The Penn State Department of History has virtually reinvented itself in the past decade. Today’s Department of History is a dynamic environment where distinguished work takes place, and faculty strive to create an intellectual community where graduate students are valued participants. We invite you to take a look.
Why apply to Penn State?
Size. The graduate program in History normally has only about 60 or so students in residence, with a faculty of about 40. This means individual students get a lot of attention, everyone receives financial support, a feeling of community is easier to maintain.
Collegiality. Graduate students are encouraged to take part in scholarly activities, and they are imbued with important values of intellectual exchange.
Diversity. Our current graduate students hail from across the globe, including Ireland, Italy, India, Russia, and Germany, as well as the US and Canada.
Rigor. We aim to train scholars to a high standard and we expect intellectual development.
Intellectual Range. We are both focused and broad – our faculty represent strong concentrations in Ancient, Early Modern, Nineteenth Century, and Modern Society. At the same time, they possess expertise in a wide range of thematic topics, and so students study history in a comparative framework. This enhances both the intellectual experience and the prospects for placement.
Fellowships and Assistantships. All admitted students receive support for at least four years. Students in good standing have the opportunity to receive support as teaching assistants, editorial assistants, research assistants, research fellows, and (eventually) as lecturers with their own classes. In addition we have generous annual awards to support exceptional research and teaching.
Placement. We graduated 29 students with PhDs between 2000 and 2006; 25 of them are now working in college level History departments, and 18 already have tenure-track or tenured positions at such institutions as Iowa State University, University of Oklahoma, Michigan State, Lawrence University, George Mason University, University of West Florida, Texas Tech University, and SUNY-Geneseo. (This record is substantially better than the national average. For a complete list see our placement listing page).