Doctoral / PHD Programs in History

The history Ph.D. program values a method of scholarship that is rooted in the specific while maintaining an awareness of the big picture. In order to foster a broad understanding of the past, the professors encourage students to adopt the broadest perspective on history feasible. Students gain the expertise needed to carry out discipline-defining research throughout their enrollment.

The goal of the doctoral program is to train students to become both skilled scholars and conscientious teachers. Throughout the program students work with advisors and other faculty members as they engage in coursework, prepare for and take the general exam, work as teaching fellows, and research and write the dissertation. On average it takes seven years to receive the doctoral degree. Most graduates have pursued academic careers at universities and colleges in the United States and abroad, while others have gone on to successful careers in law and in government.

As a large research university, Harvard offers many resources and opportunities for its students in the form of lectures, conferences, research centers, fellowships, and grants. Students have access to the more than 80 libraries and 15 million volumes that comprise the Harvard University Library, the largest university library in the world.

Additionally, students may take courses offered by other departments in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, or at other Harvard schools, such as Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Harvard Kennedy School.

In coordination with Harvard Law School, students may pursue both a PhD in history and a JD at the Law School.

The purpose of the history program is to develop historians who possess both intellectual range and specialized competence. Instruction is in small classes by the seminar method or some appropriate modification of this approach. Faculty advisers for individual guidance and direction are available throughout the entire period of enrollment. The department offers many opportunities for students to gain experience as teaching assistants during the latter part of their degree program.

The Department of History offers two graduate programs, one in History and one in History of Science and Medicine. General requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, and Master of Arts can be found on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website.

The goal of the PhD program in history of art at Johns Hopkins University is to provide candidates for the degree with a thorough knowledge of the history of art as well as a profound awareness of the theories and methods used in art historical inquiry. In seminars, the curriculum places a strong emphasis on teamwork among students and instructors.

The History of Art Department offers a Master of Arts degree for students wishing to deepen their knowledge of art and the critical methods employed in the study of art.

Upon receiving their M.A., Penn graduates have gone on to hold curatorial positions in national and local museums, auction houses, and galleries. Students have also used their M.A. as a stepping stone to Ph.D. programs, receiving admission to many prestigious Ph.D. departments in the US and overseas.

The M.A. Program is a terminal degree program lasting two years. Students admitted for the M.A. do not automatically receive admission after the M.A. into the Ph.D. program students wishing to continue must Ph.D. program. Students admitted for the M.A. normally do not receive University Fellowships, although they may for outside awards to support their graduate study.

View the University’s Academic Requirements for Research Master Programs.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2019 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

The history Ph.D. program at Northwestern credits its stellar faculty of scholar-teachers, adaptable and well-articulated course of study, and track record of enlisting, preparing, and placing talented and diverse graduate students for success in the nation.

Admitting approximately 8 Ph.D. students each year, and the occasional A.M. student, the graduate program in History offers highly personalized guidance and instruction in close cooperation with an excellent faculty. Candidates are encouraged to pursue special research interests while also studying broad historical fields. The department offers graduate instruction in the broad historical areas of North America; Latin America; Europe; Great Britain and the Commonwealth; Russia; Japan; China; South Asia; Middle East; and Africa; and in the thematic fields of women’s history; military history; history of science, technology, and medicine; environmental history; labor history; and slave societies. Duke's library offers extensive resources, manuscript collections, archives, etc., and the collections of the UNC-Chapel Hill library are also available.

The Ph.D. program offers courses to help students advance their critical reading, research and writing skills as they increase familiarity with different approaches to the past, build comparative understanding of major historical developments and gain competence in the literature and sources of their fields of specialization.

Students are encouraged to adopt a thematic approach to research backed by theoretically sophisticated comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Teaching is an indispensable part of graduate training, and each of our graduate students works as a teaching assistant for a minimum of four semesters. Brown University's summer school offers advanced students an opportunity to develop and teach their own courses.

The department tries to admit students with diverse backgrounds and academic interests who can work harmoniously together. The department's low graduate student-faculty ratio combines with the relatively small size of each cohort to create a vibrant academic environment for students and faculty.

The Vanderbilt History Department offers M.A. and Ph.D. graduate degrees. It educates graduate students in a variety of disciplines and methodological stances, spanning antiquity to the present. The Department of African American and Diaspora Studies, the Center for Latin American American Studies, the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, programs in American Studies, Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies are just a few additional centres and programs that conduct research.

The Washington University history PhD program is dedicated to encouraging cutting-edge research and preparing students for academic careers. It focuses on topics such as American Political Culture, Central Europe: Ideas, Culture and Society, Early Modern Europe, East Asia, International Urban History, the Middle East, Religion in the Medieval Mediterranean World, 17th through 19th-Century America: State and Society, Slavery and Freedom in National and Transnational Contexts, and Human Rights and Social Justice in the Modern U.S.