International History at the University of Kansas

The University of Kansas offers a broad range of opportunities for graduate study in international history. Of particular note are KU's Russian and East European, Latin American, East Asian, and African Studies programs, all of which include and cooperate closely with History faculty. Over the past thirty-five years, more than fifty students have completed M.A. degrees emphasizing international history, and some thirty-five students have earned Ph.D. degrees in this subfield of history. The KU Department of History has enjoyed a close association with the faculty, research programs, and students of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, located in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, just thirty miles north of Lawrence. KU faculty and graduate students have access to the extensive holdings of the Combined Arms Research Library at CGSC and benefit, as well, from proximity to the Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential libraries.

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 at the MA level (through petition) to transfer up to six hours of graduate credit earned elsewhere.

Faculty in the International History at the University of Kansas

Affiliated Faculty

  • Robert Baumann (Ph.D., Yale), Department of U.s. Army Command and General Staff College: 19th/20th century Russian and Central Asian history, peacekeeping operations
  • Alice Butler-Smith (Ph.D., Kansas), School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: 20th century U.S.-Middle East relations
  • Hal E. Wert (Ph.D., Kansas), Department of History, Kansas City Art Institute: American politics and foreign affairs, U.S. economic aid programs during and after World War II
  • Lawrence Yates (Ph.D. Kansas), combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: U.S. Military Interventions; U.S.-Latin American relations

M.A. Thematic Field in International History

As part of the established requirements, M.A. students offering international history must also take History 806, "The Study of International History," at least one additional graduate colloquium in international history, and a research seminar emphasizing international history. Normally, completion of a M.A. is a prerequisite for admission to doctoral study at the University of Kansas.

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

A. 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 fields in Modern European and military history.

B. Two-field (major and secondary) track
A student pursuing this option would complete 18 hours in a chronological/geographical field and 9 hours in military history.

PH.D. Thematic Major Field in International History

General Requirements

The thematic major field in international history offers doctoral students the opportunity to pursue a special interest in doing research in and teaching international history in conjunction with one of the approved chronological-geographical major fields. Thus, any student desiring to offer international history as a major field must opt for Track "B" of the Department of History's "Ph.D. Requirements". Depending on requirements in the given chronological-geographical major field, students pursuing an international history major field may choose between the 5/3 or 4/4 options under Track "B'; i.e., either take 15 hours in a chronological/geographical major field and a minimum of 9 credit hours in the international history major field, or offer 12 hours in each of the two major fields.

Field Requirements
9 credit hours minimum

  1. History 806, "The Study of International History" (3)

  2. One of the following:
    History 801, "Colloquium in -----"**
    History 808, " Colloquium in Comparative History"**
    History 834, "Colloquium in the History of the British Empire"
    History 844, "Colloquium on East Central Europe, 1772-1914"**
    History845, "Colloquium on East Central Europe, 1914-present"**
    History 847, "Colloquium in Modern Russian History"**
    History 848, "Colloquium in 20th Century Russia"**
    History XXX, "Colloquium in the International History of Modern Europe"
    History XXX, "Colloquium in the International History of East Asia"
    History XXX, "Colloquium America and International Relations"

  3. One of the following:
    History 696, "Seminar in........"**
    History 826, "Seminar in Latin American Foreign Relations"
    History 826, "Seminar in Twentieth Century South America"**
    History 853, "Research Seminar: The Atlantic World"
    History 929, "Seminar in Modern European History"**
    History 930, "Seminar in British History,"**
    History 949, "Seminar in Modern Russian History"**
    History 955, "Seminar in East Asian History"**
    History 974, "Seminar in American History,"**
    History 975, "Seminar in American Diplomatic History"
    History XXX, "Seminar in International History"

  4. A secondary field (minimum 6 credit hours) in history or in a cognate discipline such as American Studies, Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, or Theater and Film.

Related Courses

  1. Any of a variety of courses may be taken to add breadth and depth to the major field in international history. Examples include:
    History 509, "Multinational Corporations"
    History 340/740, "The History of the Second World War"
    History 350/750, "The Korean War"
    History 548, "British History, 1832-present"
    History 551,"Spain and Its Empire, 1450-1700"
    History 565, "Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union"
    History 567, "Oil, the Great Powers and the Persian Gulf"
    History 568, "Russia in the 20th Century"
    History 569, "The Middle East Since World War II"
    History 629, "American Diplomatic History I"
    History 630, "American Diplomatic History II"

** When emphasizing international relations broadly defined.

International History as a PH.D. Secondary Field

To fulfill the requirements for a Ph.D. secondary field in military history, a student must take History 806 and at least one of the geographical/temporal-specific colloquia in military history.