History (HIST)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities

Abstract

The Department of History offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. In conjunction with the College of Information Studies, the Department of History also offers a dual-degree Master of Arts in History and Library Science.  In conjunction with the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation the Department of History also offers a dual-degree Master of Arts in History and Historic Preservation.

Major fields of concentration for the MA and PhD programs are: Ancient Mediterranean, Medieval, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, Global Interaction and Exchange, International, Jewish, Latin America, Middle East, Russia & Eurasia, Technology, Science, & Environment, the United States, and Women & Gender. MA-only fields are: Africa and Military. The graduate program, which includes over fifty regular faculty members and approximately 150 degree-seeking students, excels in the following subfields: African-American, US, and Middle East. Other areas of established strength are Western and Central Europe, Russia and Eurasia, Ancient Mediterranean, Latin American, and Women & Gender. More recently, the following fields have emerged as centers of growing faculty strength and are attracting increasing numbers of students and faculty: Atlantic history, the African diaspora, and Global Interaction and Exchange.

The students in our four-degree programs come from across the nation, from small liberal arts colleges and major research institutions, as well as from Europe, Canada, East Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America. History students have won a number of major external fellowships, including the ACLS/Mellon Early Career Fellowship, the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Research Fellowship, the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies Dissertation Fellowship, the Foundation for the Research and Study of the East German Dictatorship Fellowship, the Fulbright-IIE Student Grant, the International Research & Exchanges Board Fellowship, the Mary Savage Snouffer Dissertation Fellowship, the Library Company of Philadelphia Fellowship, the Maryland Historical Society Lord Baltimore Research Fellowship, the Massachusetts Historical Society Research Fellowship, the Center for Jewish History Fellowship, and the Mellon Fellowship for Dissertation Research in Original Sources.

Recent graduates have started postdoctoral fellowships or tenure-track jobs at institutions that include Case Western University, George Washington University, Bucknell University, Claremont-McKenna College,Christopher Newport University, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University, Monash University, Appalachian State University, Montclair State University, Ohio University, Rhode Island College, SUNY Purchase, the United States Naval Academy, the University of South Florida, Framingham State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Western Washington University. The members of our extended alumni community, numbering more than 300 master of arts and doctoral recipients, work as professional historians throughout the State of Maryland, in a number of United States Government agencies, and at institutions of higher education and historical research across the United States and the globe.

Financial Assistance

The Department of History administers several forms of financial assistance for graduate students, including fellowships, teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, research assistantships, and research grants. All fellowships, assistantships, and grants are awarded on the basis of merit, as determined by the Graduate Committee, upon the recommendation of faculty and the Director of Graduate Studies.

A multiyear guarantee of continuous funding is frequently offered to newly matriculating PhD students. Guaranteed funding is not standard for students entering the MA and HiLS programs.

Funding packages typically include two years of fellowship and three years of Teaching Assistantship. The packages include tuition remission and a health benefits option, subject to satisfactory progress towards the fulfillment of program requirements.  All teaching assistants receive tuition remission and a health benefits option.

For FY21 (2020-21 academic year), the pay scale for 9.5-month teaching, graduate, and research assistantships range between $19,225.80 and $20,060.00. Fellowships follow a similar pay scale. Assistantships and fellowships include tuition remission and a health benefits option. Variations in stipend amounts are due to a number of factors, including the type of appointment, international student status, previous appointments, and advancement to candidacy.

Additional funding is available through the Arts and Humanities Research and Travel Grant competition, Department semester dissertation fellowships, Department summer research award, matching funds for travel to academic conferences, and various campus-wide funding competitions. All doctoral students are expected to seek outside funding for pre-dissertation and dissertation research, as appropriate.

History graduate students may seek grants and fellowships, assistantships, hourly employment, and other forms of self-support offered by non-departmental sources.

