phd in history subject

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.

A World Made by Travel: The Digital Grand Tour

The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age

In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States

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

Embodied Knowledge: Women and Science before Silicon Valley

Department of History

Ph.d. program.

Hallmarks of the Brown History doctoral program include an intimate setting, close collaboration with faculty, Brown's unique undergraduate population and open curriculum, world-class scholars working in every region of the globe, and the department's commitment to professionalization and teaching.

The program centers on both cutting-edge training and preparation for jobs in a variety of institutions, including research universities, teaching colleges, and sites of research, teaching, writing, and public engagement outside academia.

Fields of Study

The History department trains Ph.D. students in a wide range of fields, methodologies, and areas of the globe. The program fosters an intellectual community in which collaboration, intellectual breadth, and conversations across fields are prized. Additionally, Ph.D. students take a sequence of professionalization courses that prepare them for the rigors of teaching, research, conference presentations, and professional writing.

Explore Fields of Study

Program Outline

Each year, Brown enrolls 10-12 Ph.D. students, who function as a cohort during the first three years of the program. In the fourth year, students work in archival collections and in the field, wherever their research takes them. In the fifth year and beyond, based on that research, each student produces an original dissertation. Completion of the program typically takes 5-7 years, depending on the field, language requirements, and location of materials.

Learn More About the Ph.D Program

Department of History Graduate Handbook

For a detailed outline of the Ph.D. program, including a year-by-year description, courses offered, and funding, please consult the graduate handbook.

Teaching Requirement

Candidates for the Ph.D. must normally demonstrate satisfactory performance as a Teaching Assistant in undergraduate courses at Brown, or in teaching at another institution approved by the Department. Currently, doctoral students most commonly teach in years 2, 3, and 5. Students who receive standard funding for year 6 typically TA for one semester and are on fellowship in the second.

Students preparing for the examinations will normally be given preference in the assignments for teaching assistants and proctors. Work loads for such positions will conform to standards set by the Graduate School: "limited enough in scope [requiring no more than 20 hours per week] so that normal progress can be made in the student's educational program."

Graduate Student Spotlight: Laura Perille '15

Laura Perille is an advanced doctoral candidate in Early Modern British history and one of four Brown Doctoral Candidates selected as Brown/Wheaton Faculty fellows.

Opportunities

Brown executive scholars training program, deans’ faculty fellows program, teaching fellowships for advanced students, doctoral certificates, open graduate education.

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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Doctoral Program

• Ph.D. Fields
• Language Exams
• Fellowships and Financial Aid
• Dissertations-in-Progress
• Award Announcements
• Graduate Handbook
• Annual Newsletter
• Doctoral Students
• Graduate History Association
• Masters Programs
• Classical Studies

The Graduate Program

Columbia has been one of the most important centers of graduate education in history since modern Ph.D. programs began in America over a century ago. Recipients of our degrees hold distinguished positions in virtually every major university in the United States, and in many abroad. Our program offers a broad education in most areas of historical scholarship and attempts to train students for a discipline and a profession in the midst of considerable change. That includes not simply assisting students in acquiring the knowledge and skills essential to becoming contributing scholars, but also helping them to become effective teachers and to exist comfortably within a demanding and complicated professional world.

The members of our faculty represent many different approaches to the study of the past, and we strive to attract students of similarly diverse interests and commitments. No one should feel that being at Columbia requires accepting any one approach to the study of history.

This part of our website is designed to provide both prospective and current students with answers to some of the many questions they may have about the department.

Admissions answers commonly-asked questions about our admissions process.

Under Ph.D. Fields you will find information about the separate fields of study available in our program and the relationship among them.

Fellowships and Financial Aid explains the various ways we provide our students with fellowships and financial aid.

Dissertations-in-Progress summarizes the course of study towards the Ph.D and highlights the work of our students.

Research awards and recent honors are showcased in Award Announcements .

The section entitled Placement sketches how we prepare our students for the academic job market and reports on how our students have done in that market in recent years.

In the Graduate Handbook , we explain our curriculum and our academic requirements and provide more detailed information about aspects of the program such as the MA, Orals, M.Phil., Dissertations, etc.

Our FAQs are useful for students seeking admission as well as for current students seeking quick information.

The Annual Newsletter keeps us informed about our students.

• 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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Note that the GRE is now optional for our graduate admission process.  

Admissions process for the history phd:.

Each year the department receives nearly 400 applications to the doctoral program and offers admission to about 6% of applicants . The typical incoming class size is 16 students.

The admissions process is extremely competitive , but if you are serious about pursuing a PhD in history, you are encouraged to apply.

Successful applications have shared many of the following characteristics:

Statement of purpose that makes clear why the applicant wants to study history in graduate school, and why the applicant wants to study at Harvard. This statement often illustrates the applicant’s research interests and notes potential advisors Three strong letters of reference from people who know the applicant’s writing Personal Statement that shares how the applicant’s experiences or activities will contribute to the school’s mission to attract a diverse and dynamic community. (Should not exceed 500 words.) Writing sample of remarkable quality that asks historical questions Fluent or nearly fluent in English Reading ability in two languages other than English Strong undergraduate , and, if applicable, graduate record , with excellent marks in history courses

Follow the link for more information about applying to the  History Department PhD program

Harvard Griffin GSAS does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.

• Undergraduate Program
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Program Rules & Requirements
• Financial Aid & Fellowships
• Graduate Program Workshops
• Library Privileges

Department of History

Ph.D. Admissions

With more than 40 full-time faculty members, the Department of History trains graduate students in a wide range of fields and methodological approaches, covering periods from antiquity to the present.

Graduate students in history benefit from a high faculty-to-student ratio, which enables us to provide more individual attention than many other programs. The size of each entering class varies slightly from year to year, with eight to 10 students being typical. In all, we have approximately 50 students, a talented and diverse group who come from many parts of the United States and the world.

Vanderbilt University offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary engagement. The Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities houses on-going seminars in areas ranging from Circum-Atlantic studies to postcolonial theory, science studies, and pre-modern cultural studies. Other centers and programs whose activities would be of interest to history graduate students include the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies ; the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society ; the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies ; the Department of African American and Diaspora Studies ; the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies ; and the programs in Asian Studies Program , American Studies , and Jewish Studies . The Department of History strongly encourages interdisciplinary work.

Please note: The Department of History does not accept external applications for a terminal master’s degree. The M.A. is usually earned en route to the Ph.D. It is also available to Vanderbilt undergraduates who enroll in the 4+1 program in history.

Director of Graduate Studies: Nicole Hemmer

Director of Graduate Admissions: Lauren Clay

Graduate Administrator: Madeline Trantham

If you have any questions regarding the graduate application process that are not answered here, please email us .

Application

The Vanderbilt history department offers the Ph.D. degree. Students normally earn the M.A. following two years of coursework, fulfillment of the research paper requirement, and satisfactory performance on language examinations. The department does not offer a free-standing terminal M.A. degree.

The application deadline for Fall 2025 admission is December 1, 2024. Applicants for whom the $95 application fee presents a financial hardship are encouraged to apply for a fee waiver from the Graduate School.

Foreign applicants or applicants who do not qualify for a fee waiver from the Graduate School should contact [email protected] . These applicants should explain briefly in their email why the fee presents a financial hardship. Requests for a fee waiver will be assessed and forwarded to the College of Arts & Science. If a fee waiver is granted, the applicant will be notified.

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, domestic or international.

Application Components

As part of the online application, candidates will provide:

• Statement of Purpose (please be specific about your research goals and provide names of faculty members with whom you would like to work, and why. In addition, please explain how your interests and goals may connect with our Areas of Excellence ).
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation (and no more than five).
• An unofficial, scanned college transcript(s) and graduate transcript(s) if applicable. Admitted applicants will be instructed to submit official and final transcripts as a condition of enrollment at Vanderbilt.
• TOEFL and IELTS scores are accepted for international students whose native language is not English. For more information, read the Graduate School’s Language Proficiency policy.
• Candidates are required to upload a writing sample of no more than 25 pages as part of the online application process. The option to upload the writing sample is made available immediately after entering your test scores into the online application. Please note that until this writing sample has been uploaded, your application will be considered incomplete. Research papers and theses, especially those that explore a historical topic and show facility in using original and/or archival materials, are of most use to the admissions committee in making their decisions. Co-authored writing samples are not accepted.
• GRE scores are not required for admission.

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Areas of Excellence

Graduate students will select an area of excellence from a drop-down menu in the online application; prospective advisers will submit a note to the admissions committee explaining the candidate’s fit. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to prospective advisors to figure out how their interests could connect with our areas of excellence initiative and to explain in their Statement of Purpose how they envision benefitting from it.

Economics: Labor, Business, Capitalism:

The Vanderbilt History Department offers a rich setting for the study of the history of economy, widely conceived, including labor and business history, the history of capitalism, trade networks, and general questions of economic development as they connect with politics, culture, religion, and social history. Ranging temporally from the classical/medieval era to the modern world, and geographically from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the United States, the Vanderbilt History faculty is interested in the study of commodities, thought, empire, trade, free and unfree labor, finance, cultures, and the global development of capitalism. Our view is capacious, with wide interest in legal, political, and regulatory regimes that influence such processes. Working with faculty across the department, we encourage comparative and transnational forms of historical inquiry. Vanderbilt also offers connections with a robust team of formal economic historians in the Economic Department and a strong undergraduate Economics-History major.

Legal History

Vanderbilt is home to a thriving community of legal historians. We range chronologically from the ancient Mediterranean to the twenty-first century, and our faculty and graduate students have written on topics as diverse as ancient violence, the history of prostitution, racial passing, citizenship, Islamic law, policing, capital punishment, sovereignty and state building, privacy law, American slavery, and the intersections of religion and law.

