History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

George Washington Univ.

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

modern America, imperial and colonial, early modern Europe, Cold War, modern East Asia

Program Description

George Washington University offers an exciting range of opportunities for the study of history. With more than thirty full-time faculty members, GW's History Department always offers its students a stimulating variety of courses, in topics ranging from ancient Greece to modern Africa. The university's location in the heart of our nation's capital gives students unequaled access to the original documents that lie at the core of historical inquiry and to unparalleled internship opportunities with the federal government, Smithsonian Institution museums, and some of the most prestigious archives in the nation.

Special Programs or Resources

Graduate study at George Washington University provides students with unparalleled access to major archives and libraries a well as opportunities to gain practical experience that is vital in today's competitive job market. Those working in American history make extensive use of the vast array of records at the National Archives. Students of early modern Europe utilize the comprehensive collections of the Folger Shakespeare Library. GW itself is home to the National Security Archive, the world's largest non-governmental library of declassified documents, most of which pertain to the political and diplomatic history of the United States since World War II. And GW is just blocks from the Library of Congress, which houses the largest and most diverse history collection of any library in the world. Our graduate students can also easily pursue internship opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History, which provides graduate students with hands-on training at the nation's foremost history museum. Those who seek archival skills often intern at the National Archives, the National Security Archive, or the State Department Historian's Office. GW also offers its own archival opportunities in history, as the university is home to three major documentary projects that encourage student involvement. In addition to the National Security Archive, GW also operates the First Federal Congress Project, which is publishing a multi-volume collection of documents relating to the creation of the federal government of the United States. The third major historical documents project at GW is the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, whose publications focus on Roosevelt's political and human rights work. Dozens of GW students, including many whose fields of interest are not closely related to these projects, have gained invaluable archival experience while pursuing a graduate degree in history at GW. Finally, GW is home to The Documentary Center, a hands-on program in documentary filmmaking with an emphasis on historical subjects. Many GW graduate students have found the Documentary Center's curriculum a valuable addition to their more traditional history coursework.

Financial Aid

We currently have 23 Ph.D. students on full fellowship. Most of them work as teaching assistants, but some serve as research assistants. With entering class of 2006, we began a policy of only admitting doctoral students we can fully fund for five years, and we plan to continue that policy for the foreseeable future. This policy means that we can only accept Ph.D. students willing to work on their degrees full time. We will have about five of these fellowships to offer to incoming students each year.

Degree Requirements

Doctoral students must complete a minimum 48 credit hours of coursework (16 courses). Up to 24 of those credit hours can be transferred in from previous graduate programs. Students take three comprehensive qualifying exams over a three-day period.

University Information:

University Type: Private, not-for-profit

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1895

History PhDs conferred to Date: 185

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred (2000–04): Large [Explain]

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	13
	Associate Professor	11
	Assistant Professor	6
	Instructor/Lecturer
	Joint Appointment
	Emeritus Faculty	6
	Part-time faculty

Relative Size based on Number of Full-time Faculty: Medium [Explain]

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 100
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 32%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 30

Relative Size Based on Graduate Student Enrollment (2002–04): Large [Explain]

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department