United States History at the University of Kansas

We offer a rich array of courses and expertise which range, chronologically, from colonial times, through the early national era and the Civil War, to the late twentieth century. Thematically, we support advanced work in such fields as Indigenous Nations, race and gender, the West and Borderlands, environmental history, culture and society, military and diplomatic history, among others. We encourage creativity in determining your program of study.

Faculty in American History at the University of Kansas

A full description of their research interests can be found at the listings above.. We also maintain close ties with faculty in African and African-American Studies, American Studies, Women's Studies, and Economics. Occasionally, we even maintain close ties with faculty in our own department!

We emphasize choice and flexibility in our requirements. We combine innovation with tradition. We try to give our students a thorough grounding in the broad, diverse sweep of the nation's experience as well as depth in a chosen area of concentration. And we encourage frequent contact and close working relationships between students and their faculty advisors.

To support the mission of a major research university, the University of Kansas libraries hold over 3 million volumes, and historians can find more useful material in the Spencer Research Library's vast archival holdings.

Degrees and Requirements in U.S. History

Prospective students can apply either to the M.A. or Ph.D. degree program. Normally, all coursework for either degree must be completed at the University of Kansas, though it is possible (through petition) to transfer up to six hours of graduate credit earned elsewhere.

The core of the U.S. field is a series of three colloquia numbered 890-892. They focus on reading and discussing significant works in the major periods of U.S. history:
History 890 covers the period before 1800,
History 891 covers the nineteenth century, and
History 892 spans the twentieth century.

Every graduate student in history, regardless of field or degree, must also take History 805, The Nature of History.

The Master in History Program

This degree requires the satisfactory completion of 30 hours of graduate courses, including at least 6 hours in history research seminars. We do not require an M.A. thesis, but all candidates must submit a publishable, article-length paper of approximately 30 pages. At the end of their studies candidates must pass a comprehensive oral examination, which includes questions drawn from their research paper as well as their major and secondary fields.

M.A. students must also complete at least two of the U.S. colloquia numbered 890-892.

Beyond these common requirements, students may pursue one of two options or tracks:

  1. Three-field track
    The three fields should be the equivalent of secondary fields drawn from the list of approved major fields. (See "Overview of Graduate Studies"). At least 9 hours of course work shall be taken in each of the fields. With the consent of his or her advisor, the student may substitute for one of the fields an "allied field" outside the Department of History. For example, International Relations may be chosen to complement a field in U.S. diplomatic history.
  2. Two-field (major and secondary) track
    Here the student takes 18 hours in U.S. history and 9 hours in a secondary field.

The Doctorate in History program

Doctoral students must complete all three of the History 890-892 colloquia. Further, three courses in the program of study must be research seminars, one of them directed by the dissertation advisor.

Regardless of which track you take, a doctoral dissertation--usually at least 200 pages long--is required.

Beyond these universal requirements, students have two options or tracks open to them:

  1. Single-major track
    Here the student selects U.S. history as the major field and takes 18 credit hours in it, 6 of which are in a particular area of concentration. Two secondary fields must also be chosen, with 6 hours in each of them. One of those secondary fields may be taken in a discipline outside of the History Department. At least one of them must focus on a non-U.S. field or involve substantial comparative study of another society or part of the world.

  2. Two-major track
    This track allows students to pursue two major fields, one of them U.S. history and the other selected from the list of approved major fields. Each major field may range from 9 to 15 hours, totaling 24 hours for the two major fields together. This track requires only one secondary field of 6 credit hours.

Before you write your dissertation. . .

Before undertaking the dissertation, the student must (1) pass a written and oral comprehensive examination, and (2)demonstrate reading competence in two foreign languages or advanced reading competence and conversational facility in one foreign language. In some cases, an appropriate research skill may be substituted for the second language. Regardless of track, a doctoral dissertation is required--usually at least 200 pages long.