PhD in History

One of the greatest strengths of our Ph.D. program is its high success rate in terms of career outcomes for our students.

To learn more, please visit: Ph.D. in History Career Outcomes

Our innovative doctoral program combines traditional historical research and teaching methods with the advanced and in-demand skills of the digital humanities. As a result, our Ph.D. program prepares students for careers not only in university teaching, but also in digital media, publishing, educational administration, library science, archival preservation, and public history.

Core curriculum in our doctoral program includes both conventional historical methods and advanced training in the latest web-based technologies. Major fields include U.S. history, European history, and world history; minor fields are chosen by the student and may include such areas as cultural history, military history, religious history, political history, and new media and information technology

We regularly offer courses about museums and historical memory. In addition, our location in the metropolitan Washington D.C.  area gives students wonderful opportunities for internships and research at such institutions as the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Navy and Marine Corps museums, and George Washington's Mount Vernon as well as George Mason’s Gunston Hall. 

Mason's Ph.D. in History program is especially well-known for its strength in Applied History including public and digital history.

Our faculty affiliated with the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) are renowned, international, leaders in the field of digital humanities. 

For more information about doctoral students’ engagement with RRCHNM, visit RRCHNM's Graduate Education webpage.

Prospective Students are encouraged to review

the History PhD program Frequently Asked Questions. 

The Degree Requirements tab above contains all courses required to graduate with the PhD. 

The Applying tab contains details on all admissions application requirements, including how to write your goals statement. 

The Meet a Student & Meet an Alum tabs highlight current and past students in this program as well as their research and career outcomes.