Programs, Resources and Timelines for History Students

Pursuing an online PhD in history can mean exploring a complicated world of interwoven stories with both reliable and unreliable narrators. Online doctoral students of history often learn to question historical documents with a critical curiosity and express their own ideas as part of an ongoing academic debate.

A doctoral degree in history may provide a chance for students to explore different career options that call for heavy research, dedication and communication. Find the best places to earn an online PhD in history, see what a timeline for earning the degree looks like and learn more about what history doctorates do after graduation here.

Earning a History PhD Online: Timeline

Earning an online PhD in history often requires attention to time and culture, research practices and biases, as well as writing and rhetoric. Students accepted into these intensely self-motivated, time-consuming programs typically commit to building something original out of historical documents and contributing to the fellowship of historical scholars. After being accepted into a program, doctoral students can expect to deepen their understanding of a specialized field through extensive research and a dissertation. From application to graduation, see what a typical three-year timeline for an online PhD in history looks like below.

Application Process

Online history programs usually look for students who know what they want to get out of their PhD. Applicants who have chosen a specialized area of study, completed preliminary research and know why they want to study a particular subject are more likely to be accepted.

• Completed Master's Degree and Transcripts

  Online PhD programs usually expect an applicant's previous degree to be in the field of history they intend to study at a doctoral level, and the degree should typically be earned through an accredited institution. Applicants are usually required to have all higher learning institutions that they attended send official transcripts to their prospective doctoral programs.

• Letters of Recommendation

  Programs will often ask for a certain number of letters of recommendation, usually three, from sources familiar with the history PhD applicant's academic work. Prospective PhD students should consider asking history professors from their time in a master's program, employers who are linked to the field and members of the community who are familiar with the applicant's passion for history.

• Resume or CV

  An online PhD program in history often considers a student's previous employment, extracurricular activities, community service, education and academic or professional honors, so these should be included on a résumé or curriculum vitae.

• Statement of Purpose

  Applicants can elaborate on their future plans in their history PhD's statement of purpose. They should be specific about their reasons for choosing the online history program they are applying to and cite relevant academic, professional and personal experiences that influenced their decision to pursue a PhD in history.

• Writing Sample

  The sample of writing an applicant chooses should demonstrate research skills using primary sources and pertain to the specialized field of history the applicant is interested in pursuing. History PhD programs may ask for a sample between 25 and 35 pages in length.

Year 1 Milestones

Students may have to take a basic knowledge course to establish an online program's expectations for students in the history PhD program. They will typically spend most of the first year researching, reflecting, writing and exploring their chosen history concentration.

• Language Requirements

  Online history PhD programs often require students to have reading competency in at least one language aside from English. Language requirements may vary depending on what area of history a student has chosen to study.

• Research and Writing

  Students typically learn how to work with and analyze primary sources, how to build a bibliography and how to apply their knowledge in an area of history, including foreign language experience if documents are not in English.

• Reading

  Programs will usually introduce students to major historical problems and walk them through the principal literature, common interpretations, relevant bibliographies and important issues historians are currently exploring.

Year 2 Milestones

While continuing to build experience with primary sources, academic writing and research as they did in their first year, students in their second year of online history doctoral study often begin to prepare for their dissertations. They should be familiar with the faculty in their chosen area of history studies and be able to select an advisor who can help them succeed academically.

• Narrow Down a Possible Thesis

  History PhD students usually select the area of history they would like to explore as a potential dissertation topic during the second year of study. Typically, the earlier they choose a specialization to focus on, the faster they will be able to begin work on their dissertation and earn their degree.

• Choose a Faculty Advisor to Help Define a Course of Study

  After deciding on an area of concentration, a PhD level history student should select an appropriate faculty advisor who has experience with the student's chosen topic. This faculty member will usually be their dissertation supervisor and help them choose courses, seminars, fields of study and a dissertation topic.

• General Exam

  Before students can start working on their dissertation, some online PhD programs require them to demonstrate that they have completed all writing, language and course requirements for the past few years of study. There may be only a written exam, but some doctoral history programs may require both a written and oral exam, depending on the technology an online program uses.

Year 3 Mtones

iles

Online history PhD students typically spend the majority of their time in the program researching for their dissertation. They often draw on primary materials, established discussions and other academic discourse, but ultimately, they will be expected to draw their own conclusions and create new work in the field.

• Dissertation Prospectus and Approval

  Programs usually require students to submit a proposed course of research for their dissertation. There may be classes that prepare students to write this research outline, but typically, all history PhD candidates must have their dissertation approved before they can proceed in the program.

• Training Modules

  Because history involves human participants, students may choose to interview living people about historical events. Online history PhD programs may provide human research training to students interested in pursuing this kind of research.

• Dissertation Research

  PhD students generally spend the rest of their graduate careers preparing for their dissertations and presentations. Faculty advisors can help find sources and discuss avenues of study, but students are often required to complete original work on their dissertations.

• Final Public Examination Application

  Before students graduate, they typically need to apply for and schedule a final public oral exam. The format for this differs across online history PhD programs, but a student will generally have to defend their work in front of a committee of program academics.

Graduation Requirements

Online history doctoral programs typically have only a few large graduation requirements instead of many small requirements for students to meet. Online PhD programs may vary in how they address and enforce these final requirements before a student receives their PhD, so be sure to refer to your desired program to discover specific requirements.

• Language Exam

  History PhD candidates typically need to prove they have completed an online program's language requirements. Programs usually require reading fluency in at least one language aside from English.

