa 1, Sezione di Filologia modernaTeodoro Tagliaferri (Università di Napoli Federico II), Gli imperi nella storia mondiale: una messa a fuoco storiografica  II. Antiquity   2.…

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General Admission Contact The New School for Social Research Office of Admission 72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor New York, NY 10011 212.229.5600 or 800.523.5411 [email protected]

Admission Liaison [email protected]

Committee on Historical Studies 80 Fifth Avenue, 5th floor New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212.229.5100 x3385 Fax: 212.229.5929

Chairs Federico Finchelstein (fall 2023) Jeremy Varon (spring 2024) Department Secretary Tahera Tajbhai Student Advisor Julián Gómez-Delgado Historical Studies Student Handbook

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The 30-credit MA in Historical Studies combines training in history with coursework in the range of disciplines housed at The New School for Social Research. Our practice of interdisciplinarity rigorously engages distinctive ways of understanding the world.

Equipped with a robust critical apparatus for thinking about the modern world, our graduates pursue a wide variety of professional and academic careers.

• Degree Master of Arts (MA)
• Credits 30 credits
• Format Full-time or part-time, on-campus
• Duration 2 years (full-time)
• Start Term Fall or Spring

View current tuition and fees View fellowship and funding opportunities

Students enrolled in our terminal MA in Historical Studies receive intensive mentoring and collaborate with our faculty on a sustained basis. We prepare our students in the critical assessment of scholarship, the diverse methodologies of historical research, and the imaginative act of relating history to the contemporary world. The program has been particularly attractive to students who wish to become more broadly educated historians or more historically informed social scientists. Many graduates of the MA program enter PhD programs at The New School for Social Research or in history departments at other top universities. Others pursue teaching, journalism, activism, government service, and other fields.

A full account of degree requirements and procedures is contained in the  Historical Studies student handbook .

To earn the MA in Historical Studies, a student must complete a total of 30 credits with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

A maximum of three credits taken at another university may be granted toward the credit requirement for the master's degree. Twenty-seven credits must be completed at The New School for Social Research.

Graduate Minors Students can use elective courses toward completing one of the university’s  graduate minors . These structured pathways of study immerse master's and doctoral students in disciplines outside their primary field and expose them to alternative modes of research and practice. Completed graduate minors are officially recorded on students' transcript.

Master's Thesis At the end of their first year of coursework, after completing both required courses, students submit a proposal for an MA Thesis project to their primary faculty advisor. If the proposal is approved, students work on their Thesis Projects in their second year. Students will write their thesis as an independent study under the supervision of their thesis advisor.

Students in their second year of the MA in Historical Studies (or thereafter while still in residence) may apply for admission to the PhD in Politics or PhD in Sociology with a specialized minor in Historical Studies at The New School for Social Research.

The aim of the specialized minor in Historical Studies within the PhD in Politics or Sociology is to provide integrated training in history and social science for scholars with a strong interest in both fields. Students accepted for doctoral studies by both the Committee on Historical Studies and the other department must work closely with both faculty advisors to design a coherent program of study and prepare qualifying examinations that will cover their work in both fields.

Acceptance is not automatic but is at the discretion of either the Politics or Sociology department as well as Historical Studies. Applicants must apply to the PhD program in either department, inform their Historical Studies faculty advisor and the chair of the department of their plans, and provide a letter of intent, explaining their scholarly interests and rationale for pursuing a PhD in either program with a specialized Historical Studies minor. Students whose applications for the PhD program have been accepted by both faculties must file a change-of-status petition with the NSSR Office of Academic Affairs .

The sequential Bachelor's-Master's (BAMA) program allows qualified New School undergraduate students to complete two degrees in as little as five years while saving up to 75 percent on tuition costs. Through the program, students delve deep into subjects they care about, gain expertise early on in their education, and improve their job prospects with a graduate degree.

