This year, the Department of History at Rutgers University welcomes applications in all fields for admission to our PhD program. The application deadline for students to begin the program in Fall 2024 is December 15, 2023.

The Rutgers University History Department at New Brunswick provides outstanding academic opportunities for advanced study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. These programs are driven by a distinguished faculty of over sixty historians whose interests and courses cover almost every period and area of study. The department is particularly noted for its strengths both in traditional regional specialties (the histories of the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East) and in thematic, transnational and comparative fields, including the history of Atlantic cultures and the African diaspora; women's and gender history; social and cultural-intellectual history; African-American history; comparative and global history; and the history of science, technology, environment, and health; and Global Asias.  Recent surveys of history graduate programs by U.S. News and World Report have consistently ranked our programs in women's and gender historyModern U.S. history, and African-American history as among the very finest in the nation.

Graduate students regularly publish scholarly work in major journals and present nationally and internationally on their research. Click here for a selection of recent graduate student publications. Click here for a selection of recent graduate student conference presentations.

The key objective of the doctoral degree program in History at Rutgers—New Brunswick is to impart rigorous training for innovative research, publication in professional forums, and teaching at the college level. The program is designed for full-time students who ideally will complete the cycle of course work, qualifying examinations, and doctoral dissertation in five years of uninterrupted study. To facilitate this timetable, the department admits annually a select number of full-time students with typical packages of five years of financial support. The department will also consider applications from students wishing to study on a part-time basis. A limited number of students may be admitted without fellowship support; depending on their performance, they may become eligible for financial aid in subsequent years.

Admitted students funding packages usually include two years of fellowship, two of TA-ship, and  a fifth year either of fellowship or TA-ship, depending on students' needs. It goes without saying, finally, that the benefits and services of our program are available to students without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or handicap, marital status, or veteran status.  See the program's Learning Goals and Assessment.

Numerous grants, awards, and fellowships are available to Ph.D. students. See the program's Awards and Fellowships page for more information.

Follow the links below for a full description of the requirements of the program.