The Lehigh History graduate program offers training in preparation for a career in research and teaching as well as non-academic pursuits. Prospective M.A. and PhD. students are encouraged to identify specific fields of interest and faculty members with whom they would like to work, but course offerings range across the fields of expertise of all department faculty. Students may consider department strengths in the following areas:
- 19th and 20th century US history
- Latin American, Caribbean, African and Atlantic African-Diaspora history
- British, French and Spanish Atlantic World Empires
- African-American history
The Department will also consider applicants with an interest in pursuing thematic approaches that span various geographical fields, including:
- Digital Humanities
- Public History
- Cultural History of Warfare
- History of Technology
- American and European Intellectual History
- Gender History
**Please note that due to a strong current cohort of PhD candidates, research opportunities in the areas of British Colonial North America and early American Republic are not available for the coming academic year.
The most important elements of the application file for the review process are:
Those applying for the PhD program should indicate which faculty members they are interested in potentially working with and why. Please see the focus areas listed above on this page and consult the list of faculty bios to learn more about these research specialties. Applicants should contact faculty members directly if they have questions about the possibility of working on a related research field, or they may contact the Graduate Director, Prof. John Savage, at jms8@lehigh.edu with any questions about this process.
Financial Awards and Deadlines
A very small number of Fellowships which provide a stipend and cover tuition costs, funded by the College of Arts and Sciences and the President’s Office, are available to highly qualified incoming students. In addition, the department has a limited number of full and half-year teaching assistantships, which provide a stipend in exchange for limited teaching responsibilities and cover tuition. We are also able to offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships. All awards are based on merit and are highly competitive. More advanced doctoral candidates may be eligible for dissertation support from:
- Department Dissertation Fellowship
- Hoben Teaching Fellowship
- Lehigh University Humanities Center
- Lehigh Office of International Affairs
- Lawrence Henry Gipson Center for 18th Century Studies
To be considered for financial support as an incoming student, all materials must be submitted by January 15. If you are not seeking financial aid, the deadline for applications for the summer or fall semester is April 15; the deadline for the spring term is November 1.
For additional information on the graduate program or to schedule a campus visit, please contact the graduate program director, Professor John Savage, at jms8@lehigh.edu.