Our community is centered on the Legal History Colloquium, a trans-institutional seminar that brings together faculty and students from the Law School, the Divinity School, and the College of Arts & Sciences working on legal historical themes. The colloquium strives to be international and comparative in methods and scope. Students in Legal History take a graduate seminar on Methods in Legal History, which introduces them to the wide-range of work done by legal historians. Working in consultation with their adviser, students of legal history write one of their two graduate seminar papers on a legal topic; they also have opportunities to serve as teaching assistant to faculty in diverse areas of legal history.

Race & Diaspora

Vanderbilt’s History Department focuses on complex histories of racial formation, as well as race and migration. The unique history of African peoples dispersed by the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades is of particular interest. Deploying local, national, transnational, and transdisciplinary approaches, students work closely with accomplished scholars in the History Department—as well as other academic departments, such as African American & Diaspora Studies—to study a wide array of interrelated topics.

These include race as a concept, ideology, and system, as well as the role of race in shaping identity and culture in the Americas and other parts of the world. Likewise, students examine theories of race & diaspora, encompassing historical phenomena such as settler colonialism, racial enslavement, labor migrations, deportation, colonialism, and post-colonialism. In addition, research can extend to the analysis of subsequent mass demographic movements and the creation of “new” racialized peoples, homelands, communities, cultures, and ideologies as historical groups responded to upheaval and sought opportunities. Therefore, scholarship on race and diaspora also attends to manifestations of social, religious, economic, and political oppression and social control, and the attendant struggles of resistance and adaptation. This, in turn, leads us to scrutinize race alongside state formation, racialized citizenship, capitalism, state-building, and surveillance. As with all work on race, centering analyses of gender and sexuality is a priority in order to provide a deeper understanding of racial identities and structures. In addition, examining race and diaspora from the ancient world through the 20th Century and in relationship to Native American, Asian, and Jewish diasporas is also possible.

Research Areas

Ancient/medieval.

Vanderbilt boasts a dynamic group of scholars in Ancient and Medieval history. The faculty represent a range of geographic and chronological periods, including the Roman Empire, Ancient/Medieval Syria, medieval Europe, Judaism, Islam and Asia. The faculty share a mutual interest in reconstructing past through rigorous, source-driven historical reconstruction, with specializations in legal, religious, economic, cultural and military history. They work closely with a distinguished cohort of early modern historians, and in collaboration with the programs in Classical and Mediterranean Studies, the Legal History Seminar, Jewish Studies, Women and Gender Studies, the Pre-Modern Cultural Studies seminar (Robert Penn Warren Center); the departments of English, French & Italian, German, Russian and East European Studies, History of Art, and the Graduate Department of Religion.

We welcome applications from potential graduate students interested both in particular subject areas, but also in the questions and methods shared by all historians of pre-modern societies – how to work with patchy or fragmentary evidence, how to reconstruct the world of culture and symbols, how to push beyond the learned texts that predominate in our records, and how to ask meaningful questions about the past.

There is no prescribed graduate curriculum; students are invited to craft their own program within the framework of the History Department Ph.D. requirements during coursework. Particular scrutiny is given, in evaluating applications, to a candidate’s prior preparation (including knowledge of languages necessary to undertake Ph.D. level research) and a candidate’s writing sample. Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in advance.

Vanderbilt University's History Department continues to diversify geographically and thematically, with African history being the latest doctoral field to be added to our offerings. Our doctoral program in African history is designed to produce scholars and teachers who possess a simultaneously broad and deep knowledge of the African past. We train academic historians of Africa who are grounded in the historiographies, methodologies, and debates that animate the field, but who also recognize and account for Africa's connections to the rest of the world and to global events.

We welcome applications from prospective graduate students who desire rigorous training in the core historical methodologies as well as in ethnographic approaches to the African past. Graduate students will be trained to mine and make sense of archival, oral, ethnographic, linguistic, and other unconventional sources as well as to utilize clues offered by Africa's vast material culture to reconstruct and interrogate the past. The goal is to develop our students into producers of new knowledge about Africa and effective teachers of African history.

Students can expect to be trained in the social, economic, and political histories of the continent while exploring themes as diverse as gender, technology, trade, religion, colonialism, nationalism, healing practices, slavery, intellectual production, among others. Students will be trained to appreciate the dominant dynamics of Africa's precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial histories while recognizing the parallels and overlaps between these periods. Our courses explore trans-regional patterns but also cover the peculiar historical features of particular regions.

The small number of our Africanist faculty means that we are able to devote considerable time to independent studies, collaborative learning, and mentorship. We perform traditional mentoring tasks, but we are also able to provide consistent support as students identify research fields, apply for research grants, and apply for jobs during the dissertation phase of their training.

Vanderbilt hosts an accomplished faculty in Asian history and is particularly strong in the twentieth century, early modern, and medieval periods. We emphasize global interconnections and broad comparative approaches both within the department and in affiliated programs across campus.

With a small cohort admitted each year, students benefit from close mentorship with Asia faculty, including one-on-one independent study and directed research. Students will be expected to take history department courses in other regions (Europe, US, Latin America, Middle East, Africa) and methodologies (including Visual Culture, Spatial Histories, Empire, and History of Science). Students can also explore related topics with Asia faculty in History of Art, languages and literature (Asian Studies), Religious Studies, Sociology, English, and Political Science.

South Asia: Vanderbilt is emerging as an important location for the study of early modern and modern South Asia, especially in the fields of political history, religious history, and the history of western India ( Samira Sheikh ). Graduate students admitted to study South Asian history may be supported by faculty in related fields, such as Indian Ocean history ( Tasha Rijke-Epstein ), the history of the British empire ( Catherine Molineux ), and the Islamic world ( Leor Halevi ,  David Wasserstein ). Distinguished South Asia specialists elsewhere at Vanderbilt include Tony K. Stewart, Adeana McNicholl and Anand Vivek Taneja in Religious Studies, Tariq Thachil in Political Science, Akshya Saxena in English, and Heeryoon Shin in History of Art. Those interested in premodern links between India and east Asia may benefit from scholars of Buddhism and Chinese architecture (Robert Campany/Tracy Miller).

Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Northeast Asia: With specialists in the cultural and intellectual history of modern/contemporary Japan ( Gerald Figal ,  Yoshikuni Igarashi ) and modern China/Northeast Asia ( Ruth Rogaski ), Vanderbilt is an excellent place to train in topics such as colonialism and empire, war, history and memory, contemporary culture, and history of the body and medicine. Faculty in U.S. History ( Tom Schwartz ,  Paul Kramer ) also maintain strong interests in Sino-U.S. relations. Associated faculty include Guojun Wang in Chinese literature, Lijun Song in Chinese medical sociology, and Brett Benson in contemporary Chinese politics.

Early and Middle-period Imperial China: Vanderbilt hosts a strong faculty in the political organization, military history, and material culture of the Song dynasty ( Peter Lorge ), with the capacity for comparative study in other medieval societies (Europe, Middle East, South Asia). Students can also explore topics as diverse as sacred landscapes, regional networks, and religious identities with affiliated faculty in History of Art (Tracy Miller) and Chinese religions (Rob Campany).

Atlantic World

Vanderbilt ranks among the nation's top twenty research universities and boasts a diverse and dynamic History Department. One of the newest and most exciting areas of faculty research and graduate training at Vanderbilt is Atlantic World History. Graduate students who choose to complete a major or minor field in Atlantic World history at Vanderbilt will be introduced to a wide range of literature addressing the interactions among European, Native American, and African peoples. Working closely with our Atlantic World historians, students develop a dissertation topic and prospectus during their fifth and sixth semesters.

From their first semester, we encourage doctoral students in our field to become actively engaged in the profession through field research, networking, collaborative projects, grant writing and publishing. We also encourage training in digital humanities and our students have worked on projects such as the  Slave Societies Digital Archive , the  Manuel Zapata Olivella Collection  and  Enslaved: Peoples of the Historic Slave Trade .

Our students have presented their research at numerous national and international conferences including the American Historical Association, the Conference on Latin American History, the Brazilian Studies Association, the Forum on European Expansion and Global Interaction, the Omohundro Institute of Early American History, the African History Association, and the Association of Caribbean History, among others. Over the last decade our students have won many prestigious research awards, including the Fulbright, Social Science Research Council, American Council for Learned Societies, and Rotary fellowships.  Our students have conducted research in areas as diverse as Angola, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Ghana, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Graduates of our Atlantic World History program have earned tenure-track positions in history departments at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Florida, Michigan State University, the University of West Florida, the University of Birmingham, UK, the University of Arkansas, Queens College, Georgia Gwinnett College and the University of Texas-Arlington.

Early Modern

Vanderbilt has a vibrant group of scholars in Early Modern history. Faculty research and teaching interests include geographic specialists in England/Britain, France, Germany, Italy, eastern Europe, India, and China. Among the areas of inquiry are legal, religious, economic, cultural, and gender/sexuality history. The Early Modern faculty work closely with historians of antiquity and medieval history, and in collaboration with the programs in Classical and Mediterranean Studies, Jewish Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, the departments of English, French and Italian, and German, Russian and East European Studies, History of Art, and the Pro-Modern Cultural Studies Seminar (Robert Penn Warren Center.)

We welcome applications from potential graduate students interested in particular subject areas as well as in the questions and methods shared by all historians of early modern societies, including how to work with incomplete, fragmentary, or (deliberately) misleading evidence, how to reconstruct the world of culture and symbols, how to push beyond the learned texts that predominate in the historical record, and how to ask meaningful questions about the past.

There is no prescribed graduate curriculum; students are invited to craft their own program within the framework of the History Department Ph.D. requirements during coursework, but an applicant’s prior preparation, including knowledge of languages necessary to undertake Ph.D. level research, and the writing sample, are particularly important factors. Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in advance.

Vanderbilt University trains graduate students in all periods of Islam's history, from its origins in late antiquity to modernity, and in various regional settings.

