Mailing Address: 215 S. Central Campus Dr. Suite 310, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Office Hours: M-F 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Website: www.history.utah.edu
Phone: 801-581-6121
Email: history@utah.edu
Department Chair: Eric Hinderaker
Undergraduate Director: David Bresnahan
Graduate Director: Mira Green
Undergraduate Advisor: Liberal Arts & Sciences Academic Advising Hub
Graduate Advisor: Amarilys Scott
Mission Statement
The study of history emphasizes written and oral skills, analysis and critical thinking, and the ability to assess conflicting interpretations. These skills prepare students for the responsibilities of citizenship and cultivate an awareness of the complexities of life. Studying history provides valuable preparation for careers in university and college teaching and research, primary and secondary education, law, government, public service, journalism, libraries and museums, international business, and medicine.
Overview
The Department of History strives to make outstanding scholarly contributions to the discipline and to instill historical knowledge, perspective on human experience, critical thinking skills, and effective writing in all our undergraduate and graduate students. We are also a community of citizens engaged in service and devoted to the enrichment of intellectual and public life at the University, throughout Utah, and beyond.
History is a record of the political, social, economic, and cultural events, lives, and achievements of humankind. Historians analyze and evaluate this record in an attempt to understand the past and interpret the present. The History Department offers comprehensiveness and breadth in the undergraduate program as well as possibilities for research specialization at the Masters and Doctoral levels.
Types of Degrees
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Arts
Minors
Masters of Arts/Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Certificate
Undergraduate Programs
The History majors and minors are flexible and can be paired with almost any other degree on campus. Although not required, candidates for the major or minor in History are encouraged to define a regional, thematic, or chronological area of concentration. These are not predetermined but are up to each individual student to create. Examples of such concentrations include: the history of religion, environmental history, gender and sexuality, science, technology & medicine; or pre-professional pathways to careers in law or public history.
Academic advising for our students is handled by Academic Affairs through the Liberal Arts & Sciences Academic Advising Hub. Academic Affairs is making changes to create a more coordinated, student-focused approach to academic advising and career coaching. The LAS Academic Advising & Career Success Regional Model aligns academic advising and career coaching into regional teams to improve consistency, equity and the connection between classroom learning and career preparation.
The Department of History has a lively and dynamic community of undergraduate majors and minors who participate in one or both of two student organizations: the undergraduate History Student Association and Phi Alpha Theta, the professional society for undergraduate students of history. Moreover, there are great opportunities for history students to get involved, including events, clubs, collaboration research projects with faculty, internships, study abroad, career-building opportunities, and more.
Scholarships
Each year, the Department of History proudly awards a number of scholarships on a competitive basis. They are open to all students who have declared History as a major. That includes both first year students and transfer students, as well as all other currently enrolled History majors. The deadline for submission for all scholarship materials is in February. Applications are available through the department's website. In addition to departmental scholarships. financial support and opportunities are available from these campus partners: College of Humanities, Alumni Association, and the University Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.
Graduate Program
The Department of History offers courses of study leading to the PhD, MA, MS degrees, and a Graduate Certificate in Public History; and has a particular strength in the history of the American West. In addition to the life of the Department, faculty and graduate students are engaged with the University's most exciting interdisciplinary programs. Among them are the American West Center, Gender Studies Program, the Middle East Center, the Asia Center, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Environmental Humanities Program, the International Studies Program, and the Tanner Humanities Center.
Graduates of the program not only learn about the past, they also develop a capacity for careful and rigorous thought, cultural competence, and abilities that promote success in careers throughout the global economy. These learning outcomes include content knowledge, habits of mind, and practical skills.
We offer Masters degrees in US History and Global Contexts. Global Contexts is intended for students who do not wish to specialize in US History or who would like to pursue a general course of study that does not require them to specialize in a time and/or place. This degree is also well-suited to students wishing to work comparatively on themes such as environmental history, gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the history of science, medicine, and technology. Students wishing to specialize in aspects of Asian History, European History, Latin American History, or Middle Eastern History can enroll in the Global Contexts program, but will pursue their research interests in the context of global historical processes.
The Doctor of Philosophy program provides general instruction in the historian’s craft and intensive training in one major field and two minor fields of history. Candidates for the PhD are expected to obtain a broad historical knowledge, demonstrate expertise in the special area of their dissertations, and master fundamental research techniques and methodologies. PhD candidates should strive to make substantive contributions to historical scholarship in original research and writing, classroom teaching, or institutions of research and interpretation.
The Graduate Certificate in Public History provides students with theoretical and methodological grounding to prepare them for a range of careers in the public arena, including museums, historical consulting, historic preservation and cultural resource management, archives, and government agencies. The certificate balances rigorous academic classroom work with hands-on experience at partner institutions both on and off campus.
The Department of History supports research and conference travel on a competitive basis, both for archival research and to present original work at professional conferences.
Scholarship/Fellowship/Graduate Assistantship Opportunities
The Department of History provides financial support to graduate students on a competitive basis in two forms: endowed scholarships, and teaching assistantships (TA-ships). Teaching assistantships are awarded for a single academic year and are renewable pending satisfactory progress in the graduate program and the availability of funds in the Department budget. They include a monthly stipend, eligibility for the University of Utah's Graduate Subsidized Health Insurance Program (GSHIP), and tuition coverage through the Tuition Benefit Program (TBP).
History graduate students also compete successfully for College and University-wide fellowships. College and University-wide fellowships are available from the University of Utah Graduate School, which awards both the Steffensen Cannon Graduate Fellowship and the Mariner S. Eccles Graduate Fellowship in Political Economy. Additional fellowships from the University’s nationally and internationally recognized interdisciplinary research centers are also available on a competitive basis. The American West Center offers the Floyd O'Neil Fellowship in Western American Studies. Graduate Fellowships are available for continuing students through the Tanner Humanities Center. Need-based funding is available through the University Office for Scholarships and Financial Aid.