Every Master of Arts program at NSSR is paired with related New School bachelor’s programs, with established pathways and timelines for students to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The following undergraduate programs are paired with the NSSR Historical Studies MA program:

• Global Studies (BA) through Lang or BPATS
• History (BA)
• Liberal Arts (BA or BS) through Lang or BPATS

To learn more, visit the Bachelor’s-Master’s program page . Interested undergraduates should talk with their undergraduate advisors about specific BAMA requirements for their programs and application information and deadlines.

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What Can You Do with a PhD in History?

You’re a history buff — the person everyone wants on their trivia team. You can rattle off the dates, facts, and names of the world’s most significant events and periods. If you’re considering using your powers for good, getting a PhD in history is a great option. 

People with a passion for being stuck in the past have options once they’ve completed their history doctoral program. Beyond history jobs in academia, there’s a spot for a historian around the table in nearly every industry. The skill set required to complete a PhD opens up a variety of doors in whichever direction you choose to pursue. Here’s an idea of some things you can do with a PhD in History . 

If you see yourself leading the nation’s young people through their own historical journeys, a PhD prepares you to teach at almost any level, though going the professor route could be more lucrative than teaching high school. On average history professors make between $80,000-$164,000 per year. 

You’ll select your focus and spend your days sharing your passion with undergraduate and master’s level students. Along with teaching, if you pursue a history career in academia, you’ll likely spend some time researching topics within your wheelhouse. Re: your passion! 

If spending your days in front of the class, hosting debates, and leading young minds excites you, there might be even more time on a college campus in your future. However, tenured history professor roles may take some time to find and the salaries can range based on the type of university and location.  

Future Planning

Those studying the past usually have some insights into the future. If you’re looking to explore the world outside of strictly history, you might use your skills to find a career in future planning. No, not retirement planning (though that’s an option too).

Historians have a knack for identifying themes and patterns in culture, politics, and the world. A history PhD program allows you to use your historical knowledge to contribute to the modern world by making an impact on the community around you. Many politicians, inclusion officers, grant writers, and even human resource managers use their history PhDs to influence their worlds. 

Your ability to think critically about the past and lend your knowledge to the future makes you an asset to any organization looking to excel into the modern world. Be prepared to market yourself as someone who can best set the organization up for success in an ever-changing world. 

Business/Technology

In the business and technology world, it’s all about understanding the customer. Who are you selling to? What is their day-to-day life like? How do you best understand their needs and wants? 

As a historian, your ability to communicate with a diverse population and understand the context of their lives makes you especially valuable on a sales, marketing, development, or innovation team. As a PhD, employers know you are well-read, have strong research skills and have spent many, many, many hours writing. It’s no surprise that Historians make excellent copywriters, marketers, and editors. 

We won’t lie to you, there aren’t many Fortune 500 CEOs that can claim a doctorate in history. Most CEOs have MBAs or degrees in engineering. But there should be more historians up at the top — maybe you have what it takes. 

Intelligence Analysis

You may not be the next Indiana Jones, but you might cut it as a secret agent. The ability to analyze and synthesize information from various sources is crucial for intelligence analysts — and history PhDs have that in spades. 

Skilled at recognizing biases, evaluating the reliability of sources, and making informed judgments based on incomplete or uncertain information, historians have a strong ability to think critically and evaluate evidence. 

Additionally, historians have a deep understanding of the historical, cultural and social context in which events occur. This understanding can help you identify underlying factors and motivations that may not be immediately apparent to others. 

Archivist/Historian

If you’ve always dreamed about a career in history, this is likely what you’ve pictured. Spending days dusting off old newspapers and curating the perfect collection of artifacts — historians and archivists are often hired by governments or organizations to collect, analyze, organize, and preserve important documents and artifacts. 

Companies may hire a historian to reflect on the organization’s past in order to better inform their future choices or to maintain an existing collection of artifacts. We get it. We saw National Treasure, too. This would be a pretty amazing career.

The salary for historian jobs   can vary based on size of the organization and unfortunately, the importance they place on preserving their history. For reference, the average PhD in history salary is $75,000 in the U.S.