Our faculty works in multiple fields, including law, business, religion, imperialism, and nationalism. They have written on topics as diverse as early Islamic death rituals; politics and society in al-Andalus; Jewish-Muslim trade in the medieval Mediterranean; the political, religious and economic landscape of early modern Gujarat; Jewish identity in the Ottoman Empire; Islam in the modern Balkans; Nigerian responses to colonialism; and the rise of ISIS.

Latin America

Vanderbilt University has one of the oldest programs in Latin American studies in the United States. Our doctoral program focuses on developing scholars and teachers with both a broad knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean history and intensive training in research and writing in their specialty. Doctoral students normally do four semesters of classes, then take their qualifying exams at the end of their fourth semester or the beginning of their fifth semester. Working closely with our historians of Latin America and the Caribbean, students develop a dissertation topic and prospectus during their fifth semester. From their first semester, we encourage our doctoral students to become actively engaged in the profession through field research, networking, publishing, collaborative projects, and grant applications. Our students have presented their research at numerous national and international conferences including the American Historical Association, Conference on Latin American History, Latin American Studies Association, Brazilian Studies Association, Association of Caribbean Historians, and the Southern Historical Association. Over the last decade our students have won many prestigious internal and external research awards (ACLS, Mellon, Boren, SSRC, and Fulbright). Since 1989, 39 students have entered our doctoral program. Twenty-three have completed their dissertations, and ten students are currently in the program. The average time to completion of dissertation has been six years. Close individual supervision of our students has been key to the timely and successful progress of our students. 

Vanderbilt University has a distinguished tradition in Latin American and Caribbean history beginning with the hiring of Alexander Marchant (and four other Brazil specialists) and the creation of an Institute of Brazilian Studies in 1947. Among other noted historians of Latin America who have taught at Vanderbilt are Simon Collier, Robert Gilmore, J. León Helguera, and Barbara Weinstein. Close individual supervision of our students has been key to the timely and successful progress of our students.

Vanderbilt is home to a thriving community of legal historians. Our faculty expertise ranges from ancient Rome to the contemporary United States, and we place a strong emphasis on comparative and thematic inquiry. Faculty have written on topics as diverse as ancient violence, the history of prostitution, racial passing, Islamic law, American slavery, and law in early modern empires.

Our community is centered on the Legal History Workshop, an invited speaker series that runs throughout the year. The workshop features some of the most exciting new perspectives on legal history and strives to be international and comparative in methods and scope.

In addition to coursework in their geographic and chronological areas of expertise, students are encouraged to take the Methods in Legal History seminar, which runs every other year. This team-taught seminar introduces students to the range of work done by legal historians and runs in conjunction with the workshop.

Modern Europe

Vanderbilt's doctoral program in Modern Europe focuses on developing scholars and teachers with a broad knowledge of European history and its relationship to the world. Graduate students are rigorously trained in both the national historiographies of their regional and linguistic specializations, as well as in related transnational and thematic fields, such as environmental history, nationalism and nation-building, law and empire, the history of music, minority politics, history of religion, mass violence, and the history of science and technology.

With a small, competitive cohort accepted each year, doctoral students in Modern Europe at Vanderbilt benefit from close mentor relationship with their advisors and other senior faculty, both through small seminar-style coursework and close individual supervision during the dissertation process. Mentorship extends beyond the classroom to include support in grant-writing, preparation for the job market, and opportunities for teaching assistantships in related fields. Collectively, the department's European faculty has supervised more than 40 theses in modern Europe and helped to place students in prestigious fellowships and tenure-track jobs in the United States and Europe.

Science, Technology, and Medicine

Vanderbilt is home to a robust and diverse community of historians engaged in the study of Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM). Students in STM are exposed to both the intensive historiographies of STM fields as well as a broad and deep training in the relevant historical locations and periods. Vanderbilt STM students are encouraged to imagine themselves as both scholars and as historians.

Our faculty expertise ranges across time, place, and topic; from material culture in Africa, to medicine in China, to intellectual and cultural history in the West.  Faculty have written on topics as diverse as modern privacy, the young Darwin, Diabetes, Albert Einstein, Qi, clinical trials—even the future of technology.

Our community is centered on two workshops, one designed by graduate students for the STM scholars within the department, and the other designed to engage the broader Vanderbilt community, recognizing the inherently interdisciplinary nature of STM studies.  

United States

Students in our doctoral program are trained broadly in the historiography of the United States in the nineteenth, twentieth, and now twenty-first centuries. They also have ample opportunities to work in transnational and thematic fields, including African American history, diplomatic history, environmental history, intellectual history, legal history, political history, and religious history as well as the history of capitalism, gender and sexuality, popular culture, race and racism, and science, medicine, and technology. The department has a strong profile in the field of U.S. and the world, and offers students training in transnational approaches. Graduate students and faculty meet regularly as a group to discuss research work in progress in the department's informal Americanist Seminar.

With a small, diverse cohort accepted each year, doctoral students in U.S. history at Vanderbilt benefit from expert supervision and guidance. Our faculty is committed to excellent mentoring in both research and teaching. Graduate students enjoy close working relationships with their advisors and other faculty inside and outside the department, whether in the Law School or Peabody College of Education or in the departments of medicine, health and society, sociology, philosophy, or religious studies. Faculty assist students as well with grant-writing, conference presentations, article drafting, and preparation for the job market. The department has helped to place students in prestigious fellowships and tenure-track jobs as well as significant research and policy positions outside the academy.

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Department of History

Requirements of the ph.d..

The official requirements for the graduate program in History are detailed in the Graduate School of Arts and Science Programs and Policy Handbook .  Important elements of the history program are summarized here, but students should refer to the Programs and Policy guide to check any technical requirements.  

Coursework (Years 1 and 2)

• 10-12 term courses, 6 of which must carry a HIST graduate number
• HIST 500  Approaching History   is required for all first-term Ph.D. students
• HIST 995 (the Prospectus Tutorial) is recommended for all second year students and required for second year students studying European history
• Two seminars must be research seminars (requiring an original research paper from primary sources)
• Two seminars must focus on a time period outside the student’s period of specialty
• All second-year students should take a course to prepare for a comprehensive exam field (This course may be HIST 994 Orals Tutorial with one of the student’s examiners or a readings course on an exam field topic)
• Honors requirement – each student must achieve Honors in two term courses during the first year with a High Pass average overall.  Students much achieve Honors in a total of four courses with a High Pass average overall by the time they complete the coursework requirements.

Language Proficiencies (Years 1 and 2)

Each subfield of History has different language proficiency requirements.  A list of requirements by subfield i s  available here .

Proficiency can be documented in several ways:

• A student who had an undergraduate minor in the language can be certified upon presentation of a transcript;
• A student who is a native speaker of a language can be certified with confirmation from the student’s academic advisor;
• A student who has researched and submitted scholarly work in the language can be certified with confirmation from the student’s advisor;
• Students who take one of the “for Reading” courses offered in the Graduate School (French, German, Italian, or Spanish) can be certified with a grade of B+ or better.  Please note that you must inform the Graduate Registrar when the grade is posted in order to be certified;
• Passing a language translation exam administered at Yale;
• Other circumstances (e.g., translation exam from another institution) with the approval of the DGS

Comprehensive Exams (Years 2 and 3)

Students are strongly encouraged to complete their comprehensive exams by the end of the fifth semester and are required to be completed by the end of the sixth semester.  (Some faculty prefer students to complete the prospectus in the fifth semester and take exams in the sixth semester; please consult your advisor.)

The Comprehensive Exams include a written component and an oral portion.

Written component:

• One major field; an 8,000-word historiographical essay based on the major field is to be submitted to the Graduate Registrar at least two weeks prior to the oral component of the exams.  With the approval of the examining faculty member, the student may submit a course syllabus in the major field as a substitute for the historiographical paper.
• Two or three minor fields; a syllabus for a lecture course in each minor field is to be submitted to the Graduate Registrar at least two weeks prior to the oral component of the exams.
• The oral portion of the comprehensive exams last for two hours. 
• For those students who choose two minor fields, the major field will be examined for 60 minutes and the minor fields will be examined for 30 minutes each.
• For those students who choose three minor fields, each field will be examined for 30 minutes.

Prospectus Colloquium (Year 3)

Advancing to candidacy (year 3), chapter conference (year 5).

Students must participate in a chapter conference with their dissertation committee no later than the end of their ninth semester. The dissertation committee and student discuss a dissertation chapter to give early feedback on the research, argument, and style of the first writing accomplished on the dissertation.

Dissertation Defense and Submission (Year 6)

Submitting the Dissertation

Overview of History PhD Requirements

Click here for Overview of Ph.D. Requirements

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Top 10 Best History PhD Programs in 2024

History helps us understand societies and allows humanity to learn from patterns and past mistakes.

Many are fascinated and enamored by history, leading to a passion that makes them want to know more.

If you’re a history lover thinking about further deepening your knowledge and establishing a career in the field, a PhD in the subject may be for you. The list of history PhD programs below contains some of the best available in the United States.

Table of Contents

Best PhD Programs in History

North dakota state university.

• North Dakota Residents $405/credit
• Minnesota Residents $514.58
• Non-US Students $607.77
• International Students $709.07

The North Dakota State University has offered its master’s degree in history since 1954. It wasn’t until 2002 that it began offering a PhD program in History. NDSU’s PhD program commonly takes three to five years to finish for full-time students, although it is not uncommon for some students to take longer.

Admission is available year-round, and applicants are required to provide GRE scores. International students whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL. To apply for the PhD program, you must already have a master’s degree in history or hold one from another closely-related field.

There are limited funding and financial aid  opportunities available at NDSU, primarily as assistantships with tuition waivers and small stipends. This funding is renewable for four years for PhD students, provided academic requirements are met.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a program that allows distance learning, you will not find it in NDSU. NDSU also requires one year of residency on campus.

