AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations

Institution Details


West Virginia University
Dept. of History
PO Box 6303
Morgantown, WV 26506-6303
Phone: 304.293.2421
Fax: 304.293.3616
Email: Kate.Staples@mail.wvu.edu
Website: https://history.wvu.edu/


The Department of History, part of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, offers a variety of courses for the interested undergraduate and graduate student. Our faculty includes professors of West Virginia history, US history, African, Latin American, Asian, and European history.


Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Jason Phillips
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $9648.00
   Out-of-state: $27360.00
Graduate Tuition (per academic year):
   In-state: $10098.00
   Out-of-state: $25632.00

Enrollment 2023-24:
Undergraduate Majors: 216
New Graduate Students: 15
Full-time Graduate Students: 77
Part-time Graduate Students: 5
Degrees in History: 55 BA, 10 MA, 5 PhD
Undergraduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
   Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Graduate Addresses:
   Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
   Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Jason Phillips
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $9648.00
Out-of-state: $27360.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $10098.00
Out-of-state: $25632.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 216
New Graduates: 15
Full-Time: 77
Part-Time: 5
Degrees in History: 55 BA, , , , , , , 10 MA, , , , , , , 5 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Jason Phillips
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8976.00
Out-of-state: $25320.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $9594.00
Out-of-state: $26208.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 217
New Graduates: 20
Full-Time: 61
Part-Time: 3
Degrees in History: 53 BA, , , , , , , 10 MA, , , , , , , 6 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Jason Phillips
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8976.00
Out-of-state: $25320.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $9594.00
Out-of-state: $26208.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 217
New Graduates: 20
Full-Time: 61
Part-Time: 3
Degrees in History: 53 BA, , , , , , , 10 MA, , , , , , , 6 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Jason Phillips
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8976.00
Out-of-state: $25320.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $9594.00
Out-of-state: $26208.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 217
New Graduates: 20
Full-Time: 61
Part-Time: 3
Degrees in History: 53 BA, , , , , , , 10 MA, , , , , , , 6 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: https://financialaid.wvu.edu/
Chair: Kate Staples
Director of Graduate Studies: Brian Luskey
Director of Undergraduate Studies: William (Hal) Gorby
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa, public
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8976.00
Out-of-state: $25320.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $9594.00
Out-of-state: $26208.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 217
New Graduates: 20
Full-Time: 61
Part-Time: 3
Degrees in History: 53 BA, , , , , , , 10 MA, , , , , , , 6 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu
Chair: Joseph Hodge
Director of Graduate Studies: Brian Luskey
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8496.00
Out-of-state: $25344.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $9594.00
Out-of-state: $26208.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 205
New Graduates: 20
Full-Time: 55
Part-Time: 9
Degrees in History: 55 BA, , , , , , , 7 MA, , , , , , , 5 PhD, , , , , , ,


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://admissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu
Chair: Joseph Hodge
Director of Graduate Studies: Brian Luskey
Degrees Offered: BA,MA,PHD
Academic Year System: SEM
Areas of Specialization: US, Appalachia, modern Europe, modern Africa
Undergraduate Tuition:
In-state: $8376.00
Out-of-state: $23616.00

Graduate Tuition:
In-state: $8802.00
Out-of-state: $24336.00

Enrollment:
Undergraduate Majors: 200
New Graduates: 23
Full-Time: 46
Part-Time: 25
Degrees in History: 91 BA, , , , , , , 11 MA, , , , , , , 9 PhD


Undergraduate Addresses:
Admissions: http://admissions.wvu.edu/home
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu

Graduate Addresses:
Admissions: http://graduate.wvu.edu/contact/office-of-graduate-admissions-and-recruitment
Financial Aid: http://financialaid.wvu.edu

Doctoral Program Information

A. Program Description. The doctoral program in History at West Virginia University emphasizes all fields of US history, Appalachian/Regional history, modern European history, and modern Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the department encourages research that is comparative and transnational in approach.

B. Special Programs. Students in the Appalachian/regional history emphasis have access to the West Virginia/Regional History Collection. The department also offers a minor field concentration in Public History.

C. Financial Aid. Newly admitted doctoral students are automatically eligible to be considered for departmental teaching and research assistantships and university-wide doctoral scholarships. Almost all doctoral students in the program are supported. Funds are also available for travel to conferences and research sites.

