Graduate Programs

Welcome to the University of Oregon’s History graduate program. We are a community of scholars pursuing the study of a wide range of geographical areas and topics. The University of Oregon, moreover, offers an array of related interdisciplinary programs 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.


Carlow Aguirre, History department

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.

Master’s Requirements


History graduate student Victor Ochoa

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, current MA student 


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.


preetham sidharan

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.

Focal Fields


Graduate student Michele Pflug researching in the field

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.

Courses


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.

Funding and Research Support


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


History PhD graduate Hayley Brazier

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


Events

Psychology Department Colloquium: "Neuroscience and Psychology in Context"
Sep29
Psychology Department Colloquium: "Neuroscience and Psychology in Context" Sep 29 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Phantom Tollbooth Auditions
Sep30
Phantom Tollbooth Auditions Sep 30 Miller Theatre Complex
Linguistics Fall Colloquium
Oct3
Linguistics Fall Colloquium Oct 3 Straub Hall
Pre-Medicine Group Advising
Oct3
Pre-Medicine Group Advising Oct 3 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Poetry Reading by Matthew Dickman 
Oct4
Poetry Reading by Matthew Dickman  Oct 4 Knight Library
Pre-Medicine Group Advising
Oct5
Pre-Medicine Group Advising Oct 5 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Department of History Welcome Back Barbecue
Oct5
Department of History Welcome Back Barbecue Oct 5 McKenzie Hall
Fall 2023 Knight Campus Entrepreneurship Speaker Series with Jorge Cham
Oct9
Fall 2023 Knight Campus Entrepreneurship Speaker Series with Jorge Cham Oct 9 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Linguistics Fall Colloquium
Oct10
Linguistics Fall Colloquium Oct 10 Straub Hall
Race, Disinvestment, and the Making of the North Philadelphia “Badlands"
Oct10
Race, Disinvestment, and the Making of the North Philadelphia “Badlands" Oct 10