Boston College – Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

• Your full-time PhD studies at Boston College will be fully paid for by tuition remissions with the expectation of good grades and an obligation to complete research/teaching assistantships and teaching fellowships.
• You may also get stipends of up to $35,875 per year.

Boston College offers masters and PhD degrees in different history specialties, with British, medieval, modern European, and United States history as some of their strongest. There are also other graduate studies interests in South Asian, East Asian, and Latin American history, and the history of religion.

Earning your PhD at Boston College means you can expect small class sizes that allow for individual and specialized attention. This institution’s program also allows for flexibility, although you are expected to complete your studies full-time.

Boston College is located in one of the best academic life centers globally, allowing students to network and collaborate with other universities through their studies.

University of Texas Arlington

• $10,828 per year in-state

The University of Texas Arlington offers students an on-campus PhD program that they can participate in part-time or full-time. Full-time course loads are nine credit hours per term, and full-time students are expected to complete their doctoral degrees within six years, while part-time students may take longer.

To apply for the PhD program at the University of Texas Arlington, you must have a BA or MA in history or  a minimum of eighteen hours of upper-division history courses during your undergrad. You must also provide your GRE scores.

The PhD in history program at the University of Texas Arlington specializes in transatlantic, transnational, and global history approaches focusing on US, European, Latin American, Transatlantic, and Transnational history. The award-winning faculty at this institution provides personalized attention to small class sizes.

The University of Texas Arlington has North America’s only specialized History of Cartography track that provides students access to the Garrett Map Collection , a world-famous map library.

Alumni of the program often establish careers as educators. They may find work as museum professionals or archival administration specialists outside of academia. They may also work for nonprofits or the government, and enjoy careers involving writing, research, and analysis at the highest level.

The University of Texas at Dallas  – PhD in History of Ideas

• $18,276 per semester

The University of Texas at Dallas offers something a little different — a PhD in History of Ideas. This PhD program was designed specifically for those who want to do advanced research or teach at a college level or higher. It concentrates on the study of philosophy as well as intellectual and cultural history with a focus on European and American history.

Students of this program can expect a flexible interdisciplinary approach to their studies that connects among specific areas of interest. Aside from their coursework in the History of Ideas, students must also attend two seminars each for visual & performance arts and literature.

Alumni of this program may become teachers and educators. They can also become curators of museums or historical sites. Other potential careers are research, history administrator, and archivist. Additionally, graduates of this program can work as managers of public or private historical organizations and work for governments or non-profit organizations.

University of California –  Santa Cruz

• $13,850 in-state
• $28,952 out-of-state

The University of California Santa Cruz offers an on-campus history PhD program that emphasizes a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to the study of history with a transnational and global orientation.

UCSC provides a rigorous program that blends instruction and independent work with the intent of training students in original historical research techniques. Students are encouraged to think innovatively and trained to talk, think, and teach beyond boundaries. This program prepares its students to teach university-level courses while also providing them with the tools they need to succeed in careers outside of academia.

The University of California’s Department of History, as well as its Santa Cruz campus, is well-known for its many strengths including:

• Gender, Sexuality, & Feminist Studies
• Colonialism
• Critical Race Studies
• Internationalism
• Nationalism
• Decolonial and Postcolonial Studies
• Class & Transnational Labor Studies

Admission to UCSC’s history PhD program is highly competitive. The institution states that they only admit the most qualified, highly motivated applicants and welcome and encourage diversity in their student body.

Note: The University of California Santa Cruz no longer requires applicants to provide GRE scores.

Indiana University – Bloomington

• Indiana residents:  full-time direct costs $25,406/total estimated costs $33,272
• Non-Indiana residents: full-time direct costs $45,594/total estimated costs $53,460

​​Indiana University Bloomington has one of the largest libraries and history departments in the United States, making it one of the top choices for those interested in a future career in the field. This institution provides one of the best history doctoral programs nationwide taught by 50+ talented faculty members.

According to the program itself, Indiana University Bloomington is dedicated to training first-class historians for careers in and out of the classroom. Despite having a larger faculty, classes remain small in size so that students can receive individualized attention and advisor support.

Interested students may apply for a PhD directly without having a master’s degree. Admitted students are allowed seven years to complete their coursework and another seven years for their dissertation. However, students commonly finish their studies at a much faster pace than the allowance.

Provided they qualify, students in need of financial aid can find it by working as an associate instructor, course assistant, research assistant, or editorial assistant. Fellowships and grants are also within reach for those interested enough to apply.

New York University (Arts & Science)

• $50,638 per year
• Most new students at the NYU GSAS receive multi-year funding through the Henry M. MacCracken Program  that offers four/five-year award terms, tuition remission for degree-required courses, health insurance, a nine-month living expenses stipend OR research assistantship, and a one-time $1,000 grant that students can use at their discretion.

New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science, founded over a century ago in 1886, is one of the oldest schools in the US that offers doctoral degrees. It has one of the best history PhDs available in the country.

Earning your PhD at NYU GSAS means you’ll need to commit to full-time studies of 12 points per semester. A PhD is 72 points, and students must complete 24 units within the first three years of their studies.

Learning is on-campus and there are no distance-learning opportunities at this time.

The history PhD program at the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science is research-focused. Its main objective is to develop students’ professional skills in historical research and teaching history. This objective prepares students for an eventual career in academia or research. It also prepares future graduates, part of the job hopping generation , for other jobs such as archival management.

NYU GSAS’s major areas of study include but are not limited to:

• African Diaspora
• African History
• Atlantic History
• East Asian History
• Latin American and Caribbean History
• Medieval European History
• Early Modern European History
• South Asian History
• United States History

*Interested students do not need to take the GRE if they apply for a standalone master’s or PhD in history. However, applying to joint PhD studies will require GRE results.

*International students whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL.

Rutgers (School of Arts & Science)

• New Jersey residents:  $19,724/year
• Non-New Jersey residents:  $32,132/year

Rutgers offers funding opportunities for qualified students in the form of partial or complete tuition remission and a stipend of up to $25,000 disbursed annually. Students eligible for this aid are obligated to complete fellowships and assistantships throughout their studies.

The history PhD program at the Rutgers School of Arts and Science was designed for full-time study, taking 5 years on average. The distinguished faculty of more than 60 historians cover all sorts of areas of study and time periods, though they have strong specializations in traditional regional, thematic, transnational, comparative, cultural-intellectual, social history, and more.

Students in the program publish their research and scholarly work relatively often in major historical journals. They also present their research both nationally and internationally.

This institution’s history PhD programs such as women’s and gender history, modern U.S. history, and African-American history are often some of the most top-ranked nationwide.

University of California Berkeley

• Admitted students receive a fully-funded fellowship that includes tuition and fee remission, insurance, and an additional stipend.
• In the following years, students receive a salary and a stipend during teaching assistantships and instructorships.
• A department research year grant is also awarded alongside a stipend.
• To find out more, see their financial aid page here .

UC Berkeley’s history department is one of the top-ranked in the USA, and it offers one of the best PhD history programs in the nation.

Students learn from award-winning faculty members who have won some of the most prestigious awards in the field, including the MacArthur “Genius Award” and more. The faculty and their research cover practically everything — most of the globe and almost all of humanity’s recorded history.

The PhD program at UC Berkeley is well-known for cultural history, but it also specializes in the history of science, political history, religious history, economic history, urban history, and more.

It prepares students in four fields of study:

• Three selected fields in history (first, second, and third)
• One outside field in another discipline

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity in its student body and accepts students from all over the world.

University of Michigan (College of Literature, Science & Arts)

• The plan involves six terms of fellowship support and six years of appointment as a grad student instructor or GSI.
• Students also receive summer support for the first four years.
• After the six years are over, there are additional funding opportunities  possible.

The history PhD program at the University of Michigan has an interdisciplinary, global, and multidimensional approach to student education and training. It is regularly among the top-ranked history departments in the United States, which is a testament to the quality of education the diverse students receive here.

The program combines innovative teaching by the institution’s talented faculty with state-of-the-art research and techniques. The aim is to provide students training and preparation in their research fields, allowing them to succeed in their careers in or out of academia.

After graduation, alumni of this program enjoy relatively great placement numbers. The institution reports that only three out of nineteen graduates say they are unemployed or have no opportunities upon graduation in the past two years.

Because of the generous funding package and bright future for alumni, this program is extremely competitive. It receives around 350-400 applications for only eighteen open slots per year. It’s also worth mentioning that the average master’s GPA for applicants is 3.87.

Students must complete one year (18 credits) of the program in residence on-campus and complete the entire program within six to seven years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many years does it take to get a phd in history.

One of the main deterrents of earning any PhD is the time investment involved. The same applies to students who are earning their doctorate in history. According to Historians.org , the average time to finish a PhD in history programs is roughly eight years.

As a history PhD candidate , your program expects you to enroll in a minimum of three academic years for your graduate studies, known as your “residence.” Another common expectation is that PhD students should spend at least one year of residency at the university or institution awarding them the doctorate.

Despite requiring only three years of residence, it’s extremely rare for candidates to finish this quickly. Candidates must also fulfill the other important requirements, such as their dissertations, which often take around four years to complete.

Do I need a master’s in history to get a PhD in History?

If you’re thinking about applying for a PhD history program, you might be relieved to know that you don’t always need a master’s in history to qualify. For some educational institutions, the minimum educational attainment interested applicants need is a bachelor’s degree. However, there may be other requirements to apply, such as entrance exams, proof of interest in history, and recommendation letters.

The best thing you can do is find out whether the program you’re interested in requires a master’s degree before you apply.

How much does a history PhD cost?

The amount you pay per year may vary depending on where you choose to do your PhD.

On average, doctorates can cost as much as $30,000/year in tuition costs alone. Multiply that by eight years, and you may be paying $240,000 in total — not including any other costs incurred along the way.

