History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

Michigan Technological Univ.

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

America, technology, business, industrial archaeology, industrial heritage and material culture

Program Description

The department launched an MS program in industrial archaeology in 1992, building upon a unique combination of interdisciplinary faculty expertise (history of technology, archaeology and anthropology, architectural history) and regional resources. A Ph.D. program in industrial heritage and archeology that extends this program to the doctoral level enters its third year in fall 2007. Faculty scholarly interests in industrial societies, industrialization, and environmental policy span the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology, history, architecture, and sociology, offering students a broad perspective. The doctoral program has an explicit focus upon industrial history questions that reside at the intersection of archeology, architectural history and material culture; heritage and memory; and environmental history.

Special Programs or Resources

The program sponsors an annual field school focusing on industrial archaeology and history and historical archaeology. The site of field programs since 2002 has been the remains of one of the America's leading 19th-century cannon and iron production facilities, the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, NY. Earlier field schools have been conducted at historic copper and iron mining sites in Michigans Upper Peninsula. Information about the 2008 field school can be obtained form the Department. The department supports an archaeology lab that is actively involved in regional, national, and international archaeological field projects. The lab has full range of equipment for archaeological fieldwork, Macintosh and Windows-based computers with graphics scanning capabilities, equipment for both low-power and polarized light microscopy, access to magnetometer, ground-penetrating radar units, and GPS equipment as well as GIS software.
The University Library has extensive holdings related to engineering and industrial history and the University Archives contains an important collection of original materials concerning the history of the Keweenaw region, including the records of many of the copper mining companies that once worked in the area.
The industrial archaeology program serves as the institutional and editorial home for the Society for Industrial Archaeology and its journal, IA.

Financial Aid

Teaching and research assistantships are available with stipends valued at up to $4684 (MS) and $5438 (Ph.D.) plus tuition and fees per semester. The program seeks to identify research projects for all MS students with external funding for support during their second year. Doctoral students normally receive support during their first two years.

Degree Requirements

MS: 34 credits; thesis or sponsored research report required; defense and presentation of proposal. Doctoral students with an MA/MS will complete an additional 45 additional hours (including two required seminars) and about 30 hours of coursework or directed reading culminating in comprehensive written and oral examinations. Students then are expected to complete 15 hours of dissertation research. Degree requirements adhere to the general rules established by the university's Graduate School.

University Information:

University Type: Public

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities--Intensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: Not reported

Total History PhDs conferred to Date: Not reported

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

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	5
	Associate Professor	9
	Assistant Professor	2
	Instructor/Lecturer	1
	Joint Appointment
	Emeritus Faculty
	Part-time faculty	1

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 14
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students:

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 7

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

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department