The Ph.D. program offers courses to help students advance their critical reading, research and writing skills as they increase familiarity with different approaches to the past, build comparative understanding of major historical developments and gain competence in the literature and sources of their fields of specialization.
Students are encouraged to adopt a thematic approach to research backed by theoretically sophisticated comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Teaching is an indispensable part of graduate training, and each of our graduate students works as a teaching assistant for a minimum of four semesters. Brown University's summer school offers advanced students an opportunity to develop and teach their own courses.
The department tries to admit students with diverse backgrounds and academic interests who can work harmoniously together. The department's low graduate student-faculty ratio combines with the relatively small size of each cohort to create a vibrant academic environment for students and faculty.
Additional Resources
Exchange program with the University of Florence (Italy), John Hay Library (rare books and manuscript collections), John Carter Brown Library (materials relating to pre–1800 Europe and Western Hemisphere), Rockefeller Library (microfilm collections, textbooks, monographs and periodicals).
Application Information
Application Requirements
GRE Subject:
Not required
GRE General:
Not required
Writing Sample:
Strongly Recommended
Dates/Deadlines
Application Deadline
Completion Requirements
Two years of course work; foreign language proficiency in specific fields; preliminary field examination; satisfactory performance as a teaching assistant; dissertation, and oral defense.
Alumni Careers
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