Become a Historian at SMU

So, what can you do with a PhD in history? You can make sense of the past to inform the future, you can write exceptionally well, and you can excel in nearly any industry. Simply holding your doctoral degree in history shows employers the determination you have. There should be a seat saved for you at every company, college, and organization looking to succeed.

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Explore what you can do with a PhD in History, read the guide Reanalyzing Our World, PhDs in The Humanities at SMU !

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Doctor of Philosophy in Church History and Historical Theology

Program snapshot, train to serve the church or the academy through intensive studies in christian history..

The Ph.D. in Church History and Historical Theology trains students to assess significant people, important events, and theological trends in Christian history. Students to specialize in specific historical areas such as the Patristics, the Reformation, American Christianity or Baptist History.

Advance your education. Grow in your love for God.

Total Doctor of Philosophy in Church History and Historical Theology: 70

Students take 5 courses in their area of study and 3 “flex” seminars in whichever area they are interested.  The following are just a few of the courses available to church history students.

Students can be supervised by the following faculty:

Michael A. G. Haykin

Stephen O. Presley

Gregory A. Wills

Research Interests

John D. Wilsey

Shawn D. Wright

Frequently asked questions.

If you do not have an M.Div. but you do have a M.A. or other masters-level divinity credit, you may submit a  doctoral equivalency evaluation  to the admissions office to find out if you qualify for SBTS PhD programs.*

• A minimum master’s level cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale is expected.

For a complete listing of doctoral admissions requirements, see the “Admissions & Cost” tab.

*International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES approved organization for both admissions consdiration and for equivalency requests.

During the application process you will indicate your preferred supervisor and be asked to describe your research interest but both can be subject to change until you are accepted and enrolled in the program.

During your faculty interview and during on-boarding to the program (if accepted) you will have the opportunity to discuss and receive advising on both your supervisor and your research topic.

Your final research area(s) will be determined in close consultation with and approval by your supervisor, this generally occurs during the coursework stage of your program.

Admissions for the Ph.D. program consists of:

Initial Application Submission

• All required materials must be submitted to the Office of Admissions by the appropriate deadline (see “Admissions” tab for more information).

Entrance Exam and Interview

• Students who are believed to have a reasonable possibility of acceptance are invited to participate in entrance exams and faculty interviews.
• Exams and interviews are held remotely via Zoom (travel to campus not required) once each month.
• For more information on Entrance Exams, click here .

The Ph.D. program is structured for 48 months (4 years). Students who take longer than four years will be assessed an additional $2,000 fee for each semester of extension beyond the four-year limit.

During the PhD student stage (coursework stage), students will complete eight seminars, usually five seminars in their major and three seminars that may be completed in any area.

Some concentrations, such as biblical studies, historical and theological studies, and philosophy and theological studies , will require four seminars in each of two separate areas. All students will take the four RDS general education courses, four colloquia, and four installments of Prospectus Development.

In addition, students must demonstrate proficiency in two research languages (for School of Theology concentrations) or research methodology courses (for Billy Graham School concentrations).

Admissions Prerequisites

To be considered for admission in our Ph.D. program we require the following for applications:

• For the PhD concentrations in Christian Apologetics, Christian Philosophy, Christian Ethics, Ethics and Public Theology, and Philosophy and Theological Studies, the 72 hours may consist of an M.A. or equivalent in the field (60 hours minimum in specific disciplines), with the addition of 12 credit hours in biblical languages
• For the PhD concentrations in Christian Worship, Biblical Counseling and Practical Theology, Leadership, Missions, Evangelism, and World Religions, an M.A. or equivalent in the field (60 hours minimum in specific disciplines) may be acceptable.
• Students requiring additional coursework may attend Southern Seminary as a “Doctoral Leveling Student” online or on-campus.
• International transcripts will require an official evaluation from a NACES approved organization (World Evaluation Services is preferred).

*For more information about our equivalency standards, leveling options, or to request an equivalency review based on your master’s level work, please email  [email protected] .