Contact

Alejandro Cañeque
Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies

Department of History
2131 Francis Scott Key Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.4267
Fax: 301.314.9399
Email: acaneque@umd.edu

Website: http://www.history.umd.edu

Courses: HIST

General Requirements

  • Statement of Purpose: Other than the required questions for the Statement of Purpose asked by the University of Maryland, the History Department asks applicants to include content that emphasizes academic and research interests:
    1. what is the applicant interested in studying and why,
    2. what the applicant might be interested in working on for the M.A. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation and
    3. how the applicant’s prior education has provided good training for graduate work in the particular field of interest.
  • Transcript(s)
  • TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

Program-Specific Requirements

  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • CV/Resume
  • Writing Sample: Research paper of about 20 pages, uploaded to the Upload Requirements section of the application.
  • Description of Research/Work Experience

As a demonstration of our commitment to excellence in historical scholarship and education, admission to our degree programs is highly competitive. It is important that each applicant clearly articulate his/her academic preparation and qualifications for graduate study at Maryland. All prospective applicants are encouraged to make contact with the faculty in the area(s) of interest. Faculty play an important role in the admissions decision. Prospective applicants are also encouraged to make contact with current graduate students to learn more about their experiences. The History Graduate Student Association can facilitate communications with current students.

Although there are exceptions, the minimum overall grade point average is 3.25 for admission to a master’s degree program and 3.50 for admission to the doctoral program. The admissions committee would typically expect a higher grade point average in past coursework in history and related disciplines. 

There is no language requirement for the MA degree, but the command of one or more languages is required for admission into the PhD program in some fields within History. For more information on language requirements, see the History Department website.

The University requires that all admitted students demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English.

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant Fall Deadline
Domestic Applicants
US Citizens and Permanent Residents December 1, 2023
International Applicants
F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants December 1, 2023

RESOURCES AND LINKS:

Program Website: http://www.history.umd.edu
Application Process: https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions

In addition to the field concentrations described above, the Department of History offers several forms of specialized training, including certificate programs in Museum Scholarship & Material Culture, co-sponsored by the Department of American Studies, and Historic Preservation, co-sponsored by the School of Architecture.

The Nathan and Jeanette Miller Center for Historical Studies, housed within the Department, promotes both research and graduate training by sponsoring seminars and colloquia, major scholarly conferences, and visiting professors who teach graduate courses. Typically, the Center’s activities each year concentrate on a historical theme of surpassing interests that cuts across the usual chronological and cultural boundaries.

The University of Maryland is home to a number of important archives, special collections, and historical editing projects, including the archives of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Freedmen and Southern Society Project and the Samuel Gompers Papers, the Library of American Broadcasting, the Gordon W. Prange Collection, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library. The Combined Caesarea Expeditions, an archeological project that joins excavation of the terrestrial remains of Caesarea Maritima with underwater investigation of the site’s ancient harbor, are coordinated at Maryland.

The University sponsors a number of significant scholarly publications of interest to historians, including the Hispanic American Historical Review, the flagship English-language journal in Latin American history; and Feminist Studies, a pioneer in women’s history and gender studies.

The College Park campus is located within the Washington-Baltimore corridor, one of the nation’s most dynamic regions for historical research. Francis Scott Key Hall, home to the Department of History, sits less than ten minutes from Archives II, the U.S. government’s largest repository, and less than thirty minutes from downtown Washington, D.C., a city of unparalleled cultural resources and unique opportunities for historical research, including the Library of Congress, the Folger, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Annapolis and Baltimore, home to significant archival holdings related to the history and cultures of the State of Maryland, the greater Chesapeake Bay region, and the Atlantic world, can be reached in less than forty-five minutes.