If that amount sends you reeling, it might give you some relief to know that many of the best history PhD programs offer full funding and stipends to all admitted students.

There are also PhD programs in history that cost only half to a third of this amount overall.

How competitive are history PhD programs?

Those who have earned their history PhDs may tell you that the job market can be a challenge due to the limited number of positions available. The tight job market also means a more competitive admissions process, where it can be difficult to get into the PhD history programs of your choice. For example, some programs get almost four hundred applicants with fewer than twenty spots to fill.

Wrapping Up: Is a PhD in History for You?

The answer to this question depends on your preferences.

A PhD in History is often highly specialized, resulting in few career options upon graduation. However, those extremely passionate about the subject find extreme satisfaction in deepening their knowledge.

If you want a career in academia, or if you want to be working with history in some capacity in your job, a PhD may just be for you. Who knows, you may even qualify for a program that offers full funding!

Related Reading:

• Master’s in History: Ultimate Guide
• Top 5 Best PhD Programs in English
• Top 10 Highest Paying PhD Degrees
• Top 20 Online PhD Programs
• EdD vs PhD: Which One is Right For You?

Chriselle Sy

Chriselle has been a passionate professional content writer for over 10 years. She writes educational content for The Grad Cafe, Productivity Spot, The College Monk, and other digital publications.  When she isn't busy writing, she spends her time streaming video games and learning new skills.

• Chriselle Sy https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/chriselle-sy/ The Best Academic Planners for 2024/2025
• Chriselle Sy https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/chriselle-sy/ Graduate Certificate vs Degree: What’s the Difference? [2024 Guide]
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Everything you need to know about studying a PhD in History

Part of humanities.

History is the study of past events, their consequences and impact on modern societies. It aims to answer questions like: What are the most significant episodes in our past? What were the causes or chain of events behind them? How has our social, economic, and political landscape changed throughout centuries?

Academically, History is often split into different courses or subdisciplines, which are associated with a certain period, country, or subject. Here are a few examples: Economic History, Political History, Cultural History, Women’s History, Ancient History, Contemporary History, Indigenous Studies, Western Civilisation, and others.

A typical History curriculum includes classes in Historical Approaches and Methods, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Major Wars, History of Women, Social Movements, Modern History, Medieval Europe, Politics and Society, Heritage, etc.

People who study History want to know where we come from in order to grasp what the future might look like. Analysing the past is important because trends and events have a natural tendency to repeat themselves. As the old saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

History graduates can find employment as historic buildings/conservation officers, museum/gallery curators, archaeologists, broadcast journalists or academic librarians.

View all PhDs in History . Keep in mind you can also study an online PhDs in History .

Interesting programmes for you

Best universities for history on phdportal.

• Ranking (2018)

Specialisations within the field of Humanities

• Language Studies
• Theology and Religious Studies
• Ancient History
• Christian Studies
• Creative Writing
• General Studies
• Islamic Studies
• Liberal Arts
• Modern History
• Linguistics

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="phd in history subject"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

History ph.d. (ithaca), field of study, program description.

To encourage flexibility, general requirements are kept to a minimum. These include: taking seven graduate-level seminars (of either 3 or 4 credits) including 7090, Introduction to the Graduate Study of History; demonstrate proficiency in one or two languages other than English (see below); completing the Graduate School’s residence requirement of 6 semesters of full-time study at a satisfactory level of accomplishment; teaching for at least one semester (normally as a teaching assistant); passing the “Q” examination in the second semester of study; completing one research paper by the end of the second year; the written and oral “Admission to Candidacy” examination after completion of formal study (the “A” exam); turn in an approved dissertation prospectus within three months of the “A” exam; and completing the doctoral dissertation and defending it in a final examination.

For students in African, English/British, and American history, proficiency must be demonstrated in one foreign language before a Ph.D. candidate is eligible for the Examination for Admission to Candidacy (“A” exam). Students in all other fields are required to demonstrate competence in at least two foreign languages. Language proficiency is determined at the discretion of the special committee and in consultation with the DGS. The general minimal expectation is that students be able to pass a non-introductory placement test in the relevant foreign languages(s), but depending on the student’s research, much higher levels of proficiency will be expected. Substitutions for the foreign language requirement may be petitioned.

Incoming Ph.D. students who hold a master’s degree from another university must still complete the requirements listed above. No formal transfer credit is given, but the special committee normally takes previous graduate work in history into account, which may speed the student’s regress toward the doctorate.

Contact Information

450 McGraw Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY  14853

Concentrations by Subject

• African history
• American history
• American studies (minor)
• ancient Greek history
• ancient history
• ancient Roman history
• early modern European history
• English history
• French history
• German history
• history of science
• Korean history
• Latin American history
• medieval Chinese history
• medieval history
• modern Chinese history
• modern European history
• modern Japanese history
• modern Middle Eastern history
• premodern Islamic history
• premodern Japanese history
• Renaissance history
• Russian history
• south Asian history
• Southeast Asian history

Visit the Graduate School's Tuition Rates page.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Fall, Dec. 15; no spring admission

Requirements Summary:

• all Graduate School Requirements , including the English Language Proficiency Requirement  for all applicants
• three recommendations
• writing sample

In addition to the materials required by the Graduate school, the Field of History requires all applicants to submit a writing sample (an academic paper or essay -- try to limit the length to around 50 pgs). 

Learning Outcomes

When students complete the Ph.D., they should be able to:

• Make an original and substantial contribution to the discipline, producing publishable scholarship.
• Have a broad knowledge of theory and research across three concentrations/sub-fields (which may include one minor concentration from another discipline outside history).
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of one major historical concentration/subfield.
• Communicate research findings effectively in written and in spoken presentations.
• Demonstrate effective skills in undergraduate teaching.
• Uphold professional and ethical standards in the discipline.

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Ph.D. Degree

Doctor of philosophy in history.

The period of time between a student's admission, or promotion, to the doctoral program, and advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree in the General Examination is one devoted largely to study in the student's four fields. In addition to preparing the student for the General Examination, this work has two purposes: (1) to broaden the student's historical knowledge in preparation for a teaching career, and (2) to deepen the student's historical knowledge within an area of specialty in preparation for researching and writing the Ph.D. dissertation.

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Admissions & Requirements, PhD History

You are here: american university college of arts & sciences history phd admission & course requirements.

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*Statement of purpose: explain how your research interests are relevant to the research conducted by the department's faculty

Admissions and Program Requirements

How admissions decisions are made.

Admission to the PhD program is at the discretion of the Department's Graduate Committee and Chair, who act within the framework of American University and College of Arts and Sciences standards. Admission is normally contingent upon the student's prior achievement of an MA degree, but on occasion some exceptionally well-qualified students may be admitted directly to the PhD program from their undergraduate work, although they must fulfill MA requirements on the way to the PhD.

The student's MA need not necessarily be in the discipline of history, provided that he or she has a good background in history and a strong record of course work in history at the undergraduate and graduate level. The holder of an MA degree in another field who has a limited background in history is better off applying to the History Department's MA program.

Please include a statement of purpose indicating educational and career objectives, areas of interest within history, and relevant academic or practical experience.

Please send me information about PhD in History

It looks like you already used that name and address to request information for one or more AU graduate program(s).

If you have not previously requested AU graduate program information, create a new request

History and Education PhD

Doctor of philosophy in history & education.

Admissions Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2024, Summer 2024, and Fall 2024 terms.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Points/Credits: 75
• Entry Terms: Fall

Application Deadlines

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines , such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

Additional Information

• Beginning in Fall 2023, the program in History and Education will be located in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2023-2024)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 terms.

View Full Catalog Listing

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires 75 points, including demonstrated proficiency in two foreign languages. The Ph.D. degree program emphasizes historical research in education. Candidates should be in touch with the Office of Doctoral Studies to be certain of complying with the latest procedures, deadlines, and documents.

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Program Director : Thomas James

Teachers College, Columbia University 334-E Horace Mann

Program Manager: Malgorzata Kolb

Phone: (212) 678-3751

Email: mlk2004@tc.columbia.edu

College of Arts & Sciences

PhD Application Information and Requirements

Georgetown has a highly selective History doctoral program: we accept only 10 percent of those who apply, and incoming classes average about 8-12 students.

General questions about the application process can be referred to Professor Katie Benton-Cohen , Director of Doctoral Studies, or  Carolina Madinaveitia , Graduate Programs Manager.

We strongly encourage applicants to contact their prospective mentor and other faculty members with whom they wish to pursue their doctoral degree, as well as current students in the program, prior to submitting an application, in order to verify whether Georgetown History is a good fit.

    Application Deadline

Applications for matriculation in the Fall semester are due December 1.

The PhD program does not have rolling admissions, and does not accept students for matriculation in the Spring semester.

    Applying to the PhD Program

All applicants to the PhD program should have strong analytical, language, and writing skills. An undergraduate GPA above 3.3 is expected, and above 3.5 is encouraged.

All applications must be filed through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, rather than the History Department. Visit the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions website  for the online application and additional information.

Please indicate on the application if you are applying for a joint program; joint program applicants must submit materials for both programs, and must be accepted by both programs in order to matriculate. 

Applications for PhD admission include:

• a 500-word, double spaced statement of purpose;
• a substantive sample of work (research papers preferred, maximum of 50 pages; if you are excerpting a larger work, please provide a cover page explaining the selection and larger context);
• unofficial transcripts from any and all college and universities attended (see note below on unofficial transcripts);
• GRE General Test scores (optional);
• TOEFL/IELTS where applicable (see note below on language proficiency);
• and three letters of recommendation. 