Application Requirements

• All applicants must receive a reference from the local church where they are a member. Family members may not complete this reference. If you are the pastor of your church, please select another church leader (associate pastor, elder, deacon, etc.) to complete the church recommendation.  Recommendation forms are automatically emailed to references via our online application.
• Two additional academic recommendations. We suggest that a professor or a business acquaintance who can speak to academic performance complete the 2 additional recommendations required for doctoral students.
• Transcription from the educational institution or institutions that conferred  any required degrees  should be submitted to the Admissions Office. Contact the registrar or academic records office of your previous institution(s). They may e-mail the transcripts (directly or via 3rd party such as Parchment) to [email protected] or mail copies to our physical address.  Transcripts must come directly from schools either electronically or in sealed/unopened envelopes.
• A graduate level research paper  in the same field to which the applicant is applying  must be submitted along with the application.  You may upload this research paper directly onto the application.
• $40 application fee –  paid after application submission.

Application Deadlines

All application materials must be received by:

September 1 – Spring matriculation

March 1 – Fall matriculation

Entrance Exams and Interviews

Entrance Exams are exams designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their comprehension of the subject area in which they are applying and sometimes in related fields. Students will be notified soon after submitting all application components as to whether they are invited to participate in the entrance exam and interview.

Exams and interviews are held on one Friday each month  and are administered remotely (travel to campus not required). Click here to learn more.

Ready to learn more?

Prospective doctoral students are invited to visit Southern Seminary.

Program Cost

$1,000 down payment, and remaining balance due equally over 48 months.*

*Program tuition shown is for the 2023-2024 academic year. Additional fees are subject to the current fee schedule.

Financial Aid

Southern Seminary does not offer fully-funded scholarships or grants for the PhD program. Limited financial aid may be available for students that meet certain criteria. Click here to view our financial aid page to learn more.

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Preparing students to serve Christ and His church through biblical, experiential, and practical ministry.

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PhD in Historical Theology

The PhD at PRTS is a fully funded program allowing for eight (8) to ten (10) students per year. Accepted PhD students do not need not to apply for scholarships. The Historical Theology doctoral program offers focused areas of research, including but not limited to:

Reformation:

• Calvin and other Reformers such as Bullinger, Musculus, and Viret
• English Reformation
• Luther and other Lutheran Reformers such as Melanchthon

Post-Reformation:

• Biblical exegesis
• Confessions & Catechisms: Thirty-nine Articles, Belgic Confession of Faith, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort, Westminster, and London Baptist Confession
• English and New England Puritans
• Confessional Anglicanism
• Confessional Baptists
• History of Homiletics
• Lutheran orthodoxy and Pietism
• Protestant scholasticism
• Reformed orthodoxy and piety
• Scottish Presbyterianism

In preparing students to serve Christ and His church through biblical, experiential, and practical ministry, the doctoral program of PRTS prepares students to serve in the academy and church through:

• P iety, P reaching, and P ublications: Throughout the program students are challenged to grow in their spirituality, and seek a healthy balance between academics and spiritual life; students called to a preaching ministry participate in a homiletics practicum to foster biblical and experiential preaching; and students are encouraged to engage in writing ministry during and upon completion of their studies. This writing ministry unfolds in three ways: publications in scholarly peer-reviewed journals, publications for the edification of the church, and publications designed to instruct the unsaved in a skeptical world. Moreover, the writing of a doctoral thesis keeps in mind a potential monograph for publication.
• R esearch and R eformed: Students demonstrate an advanced competency in theology—in particular Reformed theology—and mastery of relevant primary and secondary sources in one of the following disciplines: Historical Theology, Biblical Studies, or Homiletics. Students must demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of Reformed intellectual trajectories and traditions.
• T echnology and T eaching: Students demonstrate an advanced level use of digital sources, deployment of writing tools, and a God-honoring use of technology, internet, and social media for the dissemination of biblical, experiential, and practical thoughts. Students called to a teaching ministry participate in a teaching practicum.
• S cholarship (academics) and S cholarships (financial): Students are able to engage in international scholarly discourse that demonstrates independent inquiry, primary source research, critical reflection, analysis, and articulation of academic research. Since the Ph.D. program is fully funded, students pay no tuition fees other than those associated with their two required external courses.
• Admission Requirements

