Doctor of Philosophy in History

The Penn State Department of History offers a small, focused, PhD program designed to prepare students for careers inside or outside academia. Our program admits students in five primary fields, which reflect faculty strength: 1) United States, 2) Latin America, 3) Early Modern Global, 4) East Asia, and 5) Middle East. By admitting only a few students in these five fields, the department can focus its resources on preparing students for a diverse range of careers. In addition to seminars in our five primary fields, we offer graduate coursework in the thematic areas of: 1) Environment, Science, and Technology, 2) Gender, 3) Transnational, 4) Race and Ethnicity, 5) Modern Global, and 6) Colonialism and Nationalism.

Upon admission to the department, graduate students join an intellectual community committed to excellence in scholarship and teaching. Our graduate students work closely with world-class faculty, graduate student colleagues, and undergraduates. Our graduate students benefit from small academic seminars, reliable financial support, faculty mentoring, a top-tier library, professionalization seminars, and options for interdisciplinary work.

We admit students into our program whose highest degree earned is a BA or BS or whose highest degree is an MA. Within our program we refer to students entering with a BA/BS and those entering with an MA. Students entering our program with a BA/BS typically spend three years in coursework, followed by two years of dissertation research and writing. Those entering with an MA typically spend two years in coursework, followed by two years of dissertation research and writing. Comprehensive exams take place during the final semester of coursework. If your highest degree is a BA or BS, then you will take three years of coursework upon entering the program. However, if your highest degree is an MA, you have the choice of entering with a BA/BS or entering with an MA. If your MA is an academically-oriented degree from a history program then you should enter with an MA. If your MA is pedagogically oriented or in a field other than history, we recommend that you enter with a BA/BS. The distinction between entering with a BA/BS and entering with an MA is important for our program, but everyone is expected to work toward the PhD. Therefore, when applying through the Graduate School, everyone should apply to the PhD program. The history graduate program at Penn State is not comprehensive. We admit students to pursue PhDs in five primary fields of study:

United States (19th and 20th centuries)
Latin America
China
Early modern global (15th-19th centuries, transnational or transregional)
Middle East
Statement of Intent outlining in 1-3 pages the proposed fields of study and research.
Writing sample of at least 10 pages demonstrating competence in historical research, analysis and writing.
Three letters of recommendation from qualified persons (preferably faculty) familiar with the applicant's academic performance and potential for graduate studies in history. No special form is required but please be sure to provide the correct e-mail for your reference to prevent delays. We do not require the GRE for admission, nor will we consider the scores during the admission process. Please do not submit your GRE scores with your application.
International applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisaaional admission, enrollment, and, if necessary, remedial course work. The minimum composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. Revised TOEFL PBT July 2017 and later 60