Department of History

The Department of History, which offers the degree Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), is committed to training area specialists with a global perspective. Our students learn how to research, interpret and teach the histories and historiographies of particular places from comparative, cross-cultural, transnational and global perspectives. The graduate program provides training in historical research and teaching to students who wish to find careers in colleges, universities, and other settings where the skills of the historian can be used. To advance this purpose, the department encourages a climate of intellectual inquiry and active research that embraces graduate students and faculty members alike. The hallmark of the program is the high measure of independence and flexibility it allows students in shaping a curriculum that meets their needs, within the limits of faculty expertise and available resources.

Contact Information

Department Chair: Lara Putnam
Main Office: 3702 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
412-648-7451
Fax: 412-648-9074

Director of Graduate Studies: Michel Gobat (mgobat@pitt.edu)

Phone: 412-648-7467
Graduate Administrator: Patty Landon (pal14@pitt.edu)
Phone: 412-648-7450
www.history.pitt.edu

Admissions

Admission to the graduate program in history is highly competitive. Candidates must present a career statement, a sample of their written work on a historical topic, undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts and two letters of recommendation. Test of English as Foreign Language scores are required of all applicants whose primary language is not English. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are recommended, especially for applicants seeking to be nominated for university-wide fellowships. Students interested in the graduate program should contact the graduate administrator at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of History, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; by e-mail: pal14@pitt.edu Patty Landon; or apply online at app.applyyourself.com/?id=up-as.

Financial Assistance

The department offers funding to most of its graduate students through a mix of teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, departmental fellowships, and research assistantships. If students are admitted to program with funding, the University waives tuition fees and offers health benefits or provisions for benefits. While in the program, students have to opportunity to apply for a variety of non-teaching fellowships provided by the University of Pittsburgh or national and international organizations. In addition to the teaching and non-teaching fellowships, the History Department offers summer research funding to graduate students on a competitive basis, which allows students to conduct archival research or language training within the US or abroad. The funding the University of Pittsburgh provides to graduate students is competitive and covers the costs of a graduate student living in Pittsburgh.

Students specializing in East Asian, Latin American, Russian and East European, and Western European history are also eligible to apply for fellowships and research grants offered by the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for International Studies (UCIS).

Degree Requirements

The minimal requirements for the degrees established by the Graduate Faculty of the University and by Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences A&S Graduate Studies, as described elsewhere in this bulletin, should be read in conjunction with the specific departmental requirements for these degrees in the following sections.

Programs

Doctoral

History, PhD

Master’s

History, MA

Courses

History

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