A second graduate degree in theology, such as an accredited ThM, MTh, or STM, is preferred for admission to the program. Exceptionally gifted students may be accepted into the program having an accredited MDiv, or first graduate degree in theology, such as an MA or MTS. Comparable degrees from institutions within or outside North America may be accepted provided schools can demonstrate that they meet the standards of the ATS Board-approved degrees for admission. Students with a first graduate degree in theology may also apply for the ThM (Master of Theology) program, and then apply for the PhD program after successful completion of three (3) ThM-level courses with a minimum GPA of 3.50.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral program, the applicant must:

• be called to the ministry of teaching and/or preaching.
• demonstrate high potential for local and regional influence through future ministry of teaching and preaching after completion of studies.
• preferably possess a second master’s degree in theology from an accredited institute of higher learning, or in exceptional cases, a first master’s degree in theology from an accredited institute of higher learning.
• have teaching and / or preaching experience.
• adhere to the Three Forms of Unity and/or Westminster Standards (apart from a position on paedo- or credobaptism).
• demonstrate biblical piety and character.

It is recommended that applications for admission to the doctoral program be submitted no later than April 30 (for a fall-semester start) or October 30 (for a spring-semester start). The applicant will be informed about the decision of the Admissions Committee by the Director of Admissions shortly after a decision has been made. The Admissions Committee meets on a rolling basis approximately every two months. Applications are considered at the next available meeting only when all application components have been received.

The applicant must:

• have had an interview with the President, Program Director, or Director of Admissions.
• submit official and certified transcripts of all post-secondary education (demonstrating the possession of an undergraduate degree and at least a first master’s degree in theology).
• have an academic record with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher (or its equivalent).
• submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 158 or higher in the Verbal and Quantitative sections, and 5.0 or higher in the Analytical Writing component.
• submit a recent CV ( curriculum vitae ).
• submit a copy of a completed master’s degree thesis or major research paper.
• submit a three-page preliminary dissertation proposal.
• submit two academic references and one ecclesiastical references.
• Residency Requirement

Students are required to be in residence for one-half of the coursework; other required coursework, research, and dissertation writing may be completed off campus. Thus, given that the PhD concentrations each require twelve (12) courses, at least six (6) courses must be taken on campus.

This does not mean, however, that the accepted PhD student must relocate to Grand Rapids for these six (6) classes; rather, the majority of the PhD courses will be offered in modular or intensive (i.e., week-long) format, thus allowing the accepted student to travel back and forth to Grand Rapids, and still fulfill the residency requirement.

Because PRTS endeavors to create a community of learners within the doctoral program, each doctoral student is required to be on campus during the month of August at least once per year for the first three years of the student’s program, or until the student has completed the comprehensive examination. Apart from the modular courses that will occur during the month of August, special PhD seminars and dinners may be arranged. Furthermore, the PhD student is encouraged to attend the annual PRTS conference; this conference is always held near the end of August.

• Required Coursework and Credits

A total of twelve courses are required for the PhD program (including 2 external courses). PhD students in the Historical Theology (Reformation, Post-Reformation) program must take the following courses:

• CH900 Research Methodology – 3 credits
• CH901 Introduction to Reformation and Post-Reformation Studies – 3 credits
• BS/CH/ST902 Introduction to Reformed Spirituality and Piety – 3 credits
• BS/CH/ST991 Dissertation Proposal – 3 credits
• BS/CH/ST992 Teaching/Preaching Practicum – 3 credits

Students must take an additional seven courses for credit of which at least four courses must be from the area of concentration (designated by the prefix CH), one course from another doctoral concentration (either Biblical Studies or Systematic Theology), and two courses related to the student’s concentration must be taken from an external higher-education institution (an approved course partner of PRTS). Please consult the course schedule for doctoral courses related to the Historical Theology emphasis. Aside from these listed courses, students may upon approval enroll in CH999 – Directed Research, the course content and syllabus to be arranged between the student and the advisor.

