Department of History
American University
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Graduate Programs in History

The Department of History offers graduate work leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Its areas of greatest strength and course coverage at the graduate level are in American history and in modern European history (including Britain and Russia). Students interested in other areas of the world and other time periods will find some relevant courses in the department, in other parts of the university, and through the resources of the Washington, D. C. Consortium of Universities. Such students will find it possible to develop minor fields of study ("outside fields") other than American and modern European history, as well as (major or minor) cross-national and cross-disciplinary fields.
The Department also offers graduate work leading to the M.A. in Public History. Public history at American University offers you the unique opportunity to combine excellent academic training in history with the skills and understanding required to reach beyond the university's walls. Recent courses in this new program have included: Oral History and Oral Traditions, Introduction to Public History, History of Washington, DC, Cinema and History, the History of Medicine, and History in the Digital Age.

The Department offers course work and guidance in political history, diplomatic history, military history, intellectual history, quantitative history, social and cultural history, history of sexuality and gender, African-American culture and history, ethnic history, and public history. Both humanities students and social science students should find plenty of opportunities for course work and study.

Within the limitations of its resources, the Department is flexible in its approach to graduate work. Students are encouraged, and to some extent required, to take initiative and responsibility for shaping their programs. We emphasize close consultation between student and advisor in defining fields of study, tools of research, and other features of a particular program.