AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations
Institution Details
Purdue University
Purdue University
Dept. of History
Beering Hall, Rm. 6104
100 N. University St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2087
Phone: 765.494.4132
Fax: 765.496.1755
Email: history@purdue.edu
Website: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/history/
Beering Hall, Rm. 6104
100 N. University St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2087
Phone: 765.494.4132
Fax: 765.496.1755
Email: history@purdue.edu
Website: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/history/
The Department of History at Purdue University, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees (MA and PhD), comprises more than 30 award-winning faculty with specialties that span the globe and include a wide array of topical fields including women & gender, conflict & violence, politics, human rights, and the history of science, technology, & medicine. Within the history program, students also have opportunities to pursue honors, study abroad, complete internships and research projects, and choose from among 170 courses.
Chair: Frederick R. Davis
Director of Graduate Studies: Yvonne M. Pitts
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Deborah L. Fleetham
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: Europe, global, US, science, medicine, technology, political
Director of Graduate Studies: Yvonne M. Pitts
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Deborah L. Fleetham
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: Europe, global, US, science, medicine, technology, political
Undergraduate Tuition (per academic year):
In-state: $9992
Out-of-state: $28794
In-state: $9992
Out-of-state: $28794
Graduate Tuition (per academic year):
In-state: $9992
Out-of-state: $28794
In-state: $9992
Out-of-state: $28794
Enrollment 2024-25:
Undergraduate Majors: 161
Students in Program: 0
New Graduate Students: 5
Full-time Graduate Students: 36
Part-time Graduate Students: 0
Degrees in History:
0 AA
0 BA
0 BS
2 MA
0 MS
4 PhD
Students in Undergrad. Courses: 4534
Students in Undergrad. Intro Courses: 2452
% of Online-Only Courses: 17
Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.purdue.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.purdue.edu/dfa/
Admissions: https://admissions.purdue.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.purdue.edu/dfa/
Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/prospective/index.php
Financial Aid: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/prospective/index.php
Admissions: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/prospective/index.php
Financial Aid: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/prospective/index.php
Areas of Specialization: Europe, global, US, science, medicine, technology, political
Not applicable
Doctoral Program Information
A. Program Description. The Department of History at Purdue offers a wide range of course and seminar work leading to the MA and PhD degrees. Our current faculty support graduate study in all periods of United States and European history, and aspects of the history of Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, and South Asia. Faculty interests include political, economic, social, and cultural history with considerable attention to matters of race, indigenous people, science, medicine, and technology, political history, military history, transnational and global history, and women's and gender history. The department and Purdue offer fellowships and teaching assistantships for incoming and continuing graduate students who demonstrate potential for high academic and professional achievement.
B. Special Programs. Graduate Programs in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology; Human Rights Studies; Women and Gender Studies; and Teaching Certificate, Center for Instructional Excellence.
C. Financial Aid. Teaching Assistantship, Ross Fellowship, Andrews Fellowship, Purdue Doctoral Fellowship, Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship, departmental and university travel and research grants.
D. Degree Requirements. 90 Credit hours required for doctoral degree; 30 credit hours may be applied from Master's degree; preliminary exams administered during 4th or 5th semester of study, consisting of major and minor field written and oral exams.
Directory of History Dissertations
Doctoral Program Statistics 2024-25:
PhD students currently enrolled: 36
PhD applications received: 37
New PhD students: 4
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 88
% of students receiving stipends: 85
Atkinson, David Christopher (PHD, Boston Univ., 2010; ; assoc. prof. and dir., honors) US foreign relations, migration and diplomatic, international; atkinsod@purdue.edu
Babintseva, Ekaterina (PHD, Pennsylvania, 2020; ; asst. prof.) technology, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, computerization;
Bellisari, Andrew H. (PHD, Harvard, 2018; ; asst. prof.) France, North Africa, Southeast Asia, decolonization; ahbellis@purdue.edu
Bhattacharya, Tithi (PHD, London, 2000; ; prof.) South Asia, class formation and colonialism, gender and Marxist theory; tbhattac@purdue.edu
Brownell, Kathryn Cramer (PHD, Boston Univ., 2011; ; prof.) 20th-century US political, American presidency, media; brownell@purdue.edu
Bynum, Cornelius Lyn (PHD, Virginia, 2004; ; assoc. prof.; dir., African American Studies) African American, urban and labor, US; clbynum@purdue.edu
Chen, Huiying (PHD, Illinois, Chicago, 2021; ; asst. prof.) science and technology in late Imperial China, cartography, printing; chenhy@purdue.edu
