AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations

Institution Details


Baylor University
Baylor University Dept. of History
1 Bear Pl., #97306
Waco, TX 76798-7306
Phone: 254.710.2667
Fax: 254.710.2551
Email: Julie_deGraffenried@baylor.edu
Email: History_Department@baylor.edu
Website: https://history.artsandsciences.baylor.edu/


The Department of History, home to the largest student cohort in the humanities at Baylor, offers rigorous inquiry in a nurturing environment. We foster a transformative learning experience by encouraging intellectual exchange and community among faculty, undergraduates, grad students, and staff. We value innovative scholarship and teaching as well as our role in promoting the significance of history and historical thinking.


Chair: Julie K. deGraffenried
Director of Graduate Studies: Andrea L. Turpin
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Daniel Barish
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Latino and Latin America, modern Europe, religion, gender, military, medicine, oral
Undergraduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $63620
   Out-of-state: $63620
Graduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $47718
   Out-of-state: $47718

Enrollment 2024-25:
Undergraduate Majors: 135
Students in Program: 0
New Graduate Students: 7
Full-time Graduate Students: 29
Part-time Graduate Students: 0
Degrees in History: 0 AA 46 BA 0 BS 2 MA 0 MS 4 PhD
Students in Undergrad. Courses: 3031
Students in Undergrad. Intro Courses: 2373
% of Online-Only Courses: 0
Undergraduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://admissions.web.baylor.edu/
   Financial Aid: https://onestop.web.baylor.edu/
Graduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://www.baylor.edu/graduate/
   Financial Aid: https://onestop.web.baylor.edu/

Areas of Specialization: US, Latino and Latin America, modern Europe, religion, gender, military, medicine, oral

Not applicable


Doctoral Program Information

A. Program Description. The history PhD program at Baylor focuses on the study of religion and culture in the United States, Great Britain, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The department accepts 2-4 highly qualified students per year who have interests in these areas, as well as in other areas supported by faculty. Additional departmental strengths include women’s and gender history, military history, and the history of race and ethnicity. An emerging area of specialty is history of medicine, science, and technology.

B. Special Programs. History PhD students at Baylor study on a campus where the academic study of religion cuts across disciplines and departments. Baylor also has a variety of institutes and centers that enhance scholarly development in this and other areas: Institute for the Study of Religion; Institute for Faith and Learning; Institute for Oral History; Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society; and others. With PhD degrees in religion (including a bioethics specialization), the sociology of religion, philosophy, political science, and religion and literature, Baylor also provides history graduate students a wealth of cross-disciplinary opportunities for intellectual enrichment within their areas of interest.

C. Financial Aid. Baylor offers tuition waivers and stipends. In addition, a departmental fellowship is available to highly-qualified graduate students.

D. Degree Requirements. 39 hours of course work (if entering with the MA in hand); language requirement; 6 hours of preliminary exam reading; written and oral preliminary exams over comprehensive reading lists in three fields; dissertation prospectus review; and 12 hours of dissertation. Graduate stipend requires teaching/research assistantship before exams and teacher of record instruction after. For more specific degree requirements, see the department website.

Directory of History Dissertations

Doctoral Program Statistics 2024-25:
PhD students currently enrolled: 29
PhD applications received: 38
New PhD students: 4
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 100
% of students receiving stipends: 100


