Graduate Study in History at Ohio University The Department of History offers M.A. and Ph.D. programs in a wide variety of geographic areas and chronological periods. In 2005, US News and World Report rated our graduate program as one of the best in the nation. Students in our program benefit from excellent research facilities, a chance to work closely with faculty, and a strong sense of community. Our graduate students have won awards from the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, and the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Ford presidential libraries. The Ph.D. program allows students to concentrate in United States, European, or nonwestern history, but, by agreement with the Ohio Board of Regents, dissertation fields are limited to “contemporary history,” defined as the period since World War I. Students can choose from two M.A. programs. There is a thesis option for those students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. or other advanced graduate degree and a nonthesis option for those that do not.
Admission
The deadline for application for admission in the Fall Quarter is February 1. An M.A. degree is a prerequisite for admission to the Ph.D. program. Those students without an M.A. degree must apply to the M.A. program. Additional information about admission is available on the M.A. and Ph.D. program sections of this web page.
Applicants for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs may also apply to the Contemporary History Institute (CHI), a program closely affiliated with the Department of History. CHI students take a sequence of three one-quarter courses during their first year of study in the Institute and earn a certificate in Contemporary History upon completion of their degree requirements. All CHI courses satisfy requirements for the Ph.D. or M.A. in history. Further information about Contemporary History Institute is available here. Students who wish to be considered for admission to CHI should so indicate on their application when they apply to the M.A. or Ph.D. programs in the Department of History.
Financial Aid
The Department of History offers teaching assistantships to both M.A. and Ph.D. students. In 2007-8, these awards provided a stipend of $14,500 for Ph.D. students and $10,500 for M.A. students, plus a waiver of tuition and fees. Teaching assistantships are usually renewable for a total of two years for M.A. students and four years for Ph.D. students, although in some cases, Ph.D. students may receive up to five years of university financial support. In order to maintain a teaching assistantship, a student must have a grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
The Contemporary History Institute offers several nonservice fellowships in the amount of $14,200 for Ph.D. students and $10,500 for M.A. students.
Teaching Experience
Teaching assistants help with the grading of examinations, essays, quizzes, and other assignments in introductory courses and in some large advanced undergraduate courses. Teaching assistants assigned to the U.S.,western civilization, western heritage, and nonwestern survey courses also lead discussion sections. Advanced Ph.D.students who have completed their comprehensive examinations have opportunities to offer their own introductory courses as teachers of record.
Information
The director of graduate studies, Professor Chester Pach, is on leave until August 1, 2008. Until that time, please contact the interim director, Professor John Brobst, for information. You can reach him by e-mail; by telephone, (740) 593-4332; or by mail, Department of History, Bentley Hall Annex, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.
Current graduate students are eager to provide information about their graduate experience to prospective applicants. Please contact the officers of the History Graduate Association, who will be happy to provide information themselves or contact information for other current graduate students. You my email the president, Paul Isherwood, or the vice president, Todd Pfeffer.
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Applications
Click here for application forms and detailed information about applying to Ohio University.