Last Name First/Middle Name Graduate Faculty Status Academic Credentials Positions
Baldwin Melinda Full Member B.A., Davidson College, 2004; M.A., Princeton University, 2007; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2010 Associate Professor, History
Barkley Brown Elsa Full Member B.A.,DePauw University, 1972; Ph.D., Kent State University, 1994. Associate Professor, History
Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Baron Sabrina Adjunct Member B.A., Hanover College, 1981; M.A., University of Chicago, 1982; Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1995 Assistant Research Professor, History
Bell Richard J. Full Member Ph.D., Harvard University, 2006 Professor, History
Bianchini Janna Full Member B.A., Wellesley College, 1999; M.A. Harvard University, 2003; Ph.D. Harvard University, 2007 Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Bonner Christopher Full Member B.A. Howard University, 2008; M.A., Yale University, 2011; Ph.D., 2014. Associate Professor, History
Borrut Antoine Full Member PhD, La Sorbonne, 2007 Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Brewer Holly Full Member B.A., Harvard University, 1986; M.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1989; Ph.D., 1994 Associate Professor, History
Brush Stephen G. Full Member A.B., Harvard University, 1955 D.Phil., Oxford University, 1958. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, History
Cameron Sarah Full Member B.A., Stanford University, 1999; M.A., 2002; M.A., Yale University, 2006; Ph.D., 2010. Associate Professor, History
Cañeque Alejandro Full Member PhD, New York University, 1999 Professor, History
Chung Patrick Full Member B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 2009; M.A., Brown University, 2011; Ph.D., Brown University, 2017 Assistant Professor, History
Cooperman Bernard Dov Full Member B.A., University of Toronto, 1968; M.A., Brandeis University, 1969; M.A., Harvard University, 1972; Ph.D., 1976. Associate Professor, History
Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Dolbilov Mikhail Full Member M.A., Voronezh University Russia 1993; Ph.D., 1996 Associate Professor, History
Eckstein Arthur M. Full Member B.A., University of California-Los Angeles, 1968; M.A.,1970; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1978. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, History
Freund David Full Member PhD, University of Michigan, 1999 Associate Professor, History
Friedel Robert D. Full Member B.A., Brown University, 1971; M.S., University of London,1972; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1977. Professor Emeritus, History
Gao James Z. Full Member B.A., Beijing Foreign Studies University, 1978;M.A., Beijing University/Peking University, 1983; M.A., Yale University, 1989; Ph.D., 1994. Associate Professor, History
Gilbert James B. Full Member B.A., Carleton College, 1961; M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1963; Ph.D., 1966. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, History
Affiliate Professor, American Studies
Giovacchini Saverio Full Member Ph.D., New York University, 1998. Associate Professor, History
Greene Julie Full Member PhD, Yale University, 1990 Professor, History
Grimsted David A. Full Member A.B., Harvard University, 1957; M.A.,University of California-Berkeley, 1958; Ph.D., 1963. Associate Professor Emeritus, History
Gullickson Gay L. Full Member B.A.,Pomona College, 1965; B.D., Yale University, 1968; Ph.D.,University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1978. Professor Emerita, History
Harris James F. Full Member B.S., Loyola University of Chicago, 1962; M.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1964; Ph.D., 1968. Professor Emeritus, History
Herf Jeffrey Full Member B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1969; M.A., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1971; Ph.D., Brandeis University, 1980. Distinguished University Professor, History
Karamustafa Ahmet Full Member B.A., Hamilton College, 1978; M.A., McGill University, 1981; Ph.D., 1987. Professor, History
Kosicki Piotr Full Member B.A., Stanford University, 2005; M.A., Princeton University, 2008; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2011 Associate Professor, History
Lampe John R. Full Member B.A., Harvard University, 1957; M.A.,University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1964; Ph.D.,University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1971. Professor Emeritus, History
Landau Paul Full Member B.A., Wesleyan University, 1984; M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1986; Ph.D., 1992. Professor, History
Lapin Hayim Full Member B.A., Columbia University, 1986; B.A., Jewish Theological Seminary, 1987; M.A.,1987; Ph.D., Columbia University, 1994. Professor, History
Professor, Jewish Studies