• Dissertation Requirements

The following guidelines pertain to the PhD dissertation:

• Students must have an approved dissertation proposal.
• Students must offer in the dissertation an original research contribution that serves the academy and the church.
• Students will be assigned a supervisor and co-advisor; the student may recommend an external co-advisor to the supervisor and doctoral program committee. The recommendation may or may not be followed by the supervisor and doctoral program committee.
• The length of a dissertation is customarily between 80,000 and 100,000 words. This word limit includes footnotes, but excludes appendices and reference list / bibliography.
• It is strongly recommended that the dissertation be edited by a professional editor.
• The dissertation should include this dissertation letterhead as the first page.
• The submitted dissertation follow these guidelines .
• Upon acceptance of the dissertation by a three-fourths majority of the supervisor, co-advisor, and examiners, a public defense will be scheduled.

A final edited copy of the dissertation that incorporates suggestions of the supervisor, co-advisor, members of faculty, and examiners will be submitted no later than March 1 after acceptance of the doctoral work to the library of PRTS in electronic and paper format.

Dissertation Publication

Students are expected to:

• publish the dissertation with an internationally recognized academic publisher within one year after the public defense. The student will choose a publisher in consultation with the supervisor or,
• publish three articles as a result of the doctoral work in internationally recognized and peer-reviewed journals. The student will choose journals in consultation with the supervisor.
• publish the dissertation in such a form as to be of service to the church at large.
• Application for admission (non-refundable): $50.00
• Late registration fee: $50.00 per course
• Distance Education fee: $75.00 per course that is taken from a distance
• Graduation fee: $250.00

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Department of History

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Food Studies Program

The UNT Food Studies Program offers a both an undergraduate certificate and a PhD program through the History Department. Its unique interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on training and inspiring the next generation of food entrepreneurs, food scientists, and food activists and invites students to look at food from new perspectives. By blending the perspectives of the humanities and the sciences, students learn about the historical and cultural underpinnings of contemporary food practices while developing creative research-based solutions to current problems within our global food systems. The interdisciplinary approach provides students with a wide set of tools to critically study the role of food in everyday life, and communicate their research to multiple audiences.

For more information, please visit the Food Studies website at foodstudies.unt.edu

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History M.A. Program Advising Sheet

Download a printable copy of this form:

Student Name      ______________________________________      Cohort Year _________________  

Field  _______________________________     Advisor Name ________________________________                                        

Foreign language requirement (as required by field of study)

Language  ___________________  Method of Completion  _________________  Semester Completed  _________                       

Coursework (30 credit hours)

Required:                                                                              Semester             Grade                           Credit

History 7900 (3 credit hours)                                           ________________  _______________  _________________     

Additional 7000-level courses (excluding 7193) (12 credit hours)

     History 7                                                                          ________________  _______________  _________________   

     History 7                                                                          ________________  _______________  _________________     

     History 7                                                                          ________________  _______________  _________________    

Other elective courses to complete the credit hour requirement: 

     Courses numbered at the 5000-level or higher

     Up to 6 credit hours of History 6193 or 7193

     6999, 3 credit hours, repeatable once, a total of 6 credit hours (for those pursuing the MA- Thesis option only)

     Up to 12 credit hours (3 courses) outside of the History Department (at the 4000-level or higher)

     ________________________________________________      ________________  _______________  _________________

Students may petition the Director of Graduate Studies for an increased limit in 6999/6193/7193 credit hours if necessary.

The Master’s Examination:

Advisor Name:  ___________________________________________________________                                                                          

Second Examiner Name:  __________________________________________________                                                                       

Date:  ___________________________________________________________________        

Decision: Satisfactory  __________      Unsatisfactory  __________      

How it started, how it's going: ISU Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies reflects on 50 years

In the early 1970s, Patricia Chesboro and Beverly Smith gathered a group of Illinois State University faculty to offer a course on women's issues. Classes took place in the dorms for no credit. Faculty were not compensated. Topics ranged from women's history, to self-defense, to automotive skills.

