The Department of History offers programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The department views historical study not only as a scholarly analysis of the past but also as a means of providing sophisticated learning that will be of practical significance to society and the individual. Traditionally graduate work in history, especially at the doctoral level, has led into the world of scholarship and teaching, but it has also led to many other successful careers in the private and public sectors. Historical training provides recognized skills in administration, management, research, writing, policy analysis, consulting, and editing; and trained historians have been successful in fields ranging from business, education, journalism, and law to government, publishing, and archival or museum work. Graduate study in history also is appropriate for individuals seeking self-fulfillment or a better understanding of the human experience and predicament.
Graduate courses in history are principally of three types: advanced lecture-discussion courses, reading seminars designed to acquaint the student with the literature and problems of a selected field, and research seminars in which intensive research on a particular historical topic provides experience in historical methodology and in the use of primary and secondary source materials.
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