AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations

Institution Details


American University
American University Dept. of History
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20016-8038
Phone: 202.885.2401
Email: history@american.edu
Website: https://www.american.edu/cas/history/


American University is a private, doctoral institution in a residential neighborhood of Washington, DC. Our department encourages interdisciplinary study, individually designed programs, and close contact between faculty and students. The outstanding faculty in our department are dedicated to teaching, scholarship, and helping students use the matchless resources in the nation’s capital.


Chair: Max Paul Friedman
Director of Graduate Studies: Gautham Rao
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Anton Fedyashin and Mary Frances Giandrea
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: United States, Europe, Public History, Russia, Jewish Studies
Undergraduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $30135
   Out-of-state: $30135
Graduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $37440
   Out-of-state: $37440

Enrollment 2024-25:
Undergraduate Majors: 108
Students in Program: 0
New Graduate Students: 25
Full-time Graduate Students: 40
Part-time Graduate Students: 18
Degrees in History: 0 AA 35 BA 0 BS 12 MA 0 MS 1 PhD
Students in Undergrad. Courses: 2030
Students in Undergrad. Intro Courses: 135
% of Online-Only Courses: 0
Undergraduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://www.american.edu/admissions/
   Financial Aid: https://www.american.edu/financialaid/
Graduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://www.american.edu/cas/admissions/
   Financial Aid: https://www.american.edu/financialaid/

Areas of Specialization: United States, Europe, Public History, Russia, Jewish Studies

Not applicable


Doctoral Program Information

A. Program Description. The History Department offers MA and PhD degrees with an optional concentration in our highly-ranked Public History program. Areas of greatest strength and course coverage at the graduate level are in Public History, the history of North America, modern Europe, U.S. Foreign Relations, and Russia. Students interested in other areas of the world will find relevant courses in the department, in other parts of the university, and through the resources of the Washington, DC Consortium of Universities. Themes of particular strength include public history, political history, diplomatic history, history of imperialism and post-colonialism, comparative history, intellectual history, quantitative history, social and cultural history, history of sexuality and gender, history of medicine and science, African American history and ethnic history.

B. Special Programs. The National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and many, many other museums, archives, libraries and historical sites make our Washington D.C. location an incomparable place to study history. The Department has collaborative relationships with many of these institutions. The American University Library is part of the Washington Consortium of Research Libraries, which provides faculty and students with common access to the resources of eight university libraries.

The Department annually offers a non-credit doctoral seminar which focuses on professional development issues such as research and writing, teaching and job search, and features the presentation of work in progress by doctoral students. Students may also participate in the University-wide "Greenberg Seminar." The Department annually offers a non-credit doctoral seminar which focuses on professional development issues such as research and writing, teaching and job search, and features the presentation of work in progress by doctoral students. Students may also participate in the University-wide "Greenberg Seminar." Technical support and training is available through the University's Center for Teaching, Research and Learning.

C. Financial Aid. The Department awards four-year Doctoral Fellowships that include tuition remission and a stipend of $23,000. There are a number of department awards available for summer support and a fifth year of fellowship. Scholarships and paid internship opportunities are available for Public History MA students.

D. Degree Requirements. For students entering with a BA, 30 credits of coursework; for students entering with an MA in history or a related discipline, 24 credits. Doctoral candidates must pass comprehensive examinations in two major fields, and one minor field.

Directory of History Dissertations

Doctoral Program Statistics 2024-25:
PhD students currently enrolled: 18
PhD applications received: 37
New PhD students: 3
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 100
% of students receiving stipends: 100