“That was part of the landscape,” said Alison Bailey, director of ISU’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies [WGSS], which arose from that first course. The program offers a minor, plus a Queer Studies and graduate certificate.

“People wanted to know women’s history — what have we missed, why haven’t we heard it — and they also wanted some very practical advice and community building,” she said.

The program celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with an exhibit at Milner Library . The Women's Studies program, as it was called in the beginning, was part of a nationwide movement on college campuses.

“The people who were connected to this emerging women’s studies program were very much invested in the national conversation about women’s rights,” said history and WGSS professor Kyle Ciani. “They were very connected to the Equal Rights Amendment protests and conversations. Springfield, Illinois was a big pull.”

In 1972, Title IX established guidelines prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools receiving federal funding. A year later, a landmark Supreme Court ruling, Roe vs. Wade, decriminalized abortion.

“Students were asking for these classes and asking for the conversations,” Ciani said, “but the faculty and staff were also hungry for it.”

While faculty and students did not feel much push back or resistance to the program, Bailey pointed to structural barriers outlined in early WGSS newsletters.

“A lot of these courses were taught without compensation,” she said. “A lot of the tenure-track faculty who wanted to teach these issues were concerned they would not be taken seriously, or it would harm them in the tenure process. Students took a big risk, too, because in their home departments, maybe their research interests or their work on these projects wasn’t taken seriously.”

Even today, scholars in gender and sexuality studies find themselves defending the legitimacy of their field.

“Something that sometimes the general public and even the campus community doesn’t quite embrace is that we are an academic unit,” Ciani said. We are an intellectual program.”

A program, not a department

The WGSS program is a unit within the College of Arts and Sciences . Its interdisciplinary nature draws affiliated faculty from a wide array of departments: history, philosophy, criminal justice, nursing and fine arts, to name a few. Thus, the student body intersects all areas of campus, while existing on their own.

“Our whole architecture and infrastructure on most campus is siloed,” Bailey said. “To do interdisciplinary work requires a lot of scrambling. It makes it very difficult to do fundraising. But our inter-disciplinarity is also our strength. Our students are asking for this. They are so excited to be able to tie ideas and histories across their coursework. And when they leave ISU, they have this added value to their education. It’s a challenge, but it’s also a great joy.”

Mission [never] accomplished

The WGSS at 50 exhibit, on view through May 11, presents a timeline on the library wall and companion digital archive. Materials detail various milestones of the program, including its gradual move from Women's Studies to the current wider focus encompassing gender and sexuality studies.

“The first move during the second wave of feminism is very white. It’s very liberal,” said Bailey. “But it’s also a movement to make women and girls’ contributions visible.”

Campus-wide programs like Take Back the Night and the Clothesline Project, both of which raise visibility about sexual assault and intimate partner violence, arose from a collective desire to effect social change. But Ciani categorically denies that Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is solely — or even centrally — about social and political activism.

“Sometimes people erroneously believe that we are protesting in our classes — that we’re all about social movement consumerism,” Ciani said. “That’s not what we do. We’re teaching our students how to critically think, read, write and craft an argument. We’re training them to be future lawyers. We’re training them to be health professionals.”

To that end, Bailey said Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and its growing body of academic literature, are more important than ever. There's no target to aim for that renders the work accomplished [or obsolete] even as professors increasingly infuse curricula with a broader, intersectional lens.

“We don’t infuse; we start from the margins and tell those stories first,” Bailey said, “then bring those into conversation with dominant narratives. You get a very different conversation. It’s more accurate. It’s more humanized. It’s more interesting. It’s more engaging.”

WGSS at 50 runs through May 11 at Milner Library at Illinois State University. A Hatch campaign running through April 30 seeks to raise $5,000 to support the program’s annual research symposium, scholarships, a speaker series and maintenance of the community room and art gallery at Rachel Cooper Hall.