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University of Kansas

Dept. of History
3650 Wescoe Hall
1445 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7590

Phone 785.864.3569
Fax 785.864.5046
E-mail: pkelton@ku.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Africa, Asia, Environmental, Europe, Indigenous People, Latin America, Military, U.S., and Women and Gender

Program Description

The Department of History at the University of Kansas ranks among the best in the country. It is in the top 25 public university programs according to the US News and World Report. The program has strength in the areas of United States, modern European, Medieval, British & Imperial, Russian/East European, East Asian, Latin American, Military, and Environmental History. We offer great flexibility in the choice of fields, which are defined both by traditional geographical and chronological parameters, and by thematic topics.

Special Programs or Resources

The Hall Center for the Humanities also hosts visiting scholars; graduate students are welcome to attend their presentations. In addition, the Hall Center hosts a number of on-going seminars organized around a variety of topics. Graduate students are welcome to join these groups, and, as they progress in their research, to present papers there. For more information, check the Hall Center website: www.hallcenter.ku.edu. Many of the interdisciplinary study centers and programs offer lectures, workshops, and conferences of interest to historians. Depending of their areas of interest, graduate students in History may wish to get themselves on the mailing lists for American Studies, Women's Studies, Environmental Studies, Religious Studies, Russian and East European Studies, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, African Studies, and Humanities and Western Civilization. The Watson and the Spencer Research Libraries at the University of Kansas offer internationally-acclaimed resources for scholars in the humanities. They also boast exceptionally competent staff members, many of whom are trained specifically in History in addition to Library and Information Science. The library staff are eager to consult with graduate students and to assist them in locating the resources they need for their work. The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is a University office dedicated to assisting instructors, including GTA's, to develop effective instructional techniques. The expert staff of CTE can introduce instructors to the pedagogical technology available at the University, and help instructors develop new approaches to teaching. CTE specialists work with instructors individually, and also offer a diverse array of workshops and discussions. They also can guide instructors to useful scholarly literature on the subject of college teaching and learning.

Financial Aid

Most graduate students find that they need additional funds in order to complete the professionalization agenda they have planned for their graduate school careers. They often need to travel to archives, libraries, and conferences; sometimes they need to purchase materials; sometimes they need time free from teaching responsibilities to travel or to write. Because GTA stipends are not designed to cover these additional expenses, graduate students need to seek out additional sources of funding. The History Department, the Graduate School, and other units at the University of Kansas have some limited moneys available for this purpose, but graduate students should expect to obtain funding for these purposes primarily from external sources. The Hall Center for the Humanities compiles information on a wide variety of funding opportunities from external sources. In addition, the Hall Center offers workshops specifically for graduate students in the humanities on how to construct successful grant applications, and they can provide private consultations. Contact them via email: hgdo@ku.edu, or check their website: www.hallcenter.ku.edu. The History Department's Graduate Prize committee oversees the process of nominating Department graduate students for Departmental and University-wide grants, scholarships, fellowships, and prizes. The Department Chair appoints this committee from amongst the faculty, and the Graduate Director serves as chair of this committee.

Degree Requirements

The PhD degree consists of 33 credit-hours at the graduate level. From the first semester in the program, graduate students prepare a Professional Portfolio of their professional work. This portfolio takes the place of written comprehensive examinations.



University Information:

Information from Department of Education
(Includes information on the size, location, and general characteristics of faculty and student body)

Information from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
(Includes rating of the institution's rating of the graduate instructional program and size and setting)

 

Faculty Information (Fall 2011):

Full-time Faculty: 31

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 107

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 11

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 100%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 83

Relative Size Based on Graduate Student Enrollment: Large [Explain]

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1921

History PhDs conferred to Date: 330

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 9

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Large [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012