Phd at a "STEM-oriented" university. How does it feel like?

[ignoredfab]

As a humanities major, I was wondering how it feels like to pursue a phd at a STEM-field oriented university. While big names such as MIT and CalTech in the States do have humanities departments, they are usually very small compared to the STEM departments (I read like 5 percent at MIT) and/or different disciplines are squeezed together. On the European side, Germany has also these Technical Universities that are somewhat similar.

I'd be happy to hear if someone has any experience, ideas, or further reading suggestions about this. Is graduate study as a history major much tougher or isolating? 

What about post-phd job prospects? Can it be too much of a disadvantage if you don't come from a traditional history department, i.e. you had a very interdisciplinary training?

I guess if you're pursuing an STS/urban-design direction, it can benefit you, though I'm not sure. 

BONUS question! Anyone that has something to say about the H.A.S.T.S. program at MIT? (Didn't find that many results so far)

 

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by ignoredfab
forgot ?

[psstein]

13 hours ago, ignoredfab said:

As a humanities major, I was wondering how it feels like to pursue a phd at a STEM-field oriented university. While big names such as MIT and CalTech in the States do have humanities departments, they are usually very small compared to the STEM departments (I read like 5 percent at MIT) and/or different disciplines are squeezed together. On the European side, Germany has also these Technical Universities that are somewhat similar.

I'd be happy to hear if someone has any experience, ideas, or further reading suggestions about this. Is graduate study as a history major much tougher or isolating? 

What about post-phd job prospects? Can it be too much of a disadvantage if you don't come from a traditional history department, i.e. you had a very interdisciplinary training?

I guess if you're pursuing an STS/urban-design direction, it can benefit you, though I'm not sure. 

BONUS question! Anyone that has something to say about the H.A.S.T.S. program at MIT? (Didn't find that many results so far)

 

 

CalTech doesn't have a graduate program, so I won't discuss it.

I'd rank MIT among the best STS/HoS programs (on par with Harvard/Penn), and their placement reflects that fact. I don't think it's any tougher to get a job out of that program, and that's keeping in mind that most historians of science are employed in history departments (including here in WI). Historically, some of the "science-oriented" universities have had exceptional history of science programs.

I don't know if Cornell qualifies as "science focused," but they have an outstanding STS program and a very good, though older, historian of science in Peter Dear.

Edited May 5, 2019 by psstein