Beers, Laura D. (PHD, Harvard, 2007; ; prof.) modern British political and cultural; beers@american.edu
Brenner, Michael (PHD, Columbia, 1994; ; Dist. Prof. of History and Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies; dir., Center for Israel Studies) Israel and Jewish; mbrenner@american.edu
Demshuk, Andrew T. (PHD, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2010; ; prof.) Germany, modern Europe; demshuk@american.edu
Fedyashin, Anton (PHD, Georgetown, 2007; ; assoc. prof. and dir., undergrad. studies) Russia and Europe, Cold War, geopolitics; fedyashi@american.edu
Findlay, Eileen J (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1995; ; prof.; chair, Critical Race, Gender, Cultural Studies Collaborative) Latin America and Caribbean, race, gender; efindla@american.edu
Friedman, Max Paul (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2000; ; prof. and chair; Sch. of International Service) 20th-century US foreign relations; friedman@american.edu
Giandrea, Mary Frances (PHD, Boston Coll., 1997; ; sr. professorial lect. and dir., undergrad. studies) medieval Europe, Britain, early Christianity; giandrea@american.edu
Haulman, Kate (PHD, Cornell, 2002; ; assoc. prof.) early America, women/gender/sexuality, cultural; haulman@american.edu
Jacobs, Justin Matthew (PHD, California, San Diego, 2011; ; prof.) premodern China, modern Japan, Asia; jjacobs@american.edu
Kaplan, Anna F. (PHD, American, 2019; ; professorial lect.) public, oral, women; afkaplan@american.edu
Kerr, Daniel R. (PHD, Case Western Reserve, 2005; ; assoc. prof.) public, US, urban; kerr@american.edu
Kraut, Alan (PHD, Cornell, 1975; ; Dist. Prof.; Sch. of International Studies, Public Health Prog.) US immigration and ethnicity, medicine, Civil War and American South; akraut@american.edu
Kuznick, Peter J. (PHD, Rutgers, 1984; ; prof. and dir., Nuclear Studies Inst.) US cultural, science, 20th-century US; kuznick@american.edu
Lichtman, Allan J. (PHD, Harvard, 1973; ; Dist. Prof.; Justice, Law & Criminology) quantitative methods, American political, late 19th- and 20th-century US; lichtman@american.edu
Lohr, Eric J. (PHD, Harvard, 1999; ; prof. and Dr. James H. Billington Chair of Russian History and Culture) Russia, World War I, Russian Revolution; elohr@american.edu
Nadell, Pamela S. (PHD, Ohio State, 1982; ; prof. and Patrick Clendenen Chair; chair, Critical Race, Gender and Cultural Studies) American Jewish, women and gender; pnadell@american.edu
Partovi, Pedram (PHD, Chicago, 2010; ; assoc. prof.) Iran, Middle East; partovi@american.edu
Rao, Gautham (PHD, Chicago, 2008; ; assoc. prof. and dir., grad. studies) early America, legal; grao@american.edu
Runstedtler, Theresa E. (PHD, Yale, 2007; ; prof.; chair, Critical Race, Gender, and Cultural Studies) African American, African diaspora, US transnational/imperial; runstedt@american.edu
Rymsza-Pawlowska, M.J. (PHD, Brown, 2012; ; assoc. prof.) public, cultural, modern America; rymszapa@american.edu
Stockreiter, Elke E. (PHD, SOAS, London, 2008; ; assoc. prof.) Africa, Islamic studies, modern Middle East; estockre@american.edu
Strauss, Lauren B. (PHD, Jewish Theological Seminary, 2004; ; sr. professional lect.; Jewish Studies) modern Jewish, American Jewish cultural and political; strauss@american.edu
Vester, Katharina (PHD, Ruhr, Bochum, 2007; ; assoc. prof.; American Studies) cultural studies, foodscapes, gender and sexuality; vester@american.edu
Franz, Kathleen (PHD, Brown, 1999; ; assoc. prof. and dir., Public History Program) material culture, business; franz@american.edu
Leff, Lisa Moses (PHD, Chicago, 2000; ; prof.) Europe 1789-present, modern Jewish; leff@american.edu
Breitman, Richard (PHD, Harvard, 1975; ; prof. emeritus) modern Germany, Europe since 1914, European social and political; rbreit@american.edu
Malloy, James A., Jr. (PHD, Ohio State, 1965; ; prof. emeritus) imperial Russia, eastern Europe; malloyjimm@aol.com
Shelford, April G. (PHD, Princeton, 1997; ; assoc. prof. emerita) early modern Europe, religion and culture; shelfor@american.edu
Return to Results

Site Maintenance

Our system is currently down for scheduled maintenance. Your member services will be available again shortly. Please check back soon.

© American Historical Association