Conway, Erik M. (PHD, Minnesota, 1998; ; prof.; Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences) science and technology; emconway@purdue.edu
Cooper, Austin R. (PHD, Pennsylvania, 2022; ; asst. prof.) global science and technology, genomics, nuclear age; cooperar@purdue.edu
Davis, Frederick R. (PHD, Yale, 2001; ; R. Mark Lubbers Chair and head) science, environmental; frdavis@purdue.edu
de la Fuente, Ariel (PHD, SUNY, Stony Brook, 1995; ; prof.) global, Latin America, literary; delafuen@purdue.edu
Ewing, Christopher B. (PHD, Graduate Center, CUNY, 2018; ; asst. prof.) modern Europe, modern Germany, LGTBQ+; cbewing@purdue.edu
Fleetham, Deborah L. (PHD, Rochester, 2002; ; clinical assoc. prof. and dir., undergrad. studies) Europe, modern Germany, religious; dfleetham@purdue.edu
Gray, William G. (PHD, Yale, 1999; ; prof.) modern Germany, 20th-century Europe, world economy; wggray@purdue.edu
Holden, Stacy E. (PHD, Boston Univ., 2005; ; assoc. prof.) modern Middle East and North Africa, US engagement with Arab world; sholden@purdue.edu
Irvine, Tina A. (PHD, Pennsylvania, 2019; ; asst. prof.) US, science, genomics, eugenics; tirvine@purdue.edu
Jones, T. Cole (PHD, Johns Hopkins, 2014; ; assoc. prof.) colonial and revolutionary America, Atlantic world, cultural history of violence; colejones@purdue.edu
Klein-Pejsova, Rebekah (PHD, Columbia, 2007; ; assoc. prof. and dir., human rights prog.) modern Jewish and East Central Europe, Jewish/state relations, comparative nationalism; rkleinpe@purdue.edu
Kline, Wendy (PHD, California, Davis, 1998; ; Dema G. Seelye Chair; dir., medical humanities program) medicine, US, women; wkline@purdue.edu
LaBonte, Michelle Lynne (PHD, Harvard, 2022; ; asst. prof.) US, science and medicine, genomics; mlabonte@purdue.edu
Lande, Jonathan (PHD, Brown, 2018; ; asst. prof.) US Civil War, US military, US legal, African American, Atlantic race and slavery; jlande@purdue.edu
Loeb, Zachary (PHD, Pennsylvania, 2023; ; asst. prof.) US, science and technology, cybersecurity; zloeb@purdue.edu
Marsh, Dawn G. (PHD, California, Riverside, 2003; ; assoc. prof.; dir., Native American and indigenous studies) Native American, indigenous studies; dmarsh@purdue.edu
Maxson Jones, Kathryn (PHD, Princeton, 2021; ; asst. prof.) technology, neuroscience, biotechnology; kmaxson@purdue.edu
Mendon-Plasek, Aaron (PHD, Columbia, 2022; ; asst. prof.) science and technology, computing and AI; amendonp@purdue.edu
Mitchell, Silvia Z. (PHD, Miami, 2013; ; assoc. prof.) early modern Europe, Spain and Spanish Atlantic world, women and gender; mitch131@purdue.edu
Mulhall, John (PHD, Harvard, 2022; ; asst. prof.) early medieval Mediterranean world science and religion;
Nye, Ellen M. (PHD, Yale, 2022; ; asst. prof.) political economy, globalization, early modern empires; emnye@purdue.edu
Pitts, Yvonne M. (PHD, Iowa, 2006; ; assoc. prof. and dir., grad. studies) US, US legal and constitutional, sexuality; ypitts@purdue.edu
Roberts, Randy W. (PHD, Louisiana State, 1978; ; 150th Anniversary Prof. and Dist. Prof.) recent US, sports, Hollywood; rroberts@purdue.edu
Tillman, Margaret Mih (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2013; ; assoc. prof.; dir., Asian Studies) China and East Asia, education in modern China, childhood and gender; mmtillman@purdue.edu
Wijeyeratne, Subodhana (PHD, Harvard, 2020; ; asst. prof.) East Asian science and technology, Japanese space exploration; swijeyer@purdue.edu
Zook, Melinda (PHD, Georgetown, 1993; ; Germaine Seelye Oesterle Prof.; dir., cornerstone integrated liberal arts) early modern Europe, Tudor-Stuart England, political thought and culture; mzook@purdue.edu
Contreni, John J., Jr. (PHD, Michigan State, 1971; ; prof. emeritus) Europe, early medieval; contreni@purdue.edu
Curtis, Susan (PHD, Missouri, Columbia, 1986; ; prof. emeritus) US intellectual and religious; curtis@purdue.edu
Cutter, Charles R. (PHD, New Mexico, 1989; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) colonial Latin America, Spanish borderlands, Spanish colonial legal; cutter@purdue.edu
Dumett, Raymond E. (PHD, London, 1966; ; prof. emeritus) Africa, British colonization of Africa; rdumett@purdue.edu
Farr, James R. (PHD, Northwestern, 1983; ; prof. emeritus) Europe, early modern Europe, Renaissance; jrfarr@purdue.edu
Hastings, Sally Ann (PHD, Chicago, 1980; ; prof. emeritus) Japan and East Asia, gender in modern Japan; sahnolte@purdue.edu
Hearden, Patrick J. (PHD, Wisconsin-Madison, 1971; ; prof. emeritus) US diplomatic; phearden@purdue.edu
Hurt, R. Douglas (PHD, Kansas State, 1975; ; prof. emeritus) US, American agricultural and rural, US West/Midwest/South; doughurt@purdue.edu
Ingrao, Charles W. (PHD, Brown, 1974; ; prof. emeritus) early modern Europe, southeastern Europe; ingrao@purdue.edu
Lambert, Franklin T. (PHD, Northwestern, 1990; ; prof. emeritus) colonial America, revolutionary era; flambert@purdue.edu
Larson, John L. (PHD, Brown, 1981; ; prof. emeritus) US, US political and early national, US business; larsonjl@purdue.edu
Magner, Lois N. (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1968; ; prof. emeritus) medicine and biology; magnerln@aol.com
May, Robert E. (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1969; ; prof. emeritus) US South, US military; mayr@purdue.edu
Teaford, Jon C. (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1973; ; prof. emeritus) US constitutional, urban; teaford@purdue.edu
Walton, Whitney (PHD, Wisconsin-Madison, 1984; ; prof. emeritus) modern France, modern Europe, 19th-/20th-century cultural/social/gender/international; awhitney@purdue.edu
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