History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

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The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century

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Chicago , Univ. of

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

U.S., Europe, Latin America, East and South Asia, intellectual

Program Description

From its 1892 establishment as one of the founding departments of the University of Chicago, the History Department's attention has focused on programs leading to the Ph.D. degree in a broad range of fields. At Chicago you will find an academic environment in which basic research on the history of culture and societies throughout the world thrives, nurtured within the University's rich tradition of intellectual distinction and rigor. Theoretically sophisticated comparative and interdisciplinary approaches are a hallmark of the Ph.D. program. Along with graduate fields organized by traditional regional, national, and chronological boundaries, the Department offers a comprehensive range of interdisciplinary, theoretical, and comparative fields of study. We strongly encourage students to take courses outside of History and to compose one of their three oral fields in a comparative discipline. Applicants interested in the study of history at the master's level only should apply to one of the University's master of arts programs.

Special Programs or Resources

A distinctive part of our program are the interdisciplinary workshops that bring together students and faculty from throughout the University for intellectual exchange; the Department of History also sponsors a Professional Issues Workshop, which draws faculty and graduate students together to discuss issues of historical craft and method; teacher training is provided by the University's Center for Teaching and Learning; and academic and other job placement advice is provided by the Department's Committee on Fellowships and Placement, as well as the University's Career Advising and Planning Services. The University has one of the nation's leading university libraries with over 6 million volumes and 8 million non-book items; other research libraries of note in the Chicago area include the Newberry Library, the regional depository of the National Archives, the Center for Research Libraries, and the Chicago Historical Society.

Financial Aid

Academic record and scholarly promise are used as criteria for offering admission and financial aid, but need or United States citizenship are not factors. Currently these offers are tuition plus a $19,000 stipend for five years, or a tuition scholarship alone for the first two years with an increase to tuition plus a $19,000 stipend in years three through five. In the third through fifth year of fellowships, a portion of the stipend award comprises teaching service for the College. Thirty to thirty-four students matriculate each year. History graduate students are eligible to receive up to $300 for travel to two recognized conference presentations over the course of a graduate career. Preproposal and dissertation archival research grants are also available, and range from $2,000 to $3,000, and fellowship packages also include some summer funding.

Degree Requirements

Fifteen courses are required for the Ph.D., an oral qualifying examination in three fields, a dissertation proposal hearing, and a final oral defense of the dissertation.