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Carnegie Mellon University

Dept. of History
240 Baker Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890

Phone 412.268.2880
Fax 412.268.1019
E-mail: acker@andrew.cmu.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

U.S., France, Germany, Ireland, Latin America, Russia, China, and Africa

Program Description

The graduate studies program at Carnegie Mellon University is based on five thematic areas of faculty strength: labor and politics; gender and family; African American and diaspora; technology, environment, science and health; and culture and power. These areas, which cut across national and temporal boundaries, form the basis for a shared curriculum. Although most students pursue research topics based in specific national fields, our program aims to provide students with broad exposure to transnational issues through a range of thematic and methodological courses. Almost all our students serve as teaching assistants in a large World History course. Our program is small by design, and students receive a great deal of individual attention from faculty. The program strongly emphasizes research, and all students participate in a year-long research seminar.

Special Programs or Resources

Students have access to the Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh libraries. We maintain an exchange program with the University of Pittsburgh, which enables students to take courses at both universities. CMU hosts CAUSE, the Center for African American Urban Studies and the Economy, which sponsors speakers, post doctoral fellowships and a wide range of other activities. CAUSE links race, work, and economic change over time with contemporary analyses of the urban labor force, employment policies, and community development. The History Department maintains an exchange with Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, hosting Russian faculty and enabling graduate students and faculty to pursue research in Russian archives and libraries. Advanced graduate students have the opportunity to work as a teaching assistants at the CMU Qatar campus. Qatar provides an ideal setting in which to finish writing the dissertation, and gain international experience. The History Department also sponsors an annual Graduate Student Forum, which provides graduate students with an opportunity to present their work, and graduate student conferences in collaboration with other universities. The department provides money for summer research, between one and two semesters of research time free of teaching responsibilities, and a variety of other opportunities to attend conferences, make short research trips, and undertake other dissertation-related activities.

Financial Aid

Carnegie Mellon is a private university with tuition rates comparable to those of other such institutions ($35,850 for 2011-12). The Department of History has resources to support graduate students through full tuition waivers, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. All Ph.D. students making satisfactory progress are supported for at least four years.

The History Department offers four-year financial aid packages for incoming graduate students, including full tuition remission plus a yearly stipend of $18,000 + health insurance. We accept approximately six entering Ph.D. students, who are fully funded. After the first year of study, students receiving financial aid are generally expected to work in teaching or research assistantships. (Students also get a semester free of teaching obligation following defense of their dissertation prospectus) in order to do dissertation research. All financial awards are conditional on satisfactory progress in the program. First- and second-year students are evaluated each semester, and continuing students are monitored regularly as to their satisfactory progress. Students whose dissertation research continues beyond the fourth year remain eligible for financial support, although the department cannot guarantee it.

Degree Requirements

1. Two years of coursework, with a total of 12.5 courses, including 
Theory and Method, United States Proseminar, Transnational Proseminar, Research Seminar (two semesters); three of five courses in the following topics: labor and politics; gender and family; African American and diaspora; technology, environment, science and health; and culture and power; four electives; and mini course in instruction

2. Students take their Doctoral Qualifying Exams at the end of their fifth semester, and complete and receive approval of a prospectus of their planned dissertation research no later than the sixth semester.

3. Completion of doctoral dissertation.



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: 21

Relative Size based on Number of Full-time Faculty: Medium [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: 100%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 33

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1983

History PhDs conferred to Date: 117

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