European History Ph.D.

Program type:

Major

Format:

On Campus

Est. time to complete:

3-5 years

Credit Hours:

30 (with master's) or 54 (with bachelor's)

Become an expert in the rich and complex history of Europe.

The Department of History offers a rigorous graduate program in European History with overarching geographical and thematic breadth. Chronologically, this concentration covers the history of the European civilization from Ancient and Medieval times to Renaissance and Reformation, and then to the revolutionary 17th, 18th and 20th centuries, extending exploration to the 21st century.

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Why Earn a European History Ph.D.?

Our faculty members possess internationally recognized professional expertise and firsthand experience to guide doctoral research in thematic fields of military, gender, political, social, cultural, economic history and Jewish studies, as well as geographic areas from Classical Greece and Rome to Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

Areas of study for doctoral students:

1. Chronological

Ancient
Medieval
Renaissance
Reformation
17th- and 18th-century Europe
Revolutionary Europe
19th-century Europe
20th-century Europe

2. Topical

Classical Greece and Rome
Military
Russia
17th- and 18th-century Britain
Modern Britain
Early Modern France
Modern France
Modern Germany
Women and gender

Marketable Skills

Synthesize/interpret large amounts of data
Pedagogical practices
Mastery of the historical literature
Expertise in the history of specific topics/regions
Research/write studies based on primary sources

European History Ph.D. Highlights

Graduate classes normally include eight to 12 students, allowing you to receive personal attention from the instructor.

Our department houses the Kingsbury-Thomason Departmental Library, the Military History Center, and an extensive collection of books and films.

Our classes are taught by faculty who have published numerous books and articles, been awarded many research grants, and earned national and international recognition in their fields.

Several nationally and internationally recognized speakers address faculty and students on different topics each year.

You'll also have access to several other major libraries and institutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the National Archives at Fort Worth, the Dallas Public Library, the Dallas Historical Society, and libraries of numerous area colleges and universities.

You’ll have the exciting opportunity to learn to conduct original, archival research.

What Can You Do With a European History Ph.D.?

The knowledge and skills students gain while earning a history degree offer excellent preparation for a seemingly endless variety of occupations. Students of history learn to analyze and evaluate evidence with care, to communicate persuasively and clearly, and to understand diverse perspectives and experiences.

Many history majors directly apply course content to fulfilling careers as historians, museum professionals, historical interpreters, researchers, writers, filmmakers, and educators. According to the American Historical Association, history graduates work in almost every field imaginable, ranging from financial services to healthcare to community and social services and beyond.

Particularly large numbers of history majors leverage their critical thinking and communication skills for careers in business administration or management, sales, and in the legal profession. Earning an undergraduate degree in history also offers students excellent preparation for graduate school, launching them on pathways toward careers in fields such as higher education, journalism, law, and public policy.

European History Ph.D. Courses You Could Take

Research seminar in selected themes in ancient history.

Extensive readings and study in one of the topical areas of modern European history.

The history and historiography of Stalin’s Russia (1920s to 1950s), with an emphasis given to scholarly work conducted since the opening of the Soviet archives in the 1990s.

The tradition of pilgrimage and the Christian cult of the saints, from late Antiquity through the end of the Middle Ages, with comparisons to the modern era.

History of the Holocaust highlighting the diversity of critical scholarly approaches to the Nazi-perpetrated genocide, as well as atrocities committed by other World War II belligerents.

Research seminar on the history of Napoleonic warfare preparing students to conduct original research using European sources from the era.