History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

Carnegie Mellon Univ.

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

women and family, history and policy, African American, science/technology/environment, anthropology and history

Program Description

The graduate studies program at Carnegie Mellon University is based on five thematic areas of faculty strength: labor and politics; women and family; African American and diaspora; science, technology, environment, and health; and culture and power. These areas, which cut across national and temporal boundaries, form the basis for a shared curriculum. Although many of our students pursue research topics in the history of the United States, we also have students who specialize in Russian, Chinese, European, and Latin American history. In addition to strong national training, our program aims to provide students with broad exposure to transnational issues through a range of thematic and methodological courses. Almost all our students serve as teaching assistants in a large World History course. Regardless of which national fields our students choose to research, our program encourages them to explore thematic issues that transcend national boundaries. Our program is small by design, and students receive a great deal of individual attention from faculty. The program strongly emphasizes research, and all students participate in a year-long research seminar.

Special Programs or Resources

Students have access to the Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh libraries. We maintain an exchange program with the University of Pittsburgh, which enables students to take courses at both universities. CMU and the University of Pittsburgh collaborate in a number of joint seminars, including the Working Class History Seminar. CMU hosts CAUSE, the Center for African American Urban Studies and the Economy, which sponsors speakers, post doctoral fellowships and a wide range of other activities. CAUSE links race, work, and economic change over time with contemporary analyses of the urban labor force, employment policies, and community development. The History Department maintains an exchange with Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, hosting Russian faculty and enabling graduate students and faculty to pursue research in Russian archives and libraries. Advanced graduate students have the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant at the CMU Qatar campus. Qatar provides an ideal setting in which to finish writing the dissertation, and gain international experience. The History Department also sponsors an annual Graduate Student Forum, which provides graduate students with an opportunity to present their work, and graduate student conferences in collaboration with other universities.

Financial Aid

Carnegie Mellon is a private university with tuition rates comparable to those of other such institutions ($32,200 for 2007-08). The Department of History has resources to support graduate students through full tuition waivers, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. We try to manage the admissions process in such a way that all Ph.D. students making satisfactory progress will be supported for at least four years.
The History Department offers four-year financial aid packages for incoming graduate students, including full tuition remission plus a yearly stipend of $17,500 + health insurance. Most commonly, six entering Ph.D. students will receive such awards on the basis of merit and need. After the first year of study, students receiving financial aid are generally expected to work in teaching or research assistantships. (Students also get a semester free of obligation following defense of their dissertation prospectus) in order to do dissertation research. All financial awards are conditional on satisfactory progress in the program. First- and second-year students are rigorously evaluated each semester, and continuing students are monitored regularly as to their satisfactory progress. Students whose dissertation research continues beyond the fifth year remain eligible for financial support, although the department cannot guarantee it.

Degree Requirements

1. Two years of coursework, with a total of 12.5 courses, including:
Theory and Method
United States Proseminar
Transnational Proseminar
Research Seminar (two semesters)
Three of five courses in the following topics: labor and politics; women and family; African American and diaspora; science, technology, environment, and health; and culture and power.
Four readings courses or electives
Mini course in instruction
2. Students are encouraged to take their Doctoral Qualifying Exams at the end of their fifth semester, and complete and receive approval of a prospectus of their planned dissertation research soon after.
3. Completion of doctoral dissertation

University Information:

University Type: Private, not-for-profit

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1983

History PhDs conferred to Date: 92

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

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	10
	Associate Professor	5
	Assistant Professor	7
	Instructor/Lecturer
	Joint Appointment
	Emeritus Faculty	4
	Part-time faculty

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 25
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 90%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 7

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

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department