A Note on LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: All applicants are required to demonstrate a level of proficiency in the English language sufficient to meet the admission requirement of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Proficiency can be demonstrated by the receipt of a bachelor’s or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education where English is the primary language of instruction.  All other applicants must achieve at least a minimum score on either the TOEFL or IELTS test. International students who have been conferred degrees from accredited institutions where English is the primary language of instruction do not need to request a waiver of IELTS/TOEFL as part of the English proficiency confirmation process.

A Note on UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS: Per the  Graduate School Admissions team , “an acceptable transcript upload is a copy of an official transcript produced by the institution. (We consider these uploaded transcripts to be “unofficial” as they are submitted by the applicant). This includes: -Scanned copies of paper transcripts issued by the institution to the student -Electronic transcripts issued by the institution to the student (not a download from your institution’s web portal) -We do not accept screenshots or photos, and we do not accept downloads of the “student’s view” from your institution’s website.”

A Note on SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION MATERIALS: Applicants can submit their statement of purpose, writing sample, unofficial transcripts, and letters of recommendation via the online portal.  GRE and/or IELTS/TOEFL scores should be submitted directly to the Graduate School and not the History Department.  Please use code 5244 for submission of GRE and TOEFL scores. All materials must be submitted directly to the Graduate School, not the History Department . Submitting materials to the History Department directly slows down the processing of your application.

    Additional Information

Visit the  Graduate School Catalogue as well as our PhD Admissions FAQ for additional information on applying to the History PhD.

Department of History

PhD in History by Practice

Year of entry: 2024/25

Our PhD in History by Practice is an innovative route for anyone with significant experience of public history practice or research in a range of settings such as in museums, archives, heritage organisations, the media or education. 

Your research

You’ll explore your own interests, supported by training in a wide range of research methods, in a department which is a national centre for public history teaching and research. Our Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP) has spearheaded research at the intersection of scholarship, practice and public engagement.

Our staff offer a broad range of research and supervisory expertise, and our partnerships with organisations such as the Science Museum Group, the British Library and The National Archives, provide additional professional supervisory and examination capacity. 

You’ll be examined on a portfolio that draws upon an area of public history practice, such as an exhibition, documentary or participatory community project (please contact us to discuss if your area of practice is suitable). As well as this, you’ll submit a related thesis of 50,000 words.

[email protected]

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3rd in the UK for research impact

and 11th overall in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Links with the sector

We have strong partnerships and consultancies with regional and national museums, archives, heritage sites, artists and community organisations. York itself has a rich history, and is home to many heritage organisations, museums and galleries which can offer potential opportunities to our students.

Libraries and archives

The Borthwick Institute for Archives houses one of the most extensive collections of archives in the UK. York Minster Library is the largest cathedral library in the UK and holds material spanning 1000 years of history.

Explore funding for postgraduate researchers in the Department of History.

Supervision

We'll help match your research interests to our supervisory expertise. Explore the expertise of our staff.

Training and support

Your progress throughout your degree will be continually guided by your supervisor , who will help you to hone your focus and deliver specialised research.

Alongside regular meetings with your supervisor, you'll attend a Thesis Advisory Panel (TAP), consisting of at least one member of staff in addition to your supervisor. You'll meet twice a year (once a year for part-time students) to discuss your research project, including more general professional development and career training.

Course location

This course is run by the Department of History.

You'll be based on  Campus West . Most of your training and supervision meetings will take place here, though your research may take you further afield.

There are opportunities for you to study abroad. We have an annual desk exchange scheme with Lund, Sweden, which all our PhD students are invited to apply for.

Entry requirements

You should have, or be about to complete, an MA in History or a relevant subject with a distinction or very high merit. We'll also consider applicants who have longstanding work experience in their field equivalent to a Masters qualification. This will be demonstrated by CV, interview and references.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your ability.

Check your English language requirements

Apply for this course

Have a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.

Find out more about how to apply .

Identify a supervisor

As part of any application for a research degree, you'll need to name one or more academic staff who could supervise your research. You should approach them informally to discuss your proposed project before you apply.

Find a supervisor

As part of your application, you'll be interviewed by one or two academic staff members, including your prospective supervisor. The interview will last around 30 minutes to an hour, with plenty of time for you to ask questions and find out what York can offer you.

As part of the interview, you could have the chance to tour our facilities, including the Humanities Research Centre , the Borthwick Institute for Archives and the University Library , and attend a research seminar.

Careers and skills

Your PhD will help to extend your qualifications, giving you the ability to use research and historical thinking to shed light on historical problems and communicate this knowledge with others. You will become equipped with transferable skills in communication, data analysis, archival research and collaboration, opening the door to a wide range of career opportunities.

The PhD by Practice offers a unique personal development opportunity for those already in the heritage sector as well as for those who are seeking to enter it.

Our dedicated careers team offer specific support including a programme of professional researcher development and careers workshops and 1:1 career support sessions. They will help you to build up your employability portfolio and to engage in activities that will build up your skills and experience within and outside your research work.

Career opportunities:

• head of collections
• research fellow

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• Education in History
• Introduction meetings autumn 2024
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• A career as a historian?
• Study history A-Z
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• Bachelor's Programme in History (in Swedish)
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• Master's programme in History (in Swedish)

Doctoral Studies in History

• National Graduate school in History
• Graduate School in History and Historical Didactics (in Swedish)
• Finishing a dissertation (in Swedish)
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A PhD in history is a four-year programme, totalling 240 credits, divided into 60 credits of courses (equivalent to one year of study) and an independent thesis. Of the courses, the faculty-wide introduction course (7.5 credits), the theory course (7.5 credits) and the methods course (7.5 credits) are compulsory. The remaining courses take the form of thematic courses chosen in consultation with the supervisor. Two of the courses should be broad and broaden the doctoral student’s field of knowledge. Courses in teaching and learning in higher education can be included if they constitute at least 3 credits. The majority of the programme is taught in Swedish, although the thesis can be written in English. One requirement is that the applicant must have the ability to assimilate texts in Swedish.

There are opportunities to carry out departmental duties as part of the doctoral studentship (up to 20% of hours). These could include activities such as teaching or administration. An application for departmental duties shall be submitted and approved in advance. The studentship is extended accordingly.

Every doctoral student is assigned a principal supervisor, who is to have reached the grade of reader and be employed at Lund University, and an assistant supervisor, who is to hold a PhD. The organisation of the individual doctoral student’s studies is detailed in an individual study plan drawn up by the doctoral students and the supervisors at the start of the programme. The individual study plan shall be revised on a continual basis, at least once a year.

An important aspect of the programme is seminars, where the students practise giving presentations and critically and constructively highlighting and dealing with research issues, including research methods. Active participation at the seminars is expected.

A call for applications for student finance is usually published once a year, on 1 February, with the deadline for applications four weeks later. The calls are published on the faculty website under Vacancies/Lediga anställningar. Applications are to be submitted on a special application form.

The application is also an application for a doctoral studentship. Candidates may also be admitted to a studentship with another form of financing if the financing can be considered to be guaranteed for the duration of the programme. In such cases, a funding plan shall also be appended to the application.

The Department of History is responsible for the graduate school in history, which is a collaboration between the Department of History in Lund, the University of Gothenburg, Malmö University, Linnaeus University and Södertörn University. Being admitted to PhD studies at Lund University means becoming part of a creative and inspiring study environment.

• PhD vacancies

Admission requirements

The general admission requirements are a second-cycle (Master’s) degree and higher education courses totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits at Master’s level, or equivalent knowledge acquired in another way in Sweden or abroad.

The specific admission requirements are a degree project in history, historical studies or equivalent worth at least 15 credits at Master’s level and ability to understand written Swedish.

For further information, please contact the Director of Studies responsible for PhD studies:

• Martin Dackling
• Doctoral student information
• Graduate School in History
• Graduate School in History and History Didactics (in Swedish)
• Postgraduate (third-cycle) studies at the Faculties of Humanities and Theology

Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) awards our PhD Education in History the best score possible: High quality

PhD Studies The Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology

National Graduate School in History

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PhD in History

• Updated on  
• Apr 25, 2023

Revolutions are the locomotive of History. – Karl Marx

A PhD in History emphasises how History meticulously explores the age-old old civilizations and prehistoric events along with major historical revolutions and the evolution of the world civilization and society at large. It is not merely the composition of the past but teaches us many important lessons of forgiveness, truth and humanity as well as introduces us to the great leaders and revolutions that happened centuries ago. It can take the tremendous form of a story filled with tales of turmoil and triumph. Amongst the popular art stream subjects , History holds many untold stories and tales of turmoil and triumph. For those enthusiastic about studying this subject, an undergraduate and postgraduate can introduce you to the all-encompassing world of History as an area of study but if you want to further your education, a PhD is the right degree to opt for. This blog brings you a comprehensive course guide on PhD in History, top universities offering this degree, eligibility and admission criteria and career scope.

This Blog Includes:

Phd in history course overview, why study phd in history, phd in history eligibility criteria, top universities for phd in history abroad, top 10 colleges for phd in history in india, phd in history online, subjects covered in phd in history, phd in history books, jobs & salary in india.

PhD in History is a doctoral-level program which can range from 3-5 years in duration and is a research-intensive course. You will get to learn about world history at a deeper level unravelling the moral historical values, ethics, written records and event of humanity in past historical times. Further, you will also study the imperative aspects of culture, social norms, and religious, economical and political development from prehistoric times to the modern 21st century. The course structure mainly consists of researched-based assignments, a thesis, tour visits to historical places and a study of materialistic history. 

Students inclined towards studying PhD in History can find the below reasons that prove to be advantageous in their favour:

• Professionals with a PhD in History are able to expand their career path and go on to become educators, historians, and archivists.
• Furthermore, employment options in the education sector, and museums, are also available for students with a PhD in History.
• Studying a PhD in History allows the student to research the historical understanding of the world, expanding their worldview that they can apply in academia.
• The salary structure of jobs that a PhD in History helps find the student is also decent and worthy.

