History

MSU’s Department of History has a large and vibrant department with more than 40 faculty members who challenge the traditional boundaries of the historical discipline. In our teaching and writing, we recognize that new insights can be gained from trans-regional and interdisciplinary approaches to the past. Through our close partnership with H-Net and MATRIX—MSU’s digital humanities center—and in History’s  Lab for Education in and Advancement of Digital Research (LEADR), we explore new ways to produce and disseminate scholarship.

Graduate students entering our program join faculty members as full participants of an active intellectual community. Through regular course work and workshops, they are given opportunities to present their own research and to draft publishable papers. Like faculty, graduate students have their own research agendas, teach undergraduates, and participate in outreach programs.

Two of our PhD programs are nationally ranked: 

• African History Graduate Program is ranked #3 by U.S. News & World Report

• African American History Graduate Program is ranked #17 by U.S. News & World Report

We take pride in our record of helping graduates obtain excellent positions inside and outside of the academy. Over the past decade, we have had one of the best records of academic and non-academic placement of any history department in the Big Ten.

Graduate students enter the program with a focus on one of the following primary fields of study:

• African History
• African-American History
• East Asian History
• European History
• Latin American and Caribbean History
• Science and Medicine
• United States History
• Women’s and Gender History

Students’ primary field are complemented by two secondary fields of their choosing. Secondary fields can be drawn from the list of primary fields or from a number of transnational, trans-regional, and/or interdisciplinary thematic areas. When defining their secondary fields, students are encouraged to work with faculty outside of their primary field and may even choose to work with faculty in a different discipline.

For admission into the PhD program in the Department of History, you should first follow the steps for applying to a graduate program at MSU. The department’s doctoral code is 7611 and we are listed under the College of Social Science. The application deadline is December 1. Next, you will need to:

• Specify the primary field of study in history for which you are applying.
• Request that the registrar of each college or university that you attended send one copy of your official transcripts.
• Submit at least three letters of recommendation from professors or professionals with whom you have studied.
• Submit one writing sample that indicates your abilities in research and writing.
• Submit a personal statement (500-1000 words) that tells us about your background—challenges you have overcome and accomplishments. It should also help us understand why you wish to pursue a PhD in history and how you see your own role in the profession.
• Submit an academic statement (500-1000 words) that tells us about your background, including information about your accomplishments and challenges that you have overcome.

GRE scores are no longer required as part of the History Department application.

Learn more about the application process on the Department of History website: