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Washington State University

Dept. of History
Wilson-Short Hall 301
PO Box 644030
Pullman, WA 99164-4030

Phone 509.335.5139
Fax 509.335.4171
E-mail: history@wsu.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

American Studies, Early Europe, Early Modern Europe, Environmental, Modern Europe, Modern East Asia, Latin America, Public, U.S., Women's, World

Program Description

The Department of History at Washington State University offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts (thesis and non-thesis options) and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Specialized areas of study in the PhD program include the United States, World, Public, Europe, modern East Asia, Africa, Atlantic World, American West, Environment, Gender, and Religion. All PhD students are expected to achieve competency in World/Comparative history as their teaching field. In recent years the Department has succeeded in placing almost all of its graduate students in academic or public history positions. Specific information on available research fields and major professors can be found at www.libarts.wsu.edu/history/graduate-studies/faculty-fields.asp.

Special Programs or Resources

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) holds some 17,000 linear feet of archives and manuscript collections and 60,000 rare books. Collection strengths include Washington history, politics, and culture; angling, British literature, and the history of veterinary medicine. MASC maintains a vibrant program of processing and digitizing special collections which afford history students an opportunity to work with primary sources on digital humanities projects.

The Graduate Student Mentoring Program is designed to connect new PhD students with fellow PhDs who have been in the program at least one year and who use their experience and familiarity with the school, department, and local community to help the new student get acclimated to their new life as a WSU grad student.

Financial Aid

• The WSU History Graduate Program is fully qualified for Stafford, Perkins, and PLUS Student Loans.

The primary type of financial assistance regularly offered by the Department of History is the teaching assistantship. Appointments of teaching assistants are announced each year near the end of the spring semester. Two general factors determine appointments as teaching assistants: availability of funds and the academic quality of the applicants as judged by the faculty of the Department of History. Normally appointments are for one year and are renewable competitively, if funds are available, on the basis of academic quality and satisfactory performance of assigned duties as judged by the faculty of the Department of History. Students may hold teaching assistantships for a maximum of two years while enrolled in the M.A. program and four years if enrolled in the Ph.D. program. To be considered for a teaching assistantship in the fall, incoming new student files must be complete by January 10.

The History Department awards a variety of scholarships to selected graduate students each year. Amounts vary and are based solely on merit. In the academic year 2011-12 History students received a total of $13,500 in departmental scholarships.

Degree Requirements

Degree requirements can be found at libarts.wsu.edu/history/graduatepage/Index.htm.



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: 26

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

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 40

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 9

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 86%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 52

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

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1937

History PhDs conferred to Date: 179

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 4

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Medium [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012