Welcome to the University of Oregon’s History graduate program. MA and PhD students in History join a community of scholars with diverse thematic and geographical specializations. We are large enough to accommodate a wide range of scholarly interests but small enough to provide close working relationships between faculty and students, as well as a collegial environment. At University of Oregon, History graduate students can benefit from an array of interdisciplinary programs, excellent language departments, and a research library of more than two million volumes, along with many other resources.
The History department has an outstanding graduate faculty. We are large enough to have a wide array of geographical and thematic specialties, but small enough to provide close working relationships between faculty and graduate students, as well as a collegial environment. For any questions about the graduate program, please contact our director of graduate studies at HistDGS@uoregon.edu.
Master’s Degree
Our MA program provides students and their faculty advisors with maximum flexibility in designing fields of study. Many of our MA students choose to continue their studies in our PhD program, while others have won admission into some of the most prestigious programs in North America, including Princeton University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Toronto, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Finding a Community
“As a first-generation Chicano graduate student, I really felt isolated during the first week of my first year. Within a few days, however, the history folks welcomed me with open arms, invited me out to graduate functions, and happily connected me with other Chicanos/Latinos across departments and across the country. I truly couldn’t have asked for better friends nor a better community!”
—Victor Ochoa, MA alumni
Doctorate Degree
Our PhD program combines an emphasis on research and teaching designed to equip students to compete successfully for faculty positions. We offer focal fields in the North American West/Borderlands, Indigenous People/Native Americans, environmental history, African American/African history, the history of women/gender/sexuality, Asia (with particular strengths in the history of China and Japan), Latin America, and transnational history.
PhD Focal Fields
Working with their advisors, graduate students in History, particularly in the PhD program, are encouraged to develop innovative fields of study tailored to their individual interests. Thematic, comparative, and methodological fields that cut across conventional geographical and chronological boundaries are all possible.
Researching with Fellow Scholars
“The intellectual community here at UO has greatly enriched my research experience. The history faculty and graduate students provide a supportive environment in which to explore a range of themes and methodologies tailored to fit students’ unique interests. I’m so glad to be part of a community that encourages such innovative, impactful scholarship. ”
—Michele Pflug, current graduate student
Direct Your Own Coursework
The Department of History offers courses on the history of classical antiquity, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, colonial North America and the United States, and the world as a whole.
Funding Your Graduate Studies
The Department of History meets the challenges of funding graduate education by supporting its students with graduate employee appointments; a variety of internal awards; and university-wide fellowships, grants, and prizes.
Prepare for the Professional World
A graduate degree in history prepares students for a wide variety of careers, including academic research.
Career and Professional Development
Curating for Conservation
Hayley Brazier graduated from the Department of History with a PhD in 2023. Her interdisciplinary training, research, and teaching experience at the University of Oregon helped her land a position as the Donald M. Kerr Curator of Natural History at the High Desert Museum. As a curator, she crafts exhibits, acts as a subject matter expert on environmental topics, and helps to shape the museum's conservation initiatives and messaging.
Our Graduate Students
Pursue your research within our vibrant community of collaborative and passionate graduate students.
Resources for the Graduate Community