Department of History

History (MA, PhD)

History (MA, PhD)
Telephone: (302) 831-8226
https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/cas/units/departments/history/graduate-programs/
Faculty Listing: https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/cas/units/departments/history/our-people/

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 and European history, and more limited graduate study in Ancient, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history. In addition, we sponsor special concentrations in the American Civilization Program 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 manages the nationally recognized Museum Studies and Public Engagement Certificate Program, which offers a 12-credit certificate program available to any fully matriculated graduate student at the University of Delaware. The Department also maintains close ties with the University’s Center for Material Culture Studies.

Museum Studies and Public Engagement

Founded in 1972, the Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program is among the country’s oldest and best-known training grounds for students interested in public humanities, including museums, historic preservation, cultural agencies, and other related organizations. Our graduates now staff scores of museums and historical/archival organizations across the country. Any University of Delaware MA or PhD candidate can pursue a certificate, which requires the satisfactory completion of twelve credits of coursework (including an internship) 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.

American Civilization Program

Established in 1979, what makes the “Am Civ” Program 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. Am Civ students may take one extra reading course outside the department that will count towards their course work requirement for the degree. PhD applicants should clearly indicate their interest in the American Civilization Program in their application for admission.

Hagley Program in the History of Capitalism, Technology, and Culture

For more than fifty years, the Hagley Program has trained MA- and PhD-level students in the history of industrialization, capitalism, technology, consumption, business, labor, and the environment. The program has been offering students an enriched graduate education including a range of resources and opportunities not normally available in the university setting. Many our students develop an expertise in the study of material culture, and many earn the certificate in Museum Studies and Public Engagement. Our alumni include more than 150 distinguished historians, museum professionals, archivists, among others. Graduate applicants should clearly indicate their interest in the Hagley Program in their application for admission.

Hybrid Dissertation Projects

PhD students interested in an alternative to a traditional monographic dissertation may pursue a hybrid dissertation project, which would culminate in a combination of written text and some kind of alternative product (e.g., a museum exhibition, a documentary film, etc.).

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. Admitted students will begin the program 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” https://www.history.udel.edu/content-sub-site/Documents/graduate/History%20Department_Graduate_Program_Guidelines.pdf.

Programs

Master’s

History (MA)

Doctorate

History (PhD)