If you are planning to pursue a PhD in history then you should be aware of the eligibility criteria for this course. Though the actual course requirements might vary as per the program and university, here are the major eligibility requirements for PhD in History:

• The candidate should have completed a master’s degree in History such as an MA in History or any of its varied specialisations with the minimum scores specified by their chosen university.
• Many Indian universities have their PhD entrance exams like UGC NET, JMI Entrance Exam, etc. which you must qualify for applying to your chosen doctoral program in History.
• If you planning to study abroad, then you will have to provide GRE scores along with language proficiency scores of IELTS / TOEFL , etc. Moreover, you will also have to submit an SOP , LORs and research proposal.

There are many top international universities offering doctorate degrees in history and its various specialisations. Below we have enlisted some of the popular universities and colleges offering this course:

India is home to some of the finest colleges offering this course. Check out the list we have curated for you of colleges you can consider:

• Jamia Milia Islamia
• Lovely Professional University
• Jadavpur University
• Jawaharlal Nehru University
• University of Hyderabad
• Delhi University
• University of Madras
• Utkal University
• Banaras Hindu University

Online learning has changed the face of the education sector. Students are able to study from any corner of the world from the top faculties without relocating. One more added advantage is that online courses are much more affordable as compared to other courses:

• University of Pennsylvania
• Liberty University
• Iowa State University
• Indiana University
• University of Rochester

Most of the subjects in doctorate level in history are diverted towards the study of various branches of history like political science, social history and diplomatic history. Aside from these subjects, there are many interdisciplinary core subjects taught during this course. Tabulated below are the common subjects offered during the course:

• Readings in trends in the historiography
• Themes in early Indian history
• Political History in Ancient India 
• Research Methodology
• Aspects of social-economic historical of medieval India
• Debates in Modern Indian History
• Modern language
• Pre-ancient language

Some of the books that can assist you in your study are mentioned below.

• Indian History by Krishna Reddy
• India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
• Medieval India by Satish Chandra
• Modern India by Sumit Sarkar
• The Wonder that was India by A.L. Basham

Being a popular doctoral degree, you can explore an array of opportunities across several sectors. At a wider prospect, it focuses on the research and analyses the historical data ad structure. Tabulated below are the various sectors and job profiles you can consider after pursuing the degree.

Yes, IGNOU offers PhD with a specialization in History.

IIT Varanasi is one of the best for PhD in History.

Jamia Milia Islamia, JNU are among the top-ranked colleges for PhD degrees.

Thus, we hope this blog helped you understand all the key details about PhD in History. If you are planning to pursue a PhD from abroad and are unsure about choosing the right university, our Leverage Edu experts are just a click away. Sign up for a free career counselling session with us and we will help you explore the best universities as per your preferences and interests! 

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PhD History Syllabus and Subjects

PhD History syllabus varies from one college to another, and it is divided into several branches of History such as political science, social History, and Diplomatic History. Besides this, many-core subjects are included in the course curriculum.

Semester Wise PhD. in History Syllabus

The PhD. in History syllabus is divided into six semesters to ensure that students systematically understand the core subjects. PhD History course aims to ensure that the students have access to all the vital information they need to succeed in their career paths. Listed below is the syllabus for PhD. in History offered by various colleges and universities.

PhD in History First Year Syllabus

Listed below are common subjects comprising PhD in History syllabus.

PhD in History Second Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of PhD in History subjects in the second year:

PhD in History Third Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of PhD in History subjects in the third year:

PhD History Subjects

PhD in History subjects had a broad view of social, cultural, religious, political and economic aspects, and it helps students develop core knowledge of this subject. PhD in History has some of the core subjects.

PhD History Core Subjects

Listed below are some of the core subjects for a PhD in History:

• Research Methodology
• Themes in early Indian History
• Political History in Accident India
• Aspects of Social-economic Historical of medieval India

PhD in History Course Structure

The PhD. in History course includes core subjects, and it is divided into six semesters. PhD. in History is a three-year full-time doctorate course that deals with written evidence and records of humanity. Listed below is the course structure:

• VI Semesters
• Core Subjects
• Doctorate Course
• Research Project

PhD Teaching Methodology and Techniques

PhD teaching methodology and technique are unique and train researchers with key historical issues and concepts with which students will be capable of conducting depth research and analysis. Listed below are some of the teaching methodology and techniques:

• Practical Sessions
• Research Papers
• Group Discussions
• Traditional Classroom-Based Teaching

PhD Course Projects

Students need to go through different research projects to understand the subject well. Professors coordinate projects to evaluate the student's understanding of the subjects. Listed below are some of the course projects students go through during the course:

• Understanding cultural, legal studies
• A development channel in a crisis states
• Defining the global Middle ages
• China War with Japan
• League of Nations

PhD in History Course Books

Students will be able to access various books from various authors, which will be easier to study in this course. Books are a good source of information for students, and they can also learn about topics of their interest. Students can borrow books from the library or can purchase or maybe can download them online. Listed below are some of the popular books for PhD in History:

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Doctor of Philosophy in History Top Colleges, Admission, Syllabus, Books, Jobs and Scope 2024

Sushil Pandey

Senior Content Specialist

PhD History or Doctor of Philosophy in History is a 3 years full-time doctorate course which is the study of written events and records of humanity. It explains a broad view of social, cultural, religious, political, and economic developments from the prehistoric times. It grants students to study some of the world's most historical people, events, and cultures. The minimum duration of this program is three years and the maximum duration is five years.

This PhD History program focused on providing knowledge in advanced studies in history in depth. Coursework covers the areas of political study, gender & sexuality, and training imparts knowledge in vast areas. The program is designed for students to develop skills in conducting research work in original and equips them with varied methodologies. The training offers an intensive course and introduces them to theoretical aspects of history and historical practice.

Admission to the PhD History course is based on an entrance test followed by an interview conducted by the various Universities. Candidates who have UGC-CSIR NET (including JRF), UGC-NET (including JRF), SLET, GATE, teacher fellowship holder or have passed M.Phil. The program is exempted from the Entrance Test but is required to appear for the Interview.

To be eligible for undertaking the study of PhD History, candidates must be a qualified graduate with History as their Honors subject. Candidates having passed the postgraduate level are also eligible for this extensive study.

Table of Content

PhD History: Course Highlights

Phd history: what is it about.

2.1   Why Study?

PhD History Admission Process

3.1  Eligibility

3.2  Entrance Exam

PhD History Top Colleges

4.1   College Comparison

PhD History Syllabus

5.1   Books

• Course Comparison
• PhD History Job Prospects

7.1   Future Scope

History is the study of the past with primary attention to the activities of human beings over time. PhD History is an extensive academic degree awarded by many universities for hardcore research in any specific piece or detailed information of history.

• In a few countries, PhD History is regarded as one of the highest degrees that any person can earn as it requires an extensive amount of study for long durations of time along with research on those happenings in concern.
• The format of awarding the PhD History degree to any candidate varies from place to place. Whereas a few colleges/ universities may ask for detailed evidence of the study done to achieve the degree, some may ask for the thesis only and proof of the research work done.
• There is simply no specific order of awarding the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy. Usually, the fund required for the research in this field is provided by the university or college from the student’s welfare fund.
• PhD History narrates a broad view of religious, political, social, cultural, and economic developments from the prehistoric times. The lessons generally include an introduction viewpoint of the people's movements and the important events of those periods around this world.

Why Study PhD History?

Students who want to know about research and analyze historical facts and data in great depth are a good suit for the course. They also possess qualities like the capacity to think objectively and approach problems and new situations with an open mind. Candidates also should possess the ability to construct an argument and communicate findings in a clear and persuasive manner, both orally and in writing.

Some of the popular reasons why PhD History must be pursued is as follows:

• A Doctor Degree course in History seeks to establish themes and patterns in human History to expose meaning and common causality.
• Professionals with degrees in history can lead careers as historians, educators, and archivists.
• They can also find employment in museums and at historical sites, teaching visitors about the historical significance of exhibits.
• Candidates also should possess the ability to construct an argument and communicate findings in a clear and persuasive manner, both orally and in writing.
• After passing the course, they can also go for teaching areas both for permanent and that of private.

These top schools providing this doctoral program are unique in multiple ways, such as the areas of study offered, applicant requirements, and more. The PhD History program has an average annual course fee which ranges between INR 4,000 - 3 Lakhs depending upon the institute offering the course.

PhD History graduates can choose their profession as professors or lecturers in schools, colleges, universities after completion of this course or they can join any historical group who carry out research and publish their works on a global scale and they also can continue personal research if they intend to. The average annual salary offered for the PhD program ranges between INR 2 - 12 lakhs depending upon the candidate’s expertise in the field.

Most colleges and institutes offering PhD History courses admit students based on the graduate degree level examination marks. However, there are some institutes which do conduct entrance examinations to judge a candidate’s capability.

The following are the two major pathways through which PhD History admissions takes place:

• Merit-Based Admission: Most private universities that offer PhD History courses usually admit students based on the marks secured at the master’s graduate degree. Besides that, these colleges may conduct a Personal Interview or a small Written Test to further know the candidate’s skills.
• Entrance Exam Based: Top PhD Colleges like Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, University of Madras, etc. offer admission in the PhD History program through entrance examinations that usually consist of MCQ based questions related to Historical ethics and events, helping the college to screen the deserving candidates for admission.

When the Entrance Exam results will be out then colleges may further conduct a Personal Interview Round of the qualified candidates to know their interest in the course, skills, and career.

