Looking for a history program

[petitepixie]

Hey all I'm new here so please be kind! I graduated in May 2010 with degrees in political science and international relations. I've been dinking around in retail since then (glad to have a job mainly!) but I want to get back into academia. I'm interested in studying Middle East history, particularly the Levant during and after the period of French involvement. My eventual goal is a career in U.S. foreign policy. How do I even begin to find good history programs that fit my interests? I highly doubt I'd get into the Harvards and GWs of the world, so how do I know if the U of Wherever's history program is any good? Thanks!

[thedig13]

As an undergrad who posts/reads/lurks within the History forums quite often, but with no actual application/graduate school experience, I can only echo what others (my own professors, other posters, grad students I've met, etc) have said in the past. So take this advice with a grain of salt.

That being said, I urge you to at least try for some of the more prestigious schools out there. A number of people here who are currently grads at Ivies and other big-name schools came from smaller, more modest state schools. Perhaps you don't want to *only* apply to Ivies, but the general consensus here is that it can pay off, and is always worth a shot. In any case, your language training, Writing Sample, Statement of Purpose, and LORs each weigh in just as heavily as (if not more than) where you went to school or what your GPA was.

In terms of figuring out which program is best for you, the best thing to do is to look through each Department of History's faculty listing. Virtually every school has one with bios on professors which you can look through. If a professor has a relevant field of specialization, take a closer look at their publications. Read up on some of the work they've done. If their research interests you, establish contact and send them an email. Introduce yourself, tell them you're thinking about graduate school and are interested in working with them.

Doing this research on who's who is a rather tedious process, but as far as I know, it's the only way to do it. There's no global database with a listing of professors and the schools they teach at and their specializations.

Also, placements. Do research on how good the Department's (and your potential advisor's) placements are. Some smaller-name colleges that aren't typically considered Ivy-quality have phenomenal placement records. The academia job market is nothing like the job-job market. If you're going to go into academia, where the school's past graduates have ended up (both in terms of the quality of the school and the position within the department) is a far more accurate indicator of a quality program than name-recognition or how "prestigious" the average Joe thinks the school is. While most employers outside of academia assume "Harvard" means "smart" and "[random state school]" means "mediocre", within academia, this isn't really the case and name-recognition isn't quite as vital. So, again, placements.

Edited March 1, 2012 by thedig13

[CageFree]

Find out whether you need to have a big-name school (i.e. Ivy, etc.) in order to get into your career, or whether a Ph.D. from a well-respected program is enough.

I would probably lookinto Poli Sci/International Relations programs as well as History; there can be some definite overlap for your goals. Interdisciplinary studies are "hot" right now. I'll likely be working with a Poli Sci professor since my field is transitional justice... I definitely need some of that background.

Re: admissions, your chances of getting into a History Ph.D. will depend on whether you have coursework in History and can show evidence of being able to do history work. It may be that you'll need to do a History M.A. (funded, even) and then go for a Ph.D. in History, depending on your record. Ever done historical research?

[TMP]

One of the regular forumites here (who knows a little too much )

Let your bookshelf guide you. Whose books and articles really interest you? Look up and see where they're teaching. Put it on your list if that department has a graduate program. Note where s/he got his/her PhD, especially if within the last 10 years and look up thatcadepartment and if there are people there who interested you, put it on your list too! Academia runs on pedigree so as long as your potential adviser comes from an excellent scholar who comes from a wonderful scholar ,etc. you will be fine no matter where you are. There's already a trickle-down effect where students of very top programs get jobs in the next level down, etc. By the end of it all after all the retirements and the younger faculty move up, we'll be fine.

Also, get recommendations from your professors. Professors really trust LORs from people they know very well more than those from complete strangers (that's where your transcript and writing sample become a little more important- they show evidence of your potential).

Applying to history PhD programs involves a LOT of planning so make sure your writing sample and languages are polished as they can be. How good is your Arabic?

[petitepixie]

Lord this sounds impossible. I don't have professors or advisors anymore; I graduated over a year ago! The people I read aren't professors, they are foreign policy professionals! I don't have any history background as I come from the foreign relations world. That's why I want to do history. Sounds like I'm horrendously ill-prepared and lacking all the necessary connections.

