Department of History

History (MA, PhD)

History (MA, PhD)
Telephone: (302) 831-8226
http://www.udel.edu/History/graduate.html
Faculty Listing: http://www.udel.edu/History/faculty.html

Museum Studies Program
Phone: (302) 831-1251 | Fax: (302) 831-4461
https://www.museumstudies.udel.edu/

Program Overview

The Department of History offers MA and PhD programs in American history, European history and more limited graduate study in Ancient, African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history. In addition, we sponsor interdisciplinary doctoral programs in the History of American Civilization and the Hagley Program in the History of Capitalism, Technology, and Culture. The Department partners with the Departments of Africana Studies, English, and Art History in offering interdisciplinary graduate study in African American Public Humanities. The Department maintains close ties with the University’s Center for Material Culture Studies and houses the nationally recognized Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program, which offers a 12-credit certificate program available to any fully matriculated graduate student at the University of Delaware.  Founded in 1972, the Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program prepares both Master of Arts and Doctoral students for careers in museums, archives, historic sites and other institutions supporting public arts and culture.   

Special Programs

The University of Delaware - Hagley Program in the History of Capitalism, Technology, and Culture

The Hagley Program in the History of Capitalism, Technology, and Culture in the University of Delaware’s History Department trains MA- and PhD-level students in the history of  industrialization, capitalism, technology, consumption, business, labor, and the environment. For more than fifty years, the program has been offering students an enriched graduate education including a range of resources and opportunities not normally available in the university setting. A large number of our students develop an expertise in the study of material culture, and many earn certificates in Museum Studies and Public Engagement. Our alumni include more than 150 distinguished historians, museum professionals, archivists, and others.

History of American Civilization

Established in 1979, the American Civilization program trains advanced students for scholarly careers in both the academy and in public humanities including museums, historic preservation, and cultural agencies, and other related organizations. What makes “Am Civ” unique is its emphasis on interdisciplinary scholarship and material culture studies, a particular strength of the University of Delaware across a number of departments and programs. 

Museum Studies and Public Engagement

The Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program is among the country’s oldest and best-known training grounds for students interested in museums, archives, and other agencies and organizations focused on sharing expertise with the broader public. Its graduates now staff scores of museums and historical/archival agencies across the country. MA or PhD candidates from any of the History graduate programs may qualify for a certificate upon satisfactory completion of the required twelve credits of coursework in the Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program. The curriculum emphasizes an ethic of service, both to communities and to the field, and the cultivation of a broad range of technical skills.

Note: application to these special programs is optional, and an applicant who is not admitted to one of these programs may still be admitted to the Graduate Program in History.

Access to Special Resources

Students who do not seek admission to the Hagley or American Civilization programs may still take the courses that these programs feature. All history programs are enriched by the University’s affiliation with the Hagley and Winterthur museums and by the proximity of museums and archival collections nearby in the mid-Atlantic region.

Courses in historical editing, archaeology, archival management, and visual approaches to history are offered on a regular basis.

Requirements for Admission

Graduate programs are offered at both the MA and PhD levels.  Master’s Degree applicants should have an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0, an undergraduate history average of 3.0, and must submit three letters of recommendation and a history seminar paper or its equivalent as a writing sample. PhD applicants should have an overall undergraduate/graduate grade point average of at least 3.0, an undergraduate/graduate history average of 3.5, and must submit three letters of recommendation and a history seminar paper or its equivalent as a writing sample. Applicants should note that the admissions committee will evaluate this writing sample closely and it should represent the applicant’s preparedness to do rigorous graduate work. Admission is selective and competitive, based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available funding. Those who meet stated academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission, if they offer other appropriate strengths. The History Department normally admits students to all History programs to begin in the fall semester only. Our application deadline is January 5, but submitting your application early is strongly encouraged. Students considering graduate work in history should consult our “Guidelines to Graduate Programs in History” http://www.udel.edu/History/graduate.html.

Financial Aid

Teaching Assistantships, Stewart Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships, tuition scholarships, and University Fellowships are available to graduate students at the MA and PhD levels.

Programs

• History (MA)

• History (PhD)