Graduate study in history can be a wonderful path to pursue, provided that you begin with a clear understanding of both the opportunities and the constraints that you will encounter along the way.

Why Get a Ph.D. in History?

For anyone who loves history, the incentives for getting a Ph.D. seem clear. Going to graduate school allows you to investigate issues that you find personally and intellectually exciting. And no matter what other people might say, you will learn valuable skills in the process. It is impossible to get an advanced degree in history without acquiring a keen ability to analyze data and communicate your thoughts in writing. These skills will serve you well, irrespective of what you choose to do with your Ph.D.

What Does Getting a Ph.D. in History entail?

Coursework

The first year (and perhaps the second as well) will be taken up with coursework. During this time, you will take both lecture courses and seminars, which together will not only broaden your base of historical knowledge, but will challenge your ability to do historical research and writing. Your classes will keep you extremely busy. Between all of them, expect to have between 700-1000 pages of reading assigned every week. In addition to keeping up with the required reading, you will also have to plan and complete a research project for each history course you take. Although the workload is intense, you will quickly master strategies that will help you to budget your time and read more efficiently.

General Exam

After completing your coursework, you will then have to pass a general examination that will test your knowledge in specific fields of history (such as colonial America, early medieval Europe, women's history, etc.). Every history department has its own way of defining fields and structuring the general examination. Some schools require only an oral exam, but most require that students pass both a written and an oral test. Either way, you will have to prove your competence in your primary area of interest as well as 2-4 other subsidiary fields. By passing the general exam, you will show not only that you have begun to master certain specialized areas of history, but that you have the skills needed to move on to the final stage of the Ph.D.--the dissertation.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the most unstructured and open-ended part of the Ph.D. program. The general purpose of the dissertation is to allow you to make an original contribution to the existing historical literature in your field of interest. Like everything else in graduate school, this is no easy task. You will probably spend the first six months after passing your general exam researching a possible dissertation topic and writing a dissertation proposal. Once your proposal receives approval from your advisor, you will then spend a number of years doing your research, which will involve reviewing the secondary literature on your topic, as well as extensive exploration of the relevant primary documents. Your greatest challenge will be to turn your research into a readable and cogent piece of historical prose. Few students complete the dissertation in less than three years; many take four, five, or even six years to do it. And when it is finally written, you will most likely have to defend your dissertation before your advisors and peers.

Getting your Ph.D. in history is a long haul, but it can be well worth the effort.

What Will I Do With a Ph.D. in History?

Traditionally, most people who pursued graduate work in history were preparing themselves for a teaching career at a college or university. And in the past, American universities were expanding their faculties and were able to offer professorships to most of the qualified Ph.D.s who wanted them. As a result, in the 1960's and 1970's, Ph.D.s who wanted to teach history had no problem finding desirable academic positions.

However, the academic job market is no longer what it used to be. Especially over the past ten years, colleges and universities have stopped expanding their history departments, and many are even downsizing their faculties. At the same time, the number of Ph.D.s graduating every year has remained nearly constant. Together, these trends have created a serious crisis for historians. As the year 2000 approaches, there is a tremendous oversupply of history Ph.D.s who want to teach at the university level, but who cannot find an academic position. In other words, many Ph.D.s cannot do what they want to do with their degree.

This is not to say that getting an academic job is impossible. It does mean, however, that competition for teaching jobs is fierce. If you want to teach history at a college or university, you will have to begin preparing yourself for the job market from the time you enter graduate school.

First of all, it will be important to rack up some publication credits. You can attempt to convert a research paper into a journal article. Or, you can try to get work writing book reviews for historical journals. It will also be essential for you to get experience teaching lecture courses. While you write your dissertation, try to pick up work as an adjunct lecturer at a local college. Nowadays, universities tend to hire historians who already have some experience in writing and delivering their own lectures. And lastly, you need to network, network, network. Attend historical conferences and deliver papers there. Any exposure you can get will help introduce other historians to the kind of work you do. Of course, publishing, teaching, and attending conferences all come with a down side--they distract you from finishing your dissertation and earning your Ph.D. But these are the steps you will need to take in order to make your way in today's academic job market.

Because finding satisfactory academic work is so difficult, many recent Ph.D.s have forsaken the "ivory tower" and have instead chosen non-academic careers. Indeed, a Ph.D. in history is useful for more than just teaching at a university. By completing your doctorate, you signal to potential employers that you can work diligently without constant supervision, and that you have the writing skills to effectively communicate ideas to others. As a result, positions at consulting firms, publishing companies, and other corporate settings have become accessible to Ph.D.s.

You might also consider other educational careers: working as a museum curator, a Web page designer, or a university administrator. However, keep in mind that preparing yourself for a non-academic career will take some initiative and flexibility on your part. Be on the lookout for internships or seminars that will help give you the knowledge and experience you will need to compete successfully for a variety of career opportunities.

Applying to Ph.D. Programs in History

Financial concerns are also key in deciding upon a graduate program. Especially if you already have incurred debt from your undergraduate education, you should apply to departments that will be able to offer grants (not loans) to their graduate students. As you investigate various programs, ask whether grants for graduate study are based on need or merit, and how many years of grant assistance would be available to you. Don't get yourself into debt by paying for graduate school tuition.

While such professional and financial considerations are important in choosing graduate schools, don't forget about your personal happiness. Going to graduate school should complement your life plan, not contradict it. If you hate the west coast and never want to live there, don't apply to schools in California. If you can't live without the amenities of city life, don't apply to schools located in isolated areas. Pursuing a Ph.D. can be a difficult and draining effort; do your best to at least make sure that you like where you'll be living.

Once you've decided where to apply, you will need to take the general GRE (Graduate Record Examination), which is similar to the SAT. Strive to do as well as possible on all three sections--verbal, math, and analytical--as some fellowships are contingent on GRE scores. In addition to the general test, subject GRE's in American and European history also exist. Some universities want their applicants to take only the general GRE; others prefer that one of the subject tests be taken as well. Be sure to investigate the requirements for each of the schools you plan to apply to.

Perhaps the most important parts of the application are your recommendations and your personal statement. You'll want to get recommendations from people (especially History department faculty at Penn) who can comment at length on your analytical abilities and your writing skills--talents that you will also need to demonstrate in your personal statement. The statement should be a concise yet precise description of the kind of historical research you plan to pursue in graduate school. Admissions committees make their determinations in large part based on whether your research goals seem interesting. All the more reason, then, to apply to departments that have faculty with research interests that mirror your own. To find out more about the faculties of different history departments and their research interests, consult Peterson's Guide to Graduate Schools in the Humanities.

Making the Final Decision