• Dissertation

  A student's final history dissertation should meet doctoral level writing requirements and be polished to the point where it could be published. Length requirements are often flexible and depend on the program, but the dissertation should typically be the length of an article, a series of articles or a book.

• Final Examinations

  Students will likely be quizzed on the area of study they wrote about in their dissertation. In a standard history PhD program this is intended to be a public, oral examination of a student's expertise, but formats for online program final exams may vary.

Core Principles and Skills Learned in an Online History PhD Program

PhD in History

• Context

  Online PhD programs often encourage students to explore particular aspects of history while also retaining a sense of the whole, greater context of events and writings. These programs typically encourage attention to interdisciplinary investigation, primary source examinations and conversation between students as well as between students and faculty.

• Critical Thinking

  History can be filled with biased writings, opinions of the times clouding source materials. Programs often teach students how to look through documents with a critical eye, drawing their own conclusions rather than relying on other ideas.

• Communications

  Students typically learn to write clear and informative papers with well-supported arguments and also learn about communication between cultures. Online history doctoral programs often encourage students to delve into unexplored or unconsidered areas of history and express their ideas as part of the larger historical discussion.

Master's in History

Best Online PhD Degrees in History

A recent American Historical Association study states earning a PhD in history from a top institution improves the odds of making it onto the tenure track at a research university. Students can begin researching the perfect PhD program by taking a look at the following list of top-ranked schools for a PhD in history. Sort student-to-teacher ratio, cost and graduation rate to discover what puts each at the top of their class.

#1 Earning an Online PhD in History

Kansas State University

• Manhattan, KS
• 4 years
• Online + Campus

Kansas State University provides doctoral-level education across four subjects. The Ph.D. in military history program connects students with industry-relevant education, research opportunities, and other skillsets needed for a career in academia, research, and management. This degree is the highest level of education available to professionals in the history field.

The program provides flexibility, enabling candidates to learn at their own pace. Doctoral candidates can expect to complete their studies in 4-6 years. Candidates contribute original research to their field through independent projects and their dissertation.

Kansas State University at a Glance:

Location: Manhattan, Kansas

School Type: Public

Admission Rate: 95%

Graduate Tuition In State: $10,212

Graduate Tuition Out of State: $23,050

Percent of Students Awarded Financial Aid: 88%

Average Amount of Aid Awarded: $6,227

Average Price After Aid: $18,103

Average Tuition

In-state

$9,735

Out-of-state

$25,251

Retention Rate

86%

Admission Rate

95%

Students Enrolled

21,719

Institution Type

Public

Percent Online Enrollment

27% Percentage of all students who are enrolled online.

Accreditation

Yes Higher Learning Commission

More Details

After Your Degree: What to do With a PhD in History

While some graduates from an online history doctoral degree program may go on to teach college-level history, studying and publishing papers in their field, this career is not the only one available. Institutions teaching about history range from museums to archives to state and local governments, and graduates can even often find work outside of the field of history if they choose to leverage their research, communication and critical thinking skills.

Anthropologist

Historians typically work in the state and local government or with research firms, though they may also work in museums, archives and historical societies. They usually research, preserve, analyze and interpret historical documents, relics and other sources of information on early humans or human origins. They often present and preserve records and other information on human culture, behavior and development.

Job Growth (2014-2024): 4%
Median Annual Salary: $61,8220

Interpreter or Translator

Extensive knowledge of languages and cultures can easily evolve into a career converting language as a translator or interpreter. From work for governments and diplomats to international private sector consulting, translators or interpreters work in all facets of spoken and written languages, and many work as self-employed contractors.

Job Growth (2014-2024): 29%
Median Annual Salary: $44,190

Sociologist

Sociologists typically study behaviors within larger social structures, including what kinds of people and ideas exert social influence, how and why social groups form and how a certain law may affect a specific section of the population. They most often work with research organizations, colleges and state and local governments.

Job Growth (2014-2024): -1%
Median Annual Salary: $73,760

Archivist, Curator or Museum Worker

Archivists typically examine, value, catalog and preserve historically valuable documents. Curators usually oversee collections of artwork and historical artifacts and may come up with public programming around exhibits. Museum technicians and conservators often prepare and restore a museum's collection of items and documents. All of these positions usually find employment in museums, historical sites, colleges or corporations.

Job Growth (2014-2024): 7%
Median Annual Salary: $46,710

Source: BLS

Additional Resources

History PhD scholars often explore specific eras and empires, and the communication and research skills it takes to earn this degree may apply to many different jobs. Below are free online resources and historical membership organizations that have networking resources for history doctoral program graduates seeking careers outside of academia.

This membership organization connects historians, teachers, education specialists, professors, community leaders and history-based institutions to increase the quality of history instruction in schools. This society celebrates the range, variety, and ever-changing nature of history, accepting members from all history specializations and professions. A professional society dedicated to American history, this organization encourages discussion of historical questions and quality scholarship, teaching and presentation in the subject of American history. This handout created by Karen Phoenix has links to informational websites, career postings as well as potential books and articles that history PhDs can use to expand their job search. Part of a website providing access to information in the humanities, this page focuses on online resources for history, ranging from prehistory and country-specific histories to history conferences and publications. This community encourages members to teach, research and publish about cross-cultural, comparative and global history approaches. The University of Texas at Austin hosts this podcast on history topics. There are many other reputable history podcasts for students interested in expanding their knowledge or finding free resources.