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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Penn State Univ.

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Areas of Specialization:

Americas, ancient Mediterranean, East and South Asia, medieval/early modern/modern Europe, religion

Program Description

The Department of History at Penn State is built around a dynamic faculty who teach and conduct historical research spanning times and places ranging from ancient Greece to modern India. We are dedicated to pursuing new historical knowledge and sharing it with students, scholars, and the wider community. Chronologically, faculty areas of particular strength now include the early modern period; the US Civil War era; and modern society. Faculty also share interests in thematic areas which cut across chronological lines, such as gender, the African diaspora, and empire and colonialism. In conjunction with the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, we also have a strong concentration in Ancient history. Degrees offered by the History department include the BA, MA, and Ph. d. About 70 graduate students and over 300 undergraduate majors are currently enrolled in History degree programs; we also offer a popular undergraduate minor. About 80 percent of History courses are taught by tenure-line faculty; the remainder are mainly taught by advanced graduate students under faculty supervision. Most upper level class enrollments are capped at 35. The History graduate program is small and intensive. Those who study History at Penn State thus can enjoy a degree of exposure to professors that is unusual in a large university. Lively lecture series, workshops, and roundtables foster scholarly dialogue and outreach to the public. More than half of the History faculty have arrived at University Park since 1990; continued recruitment has resulted in a diverse and talented group of scholars. Penn State history faculty regularly win fellowships, prizes, and grants.

Special Programs or Resources

No information provided

Financial Aid

Fellowships or assistantships are offered to all successful applicants for admission to graduate study in history. Funding packages vary, but most offer at least four full years of funding, and many offer more. Typically a student will serve few years as graduate assistantships, followed by independent lectureships and dissertation fellowships once a student passes the comprehensive examinations. Some highly qualified entering students are offered packages with more than one year of fellowship funding.

Degree Requirements

Neither the Graduate School nor the History Department requires a specific number of credits for the Ph.D. degree. While the course of study usually consists of 36 to 45 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, the student's doctoral committee determines the number of credits required and the course of study to be pursued. At least 15 graduate credits must be taken at Penn State.
Candidates for the Ph.D. in history are expected to demonstrate a reading and/or speaking knowledge of all languages and competence in all research techniques (statistical analysis, quantitative methods, computer programming, etc.) necessary for the candidate's seminar work, dissertation research, and successful long-term career pursuits.
A Ph.D. candidacy examination is required of all students pursuing a doctorate in History. The examination may be taken upon completion of at least 18 credits of acceptable graduate work at Penn State, and must be taken by the third semester of full-time study in the doctoral program.
Upon completion of all course work required by their committee, doctoral candidates take a comprehensive written and oral examination. The examination, administered by the student's doctoral committee, covers each of the four areas or fields defined at the time of the doctoral candidacy meeting. The examinations test the student's knowledge of the historical sources, events, interpretations, and bibliography of each field.
The dissertation, required of all doctoral candidates, represents an original contribution to knowledge, either an original interpretation or the presentation of new historical material. A public oral defense will be held to discuss the information and interpretation of the dissertation, any related questions raised by its arguments, and the relevant bibliography of the intellectual field it addresses.