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Saint Louis University

Dept. of History
3800 Lindell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108-3414

Phone 314.977.2910
Fax 314.977.1603
E-mail: history@slu.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Early Modern Europe, Medieval Europe, and U.S.

Program Description

The Graduate Program in History at Saint Louis University is one of the oldest in the country, granting its first PhD in 1925. Today we continue our tradition of excellence by training doctoral students in medieval European, early modern European, and American history. Our program's reputation is based, above all, on the strength of our faculty, whose research and publications have won national and international recognition.

Special Programs or Resources

Saint Louis University is the home of the Vatican Film Library. Containing more than 38,000 codices, it is a virtually complete microfilm copy of the Vatican Library in Rome. It is an invaluable resource for graduate students as well as scholars from across the country who travel to Saint Louis to consult it. The Medieval and Renaissance Italy Prosopographical Database Project provides funded opportunities for graduate students to learn important research skills normally available only in European archives. The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies provides additional resources for graduate students in the form of assistantships, travel funding, and other awards. In addition the CMRS fosters an extremely active and stimulating intellectual environment for students in medieval and early modern history. The university library is quite large, containing exceptionally rich holdings in all varieties of historical scholarship. The library's Saint Louis Room houses over seven thousand books printed between 1478 and 1700, as well as hundreds of medieval manuscripts and manuscript illuminations from France, Italy, and Spain. The library also has access to such electronic resources as the Patrologia Latina, Corpus Christianorum, and Early English Books Online, as well as numerous bibliographies. The library has also been a United States Federal Depository Library since 1866, thus providing American history graduate students with a large and historic government documents collection. Among the many important research collections in American History are the Early American Imprints, including virtually all of the non-serial titles published in America between 1620 and 1819 on 26,195 microfiche, the Anti-Slavery Propaganda in the Oberlin College Library pamphlet collection consisting of 7,245 microfiche, and the Library of Congress Presidential Papers on microfilm.

Financial Aid

The Department of History offers teaching and research assistantships as well as fellowships to assist graduate students. Students holding teaching assistantships will be assigned to lead weekly discussion sections in introductory history classes. Advanced students will also be offered opportunities to teach their own undergraduate courses. Research assistantships are available through the department, the Graduate School, faculty grants, and endowed funds. In addition, the department provides travel and research support through an internal fund. Graduate fellowships are offered through the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the Graduate School. Graduate funding is automatically renewed for up to five years for students demonstrating progress toward the degree and performing duties satisfactorily.

Degree Requirements

Students in the combined MA/PhD program must complete thirty-six hours of advanced course work, including a minimum of twelve hours in the major and six hours in the minor fields. (Students entering with a MA must complete twenty-seven hours.) At least one research seminar must be taken in both the major and minor fields. The remaining hours are flexible as to distribution. None of the doctoral courses may be at the undergraduate level, and no more than six hours may be taken in a related department without the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies. Upon completion of the course work the candidate must pass a comprehensive examination, consisting of two four-hour written examinations, one each in the major and minor fields, and a two-hour oral examination.



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: 20

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 36

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 6

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 83%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 53

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1919

History PhDs conferred to Date: 263

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 3

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Medium [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012