History

The Department of History offers master’s and doctoral programs in four areas: African, American, Asian, and European history. There is also a joint MA/JD program for students already enrolled in the BU School of Law. Among the Department of History’s thematic and methodological strengths are political, cultural, intellectual, environmental, legal, and transnational history. Our award-winning faculty is one of the most productive on campus in terms of producing books and articles. Faculty are engaged in research that spans the globe and covers the medieval, early modern, and late modern periods.

Graduates of the department pursue careers not only in the traditional areas of research and teaching but also in fields as diverse as library and museum work, government service, publishing, journalism, and business. In addition to classes in geographical and thematic areas of history, the department offers graduate courses in methodology, pedagogy, and professionalization. Workshops are held annually on teacher training as well as on dissertating and time management. The BU History Graduate Student Organization also hosts its own events to aid with student professionalization and publishing and runs a small lending library housed in the department.

Boston and its environs offer an ideal setting for graduate work. On campus, the department has a special relationship with the American & New England Studies Program, which provides a range of supplementary courses, workshops, and other venues for scholarly exchange. The highly regarded African Studies Center facilitates interdisciplinary approaches, encompassing anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology, as well as history. Lectures, conferences, and other events hosted by institutes and centers, such as the American Political History Institute, the Center for the Study of Europe, the Center for the Study of Asia, and the International History Institute, provide graduate students with opportunities to engage with visiting scholars and present their own research.

A consortium arrangement with Boston College, Brandeis University, and Tufts University enables students to take courses at these other schools and share library resources. Students will find a rich array of other resources off campus as well, among them notable research collections, libraries, archives, and programs sponsored by other universities.

More information about graduate programs in History may be found here.