Alvarez-Pimentel, Ricardo Jose (PHD, Yale, 2022; ; asst. prof.) Latin America, Mexico; Ricardo_Alvarez@baylor.edu
Amoh, Emmanuella (PHD, Purdue, 2023; ; asst. prof.) 20th-century Africa, African diaspora; Emmanuella_Amoh@baylor.edu
Barish, Daniel (PHD, Princeton, 2017; ; assoc. prof. and dir., undergrad. studies) East Asia, China, education, gender; daniel_barish@baylor.edu
Barr, Beth Allison (PHD, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2004; ; James Vardaman Prof. of History) medieval Britain, women, religion; beth_barr@baylor.edu
Coffman, Elesha (PHD, Duke, 2008; ; prof.) US intellectual, religious; elesha_coffman@baylor.edu
Corrêa, Marilia (PHD, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2019; ; asst. prof.) modern Latin America, Brazil, dictatorship, gender, class, race; Marilia_Correa@baylor.edu
deGraffenried, Julie K. (PHD, Texas, Austin, 2009; ; assoc. prof. and chair) modern Russia/USSR, children and childhood, visual culture; julie_degraffenried@baylor.edu
Elder, Robert (PHD, Emory, 2011; ; prof.) US South; robert_elder@baylor.edu
Elmore, Maggie J. (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2017; ; assoc. prof.) US Latina/o, borderlands, immigration, religion and politics, human rights; Maggie_Elmore@baylor.edu
Gaspar, Anthony (PHD, Notre Dame, 2023; ; lect.) ; Anthony_Gaspar@baylor.edu
Gutkowski, Andrew (PHD, South Carolina, 2020; ; lect.) ; Andrew_Gutkowski@baylor.edu
Handel, John Martin (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2021; ; asst. prof.) economic, finance and society, market structure; John_Handel@baylor.edu
Hankins, Barry G. (PHD, Kansas State, 1990; ; prof.) US religion; barry_hankins@baylor.edu
Hill, Bracy V., II (PHD, Baylor, 2010; ; sr. lect.) early modern Britain, hunting culture, Texas; bracy_hill@baylor.edu
Hinojosa, Felipe (PHD, Houston, 2009; ; prof. and John & Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair in Latin America) Latino/a, Chicano/a, civil rights, religion; felipe_hinojosa@baylor.edu
Jenkins, Philip (PHD, Cambridge, 1978; ; dist. prof.; dir., Program on Historical Studies of Religion) global Christianity, US; philip_jenkins@baylor.edu
Johnson, Ronald Angelo (PHD, Purdue, 2010; ; assoc. prof. and Ralph L. and Bessie Mae Lynn Prof.) African American, Haiti, diplomatic, early America; ronald_a_johnson@baylor.edu
Kellison, Kimberly R. (PHD, South Carolina, 1997; ; assoc. prof.; assoc. dean, Humanities & Social Sciences) US South, Civil War and Reconstruction; kimberly_kellison@baylor.edu
Kirillova, Liana (PHD, Southern Illinois, Carbondale, 2022; ; lect.) modern US/world, gender, politics, Cold War; liana_kirillova@baylor.edu
Oropeza, Ruth A. (PHD, Arizona, 2021; ; lect.) modern Spain, medicine/disease/epidemics; ruth_oropeza@baylor.edu
Pietrenka, Benjamin Michael (PHD, California, Santa Cruz, 2017; ; asst. prof.) early America and Atlantic world, religion, gender, race, empire, print culture; Ben_Pietrenka@baylor.edu
Smith, David A. (PHD, Missouri, Columbia, 2000; ; sr. lect.) US, military, maritime, arts and culture; david_a_smith@baylor.edu
Sweet, Julie Anne (PHD, Kentucky, 2002; ; prof.; dir., Military Studies) early America, Native American, public; julie_sweet@baylor.edu
Turpin, Andrea L. (PHD, Notre Dame, 2011; ; assoc. prof. and dir., grad. studies) US women, higher education; andrea_turpin@baylor.edu
Watkins, Daniel James (PHD, Ohio State, 2014; ; assoc. prof.) early modern France, Enlightenment, Catholicism, print culture; daniel_watkins@baylor.edu
Wingerd, Zachary D. (PHD, Texas, Arlington, 2008; ; sr. lect.) world, US; zachary_wingerd@baylor.edu
Jones, Kenneth R. (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2006; ; assoc. prof.; chair, Classics) Roman Near East; k_r_jones@baylor.edu
Jug, Steven George (PHD, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2013; ; lect.; Modern Languages & Cultures) modern Russia, southeastern Europe, east central Europe, military, gender; steven_jug@baylor.edu
Sloan, Stephen M. (PHD, Arizona State, 2003; ; prof.; dir., Inst. for Oral History) 20th-century US, oral, environmental, local, public; stephen_sloan@baylor.edu
Daniel, Wallace L., Jr. (PHD, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1973; ; prof. emeritus) Soviet, east European studies; wallace_daniel@baylor.edu
Gawrych, George W. (PHD, Michigan, 1980; ; prof. emeritus) Middle East, Islamic world; george_gawrych@baylor.edu
Hamilton, Jeffrey S. (PHD, Emory, 1982; ; prof. emeritus) medieval, Britain; jeffrey_hamilton@baylor.edu
Hendon, David W. (PHD, Emory, 1976; ; prof. emeritus) Germany, modern Europe; david_hendon@baylor.edu
Hull, Gary W. (PHD, Maryland, Coll. Park, 1968; ; prof. emeritus) American intellectual, historiography; gary_hull@baylor.edu
Longfellow, David L. (PHD, Johns Hopkins, 1980; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) French Revolution and Napoleon, European intellectual; david_longfellow@baylor.edu
Mungello, David E. (PHD, California, Berkeley, 1973; ; prof. emeritus) China, early modern Sino-Western; d_e_mungello@baylor.edu
Parrish, T. Michael (PHD, Texas, Austin, 1991; ; prof. emeritus) Civil War, Texas, public; michael_parrish@baylor.edu
Rust, Eric C. (PHD, Texas, Austin, 1987; ; prof. emeritus) Renaissance, early modern Europe, maritime; eric_rust@baylor.edu
SoRelle, James M. (PHD, Kent State, 1980; ; prof. emeritus) urban, African American, recent US; james_sorelle@baylor.edu
Supplee, Joan E. (PHD, Texas, Austin, 1988; ; prof. emeritus) Latin America, Argentina, economic; joan_supplee@baylor.edu
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