A. Program Description. Counting upon the close collaboration of almost fifty permanent faculty members and approximately 120 degree-seeking students, our graduate program offers the doctorate and the Master of Arts in history. We also participate in a dual-degree masters in History and Library Science and a dual-degree program for the Master of Historic Preservation and and the Master of Arts in History. Our fields of noted excellence are United States, African American, and Central/Eastern European/Russian history. Other areas of established strength are the history of Western Europe, the Ancient Mediterranean, Middle East history, Jewish history, as well as the history of technology, science, and the environment. We also have exciting new programs in Atlantic history, the African diaspora, and international and transnational history.

B. Special Programs. The History and Library Science program (HiLS) is designed to prepare students for archival and bibliographic research, curatorship of rare book and manuscript collections, and conservation through a unique, interdisciplinary fusion of traditional historical methodology and cutting-edge archival and technology skills. The HiLS program requires that 24-30 of the 54 credit hours required for graduation be taken through History.

The dual HIST/HISP master’s degree reflects the hybrid relationship of professional practice that frequently engages professionals from both fields. The various dual degrees provide students the opportunity to increase their professional opportunities in both academic and non-academic career fields – an ever increasingly important benefit in an expanding and demanding job markets that value employees with multiple disciplinary backgrounds.

The Historic Preservation Certificate program draws together the appropriate courses and seminar offerings of American Studies, Anthropology, Architecture, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, as well as History, to form a twenty-four credit interdisciplinary curriculum. Certificate courses usually are taken in conjunction with the Master of Arts or the Master of Architecture degrees, and are designed to help prepare students for a range of careers in the planning, management and conservation of significant cultural, natural, and historical resources.

The Museum Scholarship and Material Culture Certificate program augments graduate work in American Studies, Anthropology, Historic Preservation, and History by training students to understand the particular challenges, issues, and opportunities encountered when conducting and presenting material culture scholarship in the museum environment. The program takes advantage of close collaboration with the world's largest museum establishment, the Smithsonian Institution.

C. Financial Aid. The University of Maryland, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Department of History offer several forms of financial support to our graduate students, including University fellowships, teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, research assistantships, research awards, and travel grants. The majority of financial support is made available to students in the doctoral program. However, students in the Master of Arts and History & Library Science programs may request support, typically in the form of teaching assistantships, as departmental needs permit.

Multiyear funding packages include a 9.5-month stipend, tuition remission, and a health benefits option, renewable on an annual basis subject to satisfactory progress towards the fulfillment of program requirements. All multiyear packages require that the funded student serve as a teaching assistant for two or more years. The most generous packages guarantee one or two years of support without any teaching obligations.

Doctoral pre-candidates who have successfully passed the comprehensive examinations may request support for summer work towards the dissertation prospectus. Each spring, doctoral candidates may also apply for one semester of support for dissertation research and writing. Dissertation support is treated as supplemental to the guaranteed multi-year package. Additional funding is available to all students through the Research & Travel Grant competitions, matching funds for travel to academic conferences, and various cross-campus funding opportunities. Budgetary restrictions may apply.

D. Degree Requirements. All doctoral students must complete the General Seminar(s) in their general field of study, complete HIST 601 (History and Contemporary Theory), complete a minimum of nine hours in readings courses (600/700-level) within the Department of History and six hours in research seminars (800-level), complete a minor field of study outside the major field of study which requires nine credit hours, complete a minimum of twelve hours of doctoral research, and maintain a B average in all graduate courses.