History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

American Univ.

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

U.S., early modern and modern Europe, public

Program Description

The Department offers graduate work leading to the MA and PhD degrees. Its areas of greatest strength and course coverage at the graduate level are in American history and in modern European history (including Britain and Russia). Students interested in other areas of the world and other time periods will find some relevant courses in the department, in other parts of the university, and through the resources of the Washington, D. C. Consortium of Universities. Such students will find it possible to develop minor fields of study ("outside fields") other than American and modern European history, as well as (major or minor) cross-national and cross disciplinary fields. The Department offers course work and guidance in public history, political history, diplomatic history, history of imperialism and post-colonialism, comparative history, intellectual history, quantitative history, social and cultural history, history of sexuality and gender, history of medicine and science, African American history and ethnic history.

Special Programs or Resources

The National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and many, many other museums, archives, libraries and historical sites make our Washington D.C. location an incomparable place to study history. The Department has collaborative relationships with many of these institutions. The American University Library is part of the Washington Consortium of Research Libraries, which provides faculty and students with common access to the resources of eight university libraries. The Department annually offers a non-credit doctoral seminar which focuses on professional development issues such as research and writing, teaching and job search, and features the presentation of work in progress by doctoral students. Students may also participate in the University-wide "Greenberg Seminar." Technical support and training is available through the University's Center for Teaching, Research and Learning. The Department provides especially strong support for the history of women and gender through its Patrick Clendenen Endowment.

Financial Aid

The Department awards Doctoral Fellowships that include tuition remission, a stipend of $15,000 and the opportunity to serve (with pay) as a teaching assistant. Fellowships are awarded for three and four years, depending on whether or not the candidate enters with a BA or an MA.

Degree Requirements

For students entering with a BA, 72 credits; for students entering with an MA in history or a related discipline, 42 credits. Doctoral candidates must pass comprehensive examinations in four fields, including an outside field (two courses and a research paper) and the dissertation field (an approved prospectus).

University Information:

University Type: Private, not-for-profit

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1936

History PhDs conferred to Date: 184

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

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	6
	Associate Professor	3
	Assistant Professor	8
	Instructor/Lecturer	1
	Joint Appointment
	Emeritus Faculty	7
	Part-time faculty	6

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 83
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 56%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 30

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

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department