Ph.D. Program

Our Ph.D. program has a distinctive identity, as it concentrates on contemporary history. By agreement with the Ohio Board of Regents, students must write their dissertations in contemporary history, which is defined as the period since the end of World War I. Many of our faculty members focus their teaching and research on contemporary history. Students are able to choose from a wide range of courses in that period in many geographic areas, including African, Asian, European, Latin American, U.S., and world history, and in many different fields, including social, international, political, cultural, military, and gender history. Faculty who work in earlier chronological periods also offer courses which Ph.D. students may take to satisfy field requirements and to add breadth to their doctoral studies. After passing comprehensive exams, most Ph.D. students have a chance to teach their own courses, an important advantage for those who seek academic employment after completing their degree. Financial support for up to five years of doctoral study is also available through teaching assistantships from the Department of History and fellowships from the Contemporary History Institute. Students who enter the Ph.D. program become part of a diverse and close-knit community, where faculty and students work together in pursuit of academic excellence.


Admission

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires an M.A. in history, preferably with a thesis. Applicants who have a graduate degree in another, related field will still be considered, but they must provide clear and convincing evidence that they are prepared for doctoral study in history. The History Department requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 for admission to any graduate program; we expect that an applicant’s GPA in his/her M.A. program will be significantly higher. The History Department requires GRE scores and three letters of recommendation. In addition, an applicant must submit a writing sample that demonstrates the ability to engage in advanced historical research and to express ideas clearly and persuasively. A chapter or chapters from an M.A. thesis would be an appropriate writing sample. Also required is a statement of purpose of approximately 500 words, which explains your reasons for seeking admission to our Ph.D. program and what you hope to study.

Please click here for further information about Ohio University’s graduate admission requirements.

All graduate applications must be submitted electronically. Click here to apply to the Ph.D. program in history.


When to Apply

The deadline for applications for the Fall Quarter is the preceding February 1. Applicants for Fall Quarter have priority for financial aid (teaching assistantships and fellowships). Applicants for Winter and Spring quarters should apply at least six weeks before the beginning of those quarters.

The History Department’s Graduate Committee will make decisions on admission in early March. Applicants will be notified of those decisions shortly afterward.

Roster of Current Students

Click here for a roster of current students.


Program Requirements

Each student selects an area of concentration—European, U.S., or nonwestern history—and then completes four historical fields from the list below and a cognate field consisting of courses in a related discipline or in the Contemporary History Institute. In addition, a two-quarter research seminar in the first field and an historiography course are required.

United States History

  • Colonial and Revolutionary America
  • United States, 1789-1900
  • United States, 1900-present
  • US Foreign Relations
  • US Military
  • US Social-Intellectual
  • US Economic History

European History

  • Ancient Civilization
  • Medieval Europe
  • Renaissance and Reformation
  • Western Europe, 1559-1789
  • Western Europe, 1789-1914
  • Western Europe, 1914-present
  • Great Britain, 1558-1815
  • Great Britain, 1815-present

Russia/Soviet Union

Africa

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Middle East and Mediterranean World

Latin America


Language Requirement

All Ph.D. students must demonstrate reading competence in one language other than English. A dissertation advisor, in consultation with the student, may determine that a student should develop proficiency in additional languages as necessary for the completion of his/her degree.


Comprehensive Examinations and Dissertation

After completing all required course work and language requirements, a Ph.D. student will take written and oral comprehensive exams in his or her four fields of study. Following the successful completion of these exams, the student will write and defend a dissertation prospectus and, ultimately, the dissertation itself. Prospectus and dissertation committees consist of three faculty members in history and one Ohio University faculty member from another department or school.


For More Information

Please consult the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about program requirements.