D. Degree Requirements. 34 credit hours minimum for the PhD; written and oral qualifying examinations in four fields.

Directory of History Dissertations

Doctoral Program Statistics 2023-24:
PhD students currently enrolled: 37
PhD applications received: 20
New PhD students: 4
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 100
% of students receiving stipends: 100


Full-time Faculty
Bingmann, Melissa R. (PHD, Arizona State, 2003; ; assoc. prof.) public, modern US; melissa.bingmann@mail.wvu.edu
DiSalvo Osborne, Betsy (PHD, West Virginia, 2023; ; service asst. prof. and coord., Social Studies Secondary Education) social studies education; elizabeth.osborne@mail.wvu.edu
Durham, Brooke (PHD, Stanford, 2022; ; asst. prof.) modern Europe, France, French Empire, decolonization; brooke.durham@mail.wvu.edu
Flomen, Max (PHD, UCLA, 2018; ; asst. prof.) North America to 1800, Native American, Atlantic world, slavery; max.flomen@mail.wvu.edu
Gorby, William Hal (PHD, West Virginia, 2014; ; teaching assoc. prof. and dir., undergrad. studies) West Virginia, Appalachia, 20th-century US working class; William.Gorby@mail.wvu.edu
Hodge, Joseph M. (PHD, Queen’s, Can., 1999; ; assoc. prof.) Britain and Empire, decolonization, development and modernization; Joseph.Hodge@mail.wvu.edu
Lawrence, Sean (PHD, California, Santa Cruz, 2022; ; asst. prof.) modern Europe, modern Middle East, German Empire, environmental, political economy, heritage studies, film; sean.lawrence@mail.wvu.edu
Luskey, Brian Patrick (PHD, Emory, 2004; ; prof.) early Republic US, urban, gender; brian.luskey@mail.wvu.edu
M'bayo, Tamba E. (PHD, Michigan State, 2009; ; assoc. prof.) Africa, West Africa; Tamba.Mbayo@mail.wvu.edu
McCoy, Austin C. (PHD, Michigan, 2016; ; asst. prof.) 20th-century US, African American, US Left and labor, US social movements;
Phillips, Jason K. (PHD, Rice, 2003; ; Eberly Prof. and dir., grad. studies) Civil War and Reconstruction, US South, 19th-century America; jason.phillips@mail.wvu.edu
Siekmeier, James F. (PHD, Cornell, 1993; ; prof.) US diplomatic, Latin America; James.Siekmeier@mail.wvu.edu
Smart, Devin (PHD, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2017; ; asst. prof.) Africa, environmental, food and consumption; devin.smart@mail.wvu.edu
Staples, Kate Kelsey (PHD, Minnesota, 2006; ; assoc. prof. and chair) medieval, women, England; Kate.Staples@mail.wvu.edu
Vester, Matthew A. (PHD, UCLA, 1997; ; prof. and assoc. chair) early modern Europe, Italy, kinship; matt.vester@mail.wvu.edu
Wilkerson, Jessica (PHD, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2014; ; Stuart & Joyce Robbins Chair and assoc. prof.) Appalachia, 20th-century US, women and gender, labor and working class; jessica.wilkerson@mail.wvu.edu
Retired/Emeritus Faculty
Arnett, William S. (PHD, Ohio State, 1973; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) ancient; William.Arnett@mail.wvu.edu
Blobaum, Robert E. (PHD, Nebraska, 1981; ; prof. emeritus) modern central and east Europe; Robert.Blobaum@mail.wvu.edu
Fones-Wolf, Elizabeth A. (PHD, Massachusetts Amherst, 1990; ; prof. emeritus) 20th-century US, social, economic; efwolf@wvu.edu
Fones-Wolf, Ken (PHD, Temple, 1985; ; prof. emeritus) 19th-century US, labor, Appalachia and West Virginia; kfoneswo@wvu.edu
Hammersmith, Jack L. (PHD, Virginia, 1970; ; prof. emeritus) East Asia, recent US, American diplomatic; Jack.Hammersmith@mail.wvu.edu
Howe, Barbara J. (PHD, Temple, 1976; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) social, women, women’s studies; bhowe@wvu.edu
Lewis, Ronald L. (PHD, Akron, 1974; ; prof. emeritus) US social and labor, Appalachia and West Virginia; Ronald.Lewis@mail.wvu.edu
Maxon, Robert M. (PHD, Syracuse, 1972; ; prof. emeritus) East Africa, colonial Kenya; Robert.Maxon@mail.wvu.edu
McCluskey, Stephen C. (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1974; ; prof. emeritus) medieval, science; scmcc@wvu.edu
McMahon, Michal (PHD, Texas, Austin, 1970; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) 19th-century US, urban, environmental; Michal.McMahon@mail.wvu.edu
Super, John C. (PHD, UCLA, 1973; ; prof. emeritus) Latin America, Americas, comparative religious; John.Super@mail.wvu.edu
Tauger, Mark B. (PHD, UCLA, 1991; ; assoc. prof. emeritus) Russia and Soviet Union, world and comparative, historiography; mtauger@wvu.edu

Site Maintenance

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



© 2025 American Historical Association