Lyons Clare A. Full Member B.S., Lewis & Clark College, 1980; M.A., University of California-Santa Barbara, 1989; Ph.D., Yale University, 1996. Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Michel Sonya A. Special B.A., Barnard College, 1964; M.A., San Francisco State University, 1975; Ph.D., Brown University, 1986. Professor Emerita, History
Mills Quincy Full Member B.A., University of Illinois-Urnaba/Champaign, 1997; M.A., University of Chicago, 1999; MBA, DePaul University, 2004: Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2006 Associate Professor, History
Mosely Erin Full Member B.A., Northwestern University, 2003; MS, London School of Economics & Political Science, 2006; M.A., Harvard University, 2012; Ph.D., Harvard University, 2016 Assistant Professor, History
Moses Claire G. Full Member A.B., Smith College, 1963; M.Phil.,George Washington University, 1972; Ph.D., 1978. Professor Emeritus, Women's Studies
Affiliate Professor, History
Moss Alfred A., Jr. Full Member B.A., Lake Forest College, 1965; M.Div., Episcopal Divinity School-Cambridge, 1968; M.A., University of Chicago, 1972;Ph.D., 1977. Associate Professor Emeritus, History
Muncy Robyn L. Full Member B.A., Lindenwood College, 1977; M.A., University of Idaho, 1980; Ph.D.,Northwestern University, 1987 Professor, History
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Price Richard N. Full Member B.A., University of Sussex, 1965; D.Phil., 1968. Professor Emeritus, History
Raianu Mircea Full Member B.A., University of California-Berkeley, 2009; M.A., Harvard University, 2013; Ph.D., Harvard University, 2017 Assistant Professor, History
Ridgway Whitman H. Full Member A.B., Kenyon College, 1963; M.A., San Francisco State University, 1967; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1973; J.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore, 1985 Associate Professor Emeritus, History
Rodriguez Chantel Full Member B.S., Trinity University, 2007; Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2013 Assistant Professor, History
Rosemblatt Karin A. Full Member PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996 Professor, History
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies
Ross Michael Full Member B.A., Skidmore College, 1986; J.D., Duke University School of Law, 1989; M.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1992; PhD., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 1999. Professor, History
Rowland Leslie S. Full Member B.A., Texas Christian University, 1968; M.A.,University of Rochester, 1970; Ph.D., 1991. Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Rozenblit Marsha L. Full Member B.A.,Barnard College, 1971; M.A., Columbia University, 1974; Ph.D., 1980. Professor, History
Professor, Jewish Studies
Sartorius David Full Member B.A. Trinity University, 1995; M.A. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1997; Ph.D. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2003 Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Sicilia David B. Full Member B.A., Hofstra University, 1976; Ph.D., Brandeis University, 1991. Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Simmons Jeremy A. Full Member B.A., University of California-Berkley, 2013; M.A., Columbia University, 2015; Ph.D., Columbia University, 2020 Assistant Professor, History
Soergel Philip Full Member Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1988. Chair, History
Professor, History
Sumida Jon T. Full Member B.A., University of California-Santa Cruz, 1971; M.A., University of Chicago, 1974; Ph.D., 1982. Professor Emeritus, History
Sutherland Donald M. G. Full Member B.A., Carleton University-Ottawa, 1965; M.A., University of Sussex, 1967; Ph.D., University of London, 1974. Professor Emeritus, History
Taddeo Julie Anne Adjunct Member PhD, University of Rochester, 1997 Research Professor, History
Villani Stefano Full Member B.A., University of Pisa Italy 1991; M.A., 1993; Ph.D., Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, Italy 1999. Associate Professor, History
Wien Peter Full Member DPhil, Universität Bonn, 2003 Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Williams Daryle Full Member AB, Princeton University, 1989; MA, Stanford University, 1991; PhD, Stanford University, 1995 Associate Professor, History
Woods Colleen Full Member B.A., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2003; M.A., CUNY Graduate Center, 2006; Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2012. Associate Professor, History
Zeller Thomas G. Full Member M.A., University of Munich, 1995; Ph.D., 1999. Associate Professor, History
Zhang Ting Full Member B.A., Peking University, 2004; M.A. Peking University, 2007; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 2014. Associate Professor, History
Zilfi Madeline C. Full Member B.A., Mount Holyoke College, 1964; M.A.,University of Chicago, 1971; Ph.D., 1976. Professor, History
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies