History Doctoral Programs in the United States and Canada

Loyola Univ. Chicago

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

medieval and modern Europe, U.S. urban/social/cultural, public

Program Description

The Department of History at Loyola University Chicago offers a comprehensive program in Medieval and Renaissance, Modern European, Public, and United States History. As one of the first departments in the nation to offer doctorate and master's degrees in public history, Loyola strives to meet the needs of today's students. Graduates are prepared for careers in teaching and public history, but they also have transferable skills that make them excellent candidates for careers in business, government, and cultural institutions.
The Department offers a major field in 18th- through 20th-Century American History and a concentration in Urban, Social, and Cultural History. The concentration builds on the specializations of one of the largest collections of urbanists in a single history department in the country. Faculty strengths in this area include urban history, the built environment, economic and working class history, the history of sexuality, and the history of popular culture and entertainment.
The Department's Public History Program is a nationally recognized program, offering a master's and doctorate degree in Public History, and remains one of the few that fully integrates public history into the doctoral program.
The Department maintains a strong program in Medieval History and Renaissance History, which covers the broad period c. 400- c. 1500.

Special Programs or Resources

The metropolitan Chicago area is one of the finest environments for developing public history skills in the nation. Located in one of the leading cultural, corporate, and governmental administrative centers in the country, Loyola University Chicago provides students with access to a wide variety of internship and practicum opportunities.
Department resources are enhanced by courses offered by the Newberry Library Consortium's Center for Renaissance Studies, of which Loyola is a founding member.
Libraries accessible to graduate students include the Newberry Library, the Harold Washington Library Center, and the library of the Chicago History Museum.
In conjunction with Dominican University, the Department of History offers a MA degree in Public History and Library Information Science. This degree provides interested students the opportunity to develop knowledge in history with a more focused educational background in archives and library science. Students receive two separate degrees, an MA in history from Loyola University Chicago and a MALS from Dominican University. The joint degree can be achieved in a shorter time than pursing each degree separately.

Financial Aid

All those who apply for admission as full-time students to the Ph.D. program are eligible to apply as well for assistantships and fellowships, which are awarded on a competitive, merit basis. The Department awards a limited number of teaching assistantships. The assistantships include an annual stipend, a subsidy for health insurance and full tuition. The Department may recommend eligible full-time students for fellowships for under-represented students which provide annual stipends and full tuition, as well as especially promising applicants for Crown Fellowships, which are awarded by the Graduate School. No duties are attached to these fellowships.

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. Program is a 60-hour degree program. The Accelerated Ph.D. Program is available to students with a B.A. who have an outstanding undergraduate record in history. Typically students enter with a MA degree, from which the Department can accept up to 30 hours of appropriate transfer credit.
Students in the Accelerated Program prepare a major field and two minor fields. Students take a written examination in one minor field and a written and oral examination in the major field.
Students entering with a MA in hand prepare a major field and one minor field. Students take a written examination in one minor field and a written and oral examination in the major field.
Students entering the Joint American History/Public History Program prepare two major fields, one in American history and the other in Public history. There is an oral examination in Public history and a written and oral examination in American history.

University Information:

University Type: Private, not-for-profit

Carnegie Institution Ranking: Doctoral/Research Universities—Extensive

Department Demographics:

First PhD conferred: 1939

History PhDs conferred to Date: 141

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

Faculty Mix:
	Full Professor	14
	Associate Professor	10
	Assistant Professor	3
	Instructor/Lecturer
	Joint Appointment	1
	Emeritus Faculty	8
	Part-time faculty	5

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

Number of Graduate Students in Program (Fall 2005): 103
(Graduate student counts include those enrolled in terminal Master's degree program)

Proportion of Full-Time Graduate Students: 61%

New Graduate Students Entering Program, Fall 2004: 18

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

 

Other Information

     Current Dissertations in Progress

     PhDs Conferred by Department