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An overview of Main Street in Rendville 1906. The town hall, that still stands today, can be seen in the bottom left of the photograph.
History Graduate Degrees

History Graduate Degrees

In our nationally ranked history graduate program, you will explore the past in classes taught by renowned faculty as you pursue your own research and skill development.

Our particular strength in 20th-century history stems from our unique cooperative relationship with Ohio University’s Contemporary History Institute (CHI), but our M.A. and Ph.D. students study a full range of chronological periods and geographic areas in a wide variety of fields.

Regardless of your scholarly focus, we invite you to see history as relevant to the modern world and applicable to an ever-evolving job market. 

Careers from Think Tanks to Academia to Government

Kyle Balzer
Alumnus Dr. Kyle Balzer is the Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Read Kyle Balzer's story.

Our graduates find success both in and beyond academia, pursuing rewarding careers at think tanks, government agencies, museums, libraries, and educational institutions, as well as in the fields of business and law.

While our master’s and doctoral programs both emphasize original research and writing for publication, our M.A. track in Applied History is a compact course of study designed for those who seek training and practical experience in history specifically for employment in nonacademic settings.

History Careers & Internships

Collegiality, Community and Intellectual Rigor

Our students are a diverse and talented group who actively maintain the program’s reputation for collegiality, community and intellectual rigor.

There are usually about 30 in residency at any one time who hail from many parts of the United States and across the globe, from Canada, Australia, Chile, and South Korea to Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Nigeria, and The Gambia.

They work closely with each other and with faculty who have achieved national and international recognition for their scholarship but are also award-winning teachers dedicated to graduate training and career development.

Robert Green in front of map of the world
Doctoral student Robert Green was awarded a Boren Fellowship for research in Cambodia. Read Robert Green's story.

Graduate Students Who Publish, Present and Win Awards

Shalon van Tine
Doctoral student Shalon van Tine, studying cultural and intellectual history, authored a chapter in a forthcoming book about Warren Zevon and Philosophy. Read Shalon van Tine's story.

Graduate student research has garnered significant recognition and multiple grants and awards, both internally within the University and from prestigious external sources such as the Fulbright Program, the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the Society for Military History, and presidential libraries from Truman to Clinton.

Their work is routinely presented at meetings and professional conferences. The History Graduate Student Association also sponsors its own annual conference that draws participants and distinguished guest speakers from across the Midwest region.

History Faculty Research Areas

Generous M.A. and Ph.D. Funding

The history department, in cooperation with the Contemporary History Institute (chi), offers generous M.A. and Ph.D. funding, including tuition waivers, teaching assistantships, stipends, grants for conference travel, research, and professional development, as well as competitive dissertation writing fellowships. 

Regularly scheduled public events, lectures, and colloquia sponsored by the department and CHI offer graduate students multiple opportunities to interact with prominent invited scholars.

History Graduate Student Financial Aid

Contemporary History Institute

Four CHI scholarship winners
These four graduate students were winners of the Contemporary History Institute fellowships. Read their story.

Contact Us

Dr. Paul Milazzo is the History Department Graduate Director. Ask him about admissions, degree requirements, and research areas in history graduate programs.