PhD History Eligibility

The common PhD History eligibility criteria to be successfully admitted into a college offering this course is as follows:

• Any aspiring candidates should have passed an M.Phil Degree and a Postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline with minimum 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PH candidates) or an equivalent grade from a University or a recognized institution of higher training.
• Master’s Degree in a relevant discipline with minimum 55% (50% for SC/ST/PH candidates) or an equivalent grade from a university or a recognized institution of higher learning and five years of teaching/industry/administration/professional experience at senior level.
• For Students without M.Phil - Pass in Post-graduation in History with 50% aggregate marks for direct admission into the Ph.D. program. They must complete the Part I examination. The minimum duration of the period for submission of the thesis is 3 years.
• For Students with M.Phil - Pass in a Master’s Degree in History with M.Phil in History. These students are exempted from the Part I examination. The duration for submission of the thesis is 2 years.

The above-stated eligibility criteria are the basic eligibility criteria. Each college will have its criterion on which prospective candidates are judged.

PhD History Entrance Exam

Some colleges that offer PhD History programs require their candidates to sit for an entrance examination.

Listed below are some of the popular PhD History entrance exams.

• CSIR-UGC NET for JRF Entrance Exam : CSIR UGC NET is a national-level exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to shortlist candidates for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) or lectureship in Indian universities and colleges.
• UGC NET Entrance Exam : The UGC NET for JRF, also known as National Eligibility Test (NET) or NTA-UGC-NET, is the test for determining the eligibility for the post of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) or Asst. Professor award in Indian universities and colleges.
• JMI Entrance Exam: Jamia Millia Islamia offers various research programs offered in M.Phil. and Ph.D. courses. The Ph.D. programs require the candidates to hold a Master’s Degree as the basic requirement. The admission is based on the Entrance test conducted by Jamia Millia Islamia for each course

How to Prepare for a PhD History Entrance Exams?

• The syllabus for PhD History entrance exams will vary from institute to institute. However, most exams concentrate on History related to current affairs subject knowledge and skills.
• The entire entrance exam in most of the subjects is a maximum of 100 marks and the duration of the test is two hours or in some cases, it could be three hours.
• The question paper of the PhD entrance test is divided into two parts out of which: one part contains the objective type (MCQs) and another part contains subjective type questions related to the concerned subject.
• Candidates must follow the previous year’s PhD entrance test question papers   and see the pattern of the papers

Students should consider buying study material and practice material of Ph.D. (History) entrance exams so that they prepare well for the same.

How to get admission in a good PhD History college?

To get admission in top PhD History colleges, the following points must be kept in mind:

• The application process for most of the institutes starts in January every year and the classes begin in August.
• The Colleges shortlist candidates through respective entrance exams followed by an interview.
• The best way is to appear for CSIR-NET and UGC-NET exams to get a good college for PhD and some of the colleges' GATE is also used as a prerequisite.
• Getting into a good college for the admission in PhD History program, candidates need to score well in the respective entrance exams.

The table below shows the best PhD History colleges   and universities that offer the course in a full-time mode.

PhD History College Comparison

The tabulation below shows the comparison made among the three top PhD History Colleges in India.

Source: College Websites

Although the PhD History course curriculum varies from college to college, it mostly consists of some common foundation courses that students can select based on his/her interests.

The table below shows common subjects that are included in the structured PhD History syllabus and subjects included in it:

PhD History Books

Tabulated below are some of the PhD History subject books that can help students to have a broader and better understanding of the course. The books mentioned below will also help the students in cracking various PhD History exams.

PhD History Course Comparison

PhD History vs. PhD Ancient History

Both PhD History and PhD Ancient History   have a bright future in the field of research and analyze historical facts and data. There are many colleges in India who prefer both of the courses in their academic structure.

Check the table below for more comparative details:

The eligibility and admission criteria for both these degrees are the same. In terms of Career and Salary, both PhD History and PhD Ancient History have great career prospects and job opportunities, and individuals can earn an average salary of around INR 2-12 LPA or more in some cases depending upon candidate's skills, knowledge, and experience.

PhD History Job Prospects and Career Options

In India, PhD History is one of the top career choices in Arts made by students who opt to research and analyze historical facts and data. There are lots of job opportunities available in India as well as in foreign countries for History graduates.

• After earning the degree of PhD History, people can start as professors or lecturers in Universities or join any historical group who carry out research and publish their works on a global scale and they also can continue personal research if they intend to.
• Having a PhD History degree and a postgraduate qualification in Museum Studies, they could be a curator.
• If graduates want to be in an administrative position likewise in the other sectors this course will be required.
• A lot of museums and galleries have so many vacancies and they will be looking for graduates with teacher training experience rather than there will also be support roles for unqualified people.
• The National Department has a large number of heritage sites that not only manages historic buildings but also vast acreages of grounds which will require traditional agricultural and horticultural management.

The table below shows some of the most common PhD History job profiles and career prospects after completing the course is as follows:

Source: Payscale

PhD History Future Scope

Students having a PhD History are importantly serving the education industry and due to the laws of UGC one position of Head of Department is always secured for Ph.D holders only.

• Candidates with this degree can find a wide range of opportunities in varied sectors across the globe in educational institutions, libraries, archives, archaeological department’s museums.
• In this field, the job positions include as a data analyst, analyst, journalist, lecturer, library facilitator, educator, researcher, writer, producer, project officer, research assistant, professor, chief operation officer, project manager, communication coordinator, marketing assistant.
• Education careers in history can also lead on to broadcasting careers or writing, providing outlets for historians to share their expertise with public audiences and/or readerships.
• Libraries, galleries, museums, and other historical archives all provide opportunities to pursue history careers in archiving and heritage

Ques. What are the top colleges for PhD History?

Ans. The top institutes and colleges for PhD History are Banaras Hindu University, University of Madras, Loyola College, Utkal University, IIT BHU, among others.

Ques. What are the subjects in PhD History?

Ans. Some of the subjects taught in PhD History are Indian history, ancient history, modern India, etc.

Ques. Which job profiles are available for a PhD History?

Ans. Students of PhD History can work as a Tutor, Researcher, History teacher, corporate historian, Historical Writer, Researcher, etc.

Ques. What is the annual average tuition fee charged for the PhD History program?

Ans. The annual average tuition fee at the top PhD History colleges is between INR 5,000 to INR 3 Lakh.

Ques. What is the scope after PhD History?

Ans. Students can choose a wide range of opportunities in varied sectors across the globe in educational institutions, libraries, archives, archaeological department’s museums.

Ques. What is the average salary in PhD Mathematics?

Ans. The salary ranges from INR 2 – 12 LPA as per the job profile.

Ques. What are the areas of employment in the PhD History field?

Ans. Several areas of employment are there such as students can work at Museums, art galleries, historical sites, national parks, archaeological surveys of India.

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Placement and training cell is working hard and providing quality on-campus placements in good companies. Focus on the skills, that will definitely help you out in achieving goals. If you can work hard, you can always win the race. The college provides an internship with a monthly stipend of around 7000.

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The college organizes various cultural events, conferences, seminars, and workshops college provides the students with a sports complex with adequate facilities for sports activities. The one-day university-level workshop, a national workshop, are regularly conducted in the college.

Ph.D. (English)

Ph.d. (economics), m.phil. (english), ph.d. (hindi), ph.d. (sociology), ph.d. (history) colleges in india.

IIT Madras - Indian Institute of Technology - [IITM]

Amity University

Jamia Millia Islamia University-[JMI]

Banaras Hindu University - [BHU]

Loyola College

Presidency College

St. Xavier's College

University of Hyderabad - [UOH]

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Monday, July 15, 2024 7pm to 9pm PT

Li Ka Shing Center, LK102 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305 View map

This event is open to: General Public

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Event Details:

The LASERs (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) are an international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal presentations and conversation with an audience. This evening, chaired by cultural historian Piero Scaruffi, will feature three talks:

- Patricia Alessandrini (Stanford) on "Ada's Song: Artistic Research in Robotics from a (Cyber)Feminist Perspective"

- Rohini Devasher (Media Artist live from India) on "Between Wonder and the Strange"

- Joon Park (Stanford) on "Smallville: Illustrating Our Lives with Generative Agents"

- Richard Lowenberg (Artist and Eco-cultural Activist) on "Telluride 2024 - The Nature of Information"

Patricia Alessandrini teaches at Stanford CCRMA. She is a composer/sound artist, educator and researcher actively engaging with notions of canonicity, representation, interpretation, perception and memory, often in a social and political context, through work which is for the most part interactive and/or intermedial. She will speak about her work as a composer/sound artist, from the design of interfaces and instruments for inclusive performance to the development of the Piano Machine, a system that mechanically excites piano strings using Machine Learning processes in response to live performance. She will also discuss her new project employing soft robotics in a cyberfeminist, futurist installation and performance.

Rohini Devasher, based in India, is a media artist who works with video, painting, printmaking, drawing and installation. Her expansive projects create worlds that emerge from deep research and scientific explorations, illuminating and complicating the subjects at hand.  Devasher will share work that maps the complexities of ecology, cosmology, and technology viewed through the twin lenses of wonder and the strange. The theoretical grounding of her work draws from the history of science, astronomy, philosophy and speculative fiction.

Joon Sung Park is a computer science PhD student in the Human-Computer Interaction and Natural Language Processing groups at Stanford University. His work introduces the concept of, and the techniques for creating generative agents -- computational agents that simulate human behavior. His work has won best paper awards at UIST and CHI, as well as multiple best paper nominations and other paper awards.

Richard Lowenberg has spent over 50 years creatively integrating understandings and grounded involvements in non-profit .org development, architecture, environmental/ecosystems design, interspecies communication, rural community + networked society planning, performance, new media and eco-arts/sciences practices. He has dedicated his creative life to realization of works exploring and setting examples for an ‘ecology of the information environment’ and resulting opportunities for growing a vibrant cultural economy.

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Detailed bios at: www.lasertalks.com 

The LASERs (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous), chaired by cultural historian Piero Scaruffi, are an international program of evening gatherings that bring together artists, scientists, inventors and scholars in a variety of disciplines for informal presentations and conversation with an audience.

The Stanford LASERs are co-sponsored by the deans of Humanities and Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

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