Graduate Programs
The Department of History offers both the M.A. and the Ph.D. in history, emphasizing its specialized tracks in Social Justice History (SJH) and in the History of Science, Technology, Environment, & Medicine (STEM). In addition to the focused SJH and STEM programs, the department offers a general Ph.D. in history that allows students to specialize in any geographical, temporal, or topical area of history adequately covered by departmental faculty. The department also joins with the Law School to offer an M.A. in history/J.D. double degree program.
We provide one of the state’s premier History Ph. D programs. Our close ties to the nearby Western Reserve Historical Society, located adjacent to our campus, enable some of our students to write dissertations on Cleveland or Ohio history.
Most History Ph.D. students at CWRU receive comprehensive five-year financial aid packages, with full tuition remissions and annual stipends that are not linked to work requirements beyond their own programs of study. And because we only admit a very small number of graduate students per year, seminars are small and intensive, with every student receiving considerable individualized attention and support from faculty members. The PhD in history from CWRU prepares students to pursue careers in academia, public history, museum work, secondary-school education, digital humanities, or a variety of other fields.
For information on applying to the program, please visit the Admissions page.
The History Ph.D. program was externally reviewed in Spring 2014, as per the requirements of the Ohio Board of Regents.
For more detailed information concerning program structure and requirements, please consult:
21-22 History Graduate Student Handbook
22-23 and 23-24 History Graduate Student Handbook
24-25 History Graduate Student Handbook
Forms for current graduate students: