History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

New Hampshire, Univ. of

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

early and modern America, early modern and modern Europe, comparative

Program Description

Its location in the center of New England and the close working relationship between faculty and students makes the University an especially appealing environment for the study of history. The style of the department is informal, with ample time for each student to develop individual interest under the direction of faculty advisers. Students are encouraged to refine their own research and education within the scope of faculty expertise. A number of our graduate students have published papers in both regional and national journals, including the Journal of American History and the William and Mary Quarterly. Several have gained practical experience working in museums such as Strawberry Banke in nearby Portsmouth, in historic preservation projects, historical societies, and archives. The history department has attracted a nationally recognized faculty with particular strengths in Comparative and American history. The department has special research and teaching expertise in Atlantic history, social and intellectual history, maritime and environmental history, the history of race and ethnicity, and the history of religion. The Ph.D. is intended to prepare students for professional careers as active scholars and teachers. In this department, all Ph.D. students specialize in U.S. history. Students with a particularly strong secondary field outside of U.S. history may write dissertations that involve comparative studies of U.S. history. Before writing any dissertation, Ph.D. students must demonstrate competence in reading a foreign language, then pass a set of written and oral comprehensive examinations.

Special Programs or Resources

Students may pursue a Cognate in College Teaching under the aegis of the universitys Graduate School.

Financial Aid

No information provided

Degree Requirements

1) Coursework. The Department has only a few specific requirements for students in the Ph.D. program. Before taking the comprehensive exams, they must (1) take at least one Research Seminar in Early American History and one in Modern U.S. History; (2) take the general Reading Colloquium in Early American and Modern U.S. History, History 989 and 990; (3) take History 875, Historical Methods; and (4) demonstrate competence in reading one foreign language.
2) Seminars. Research seminars are small, advanced courses that require an article length research paper. They are usually numbered 988 to 993. Note that Colloquia, for which students read intensively and usually write bibliographical essays, do not count toward the seminar requirement.
3) Historical Methods. History 875 is normally offered annually in the Fall semester. Students who can demonstrate completion of a graduate level historical methods course at another university or college may petition for exemption from this requirement.
4) Foreign Language Exam. All Ph.D. students must demonstrate competence in reading in at least one foreign (non English) language. Most language exams are administered by history faculty. Occasionally students have good reason for taking an exam in a language for which no faculty are competent to give an exam; in such cases, students need to arrange for an exam elsewhere. Students who have passed a comparable graduate-level language exam at another institution may request exemption from an exam in that language. Students may also fulfill the foreign language requirement by taking a foreign language class at UNH.

University Information:

University Type: Public

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1974

History PhDs conferred to Date: 70

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

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	9
	Associate Professor	12
	Assistant Professor	2
	Instructor/Lecturer
	Joint Appointment	1
	Emeritus Faculty
	Part-time faculty	5

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 59
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 85%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 25

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

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department