[TMP]

That's what the MA route is for. Just because you graduated a year ago doesn't mean that you can't get back in touch with your professors for advice. Hearing from former students really make their day (er, career).

[CageFree]

Lord this sounds impossible. I don't have professors or advisors anymore; I graduated over a year ago! The people I read aren't professors, they are foreign policy professionals! I don't have any history background as I come from the foreign relations world. That's why I want to do history. Sounds like I'm horrendously ill-prepared and lacking all the necessary connections.

I think you may be underselling yourself. I have a hard time believing not one professor remembers you!

I just got into two great Ph.D. programs with letters of rec from professors that had not seen or heard of me... since 2000. In a different field from what I'm pursuing now.

Since you don't have history background, then you really should consider the Master's route to see if you even like the field itself. If you come from a foreign policy background, a history Ph.D. is not going to give you foundation knowledge for foreign policy. In History (like in most academic fields) grad school is about knowing more and more about less and less.

To me, it sounds like your goals are more aligned with graduate work in Poli Sci, but with a heavy emphasis in history.

Just my two cents.

[crazedandinfused]

This is totally possible. At least it better be because this is pretty much where I was a year and a half ago.

You should be able to glean a good number of historical works from the bibliographies of policy books and with creative use of google - especially google scholar which will become your best friend. Ask yourself what kind of historical questions appeal to you in a thematic sense and follow that line of inquiry and see where that takes you.

In my case, I come from the world of int'l development, so I was very much interested in the development of capitalism, class formation, and the growth of 'civil society' (broadly construed), and that led me to my current interests.

Just a little creative research, and many many, hours on faculty webpages alongside months exploring the scholarship and you will have a good idea of what you want to do and with whom. Once you are there, there will be the all-important nitty gritty of putting together a competitive application and we will be here to help!

Do feel free to PM me if you have questions or are in need of further advice. Our situations are somewhat similar. I fled the policy-world and I'm so darned glad I did. That's a whole other rant. Hope this helps!

Addendum: Look up Elizabeth Thompson at UVa. You could even just read her book, see whose work she builds upon and then take it from there. Discovering new fields of scholarship is a blast!

Edited March 1, 2012 by crazedandinfused

[oseirus]

Hey all I'm new here so please be kind! I graduated in May 2010 with degrees in political science and international relations. I've been dinking around in retail since then (glad to have a job mainly!) but I want to get back into academia. I'm interested in studying Middle East history, particularly the Levant during and after the period of French involvement. My eventual goal is a career in U.S. foreign policy. How do I even begin to find good history programs that fit my interests? I highly doubt I'd get into the Harvards and GWs of the world, so how do I know if the U of Wherever's history program is any good? Thanks!

You aren't alone (in not knowing) so one thing I suggest is to keep an open mind in all the inputs you're going to get on here but @ the end of the day, the advice that makes you most comfortable is what you go wwith.

[StrangeLight]

you should look into schools that have MAs in middle eastern studies.

"history" as a field isn't necessarily politically oriented anymore. you may find that the "best" programs in middle eastern history talk more about gender, race, and religion or texts and cultural production or transnational linkages... in an interdisciplinary middle eastern studies program, you can take history courses alongside languages (which will be HUGE if you want to get a PhD in middle eastern history... you'll need to be able to read the languages of the countries you wish to study). you'll also be able to grab some sociology, poli sci, anthropology, geography, literature, etc. if that's where your interests take you.

history at the graduate level is very different from history at the undergraduate level, so you may not necessarily know what you're getting yourself into with a history MA or PhD program. since you don't seem to have any reading background in middle eastern history (as you say, the authors on your shelf are policy professionals), you should contact professors from your old school and ask them to recommend you three or four good books on middle eastern history. read them and decide if that's the type of work you want to write.

also... a history PhD (mostly) prepares students to become history professors and teachers. the job market for professorships is terrible so a lot of PhD graduates end up doing the kind of work you want to do (in policy, government, etc.), but their PhD doesn't necessarily train them for it.

basically.... before you start researching programs, you need to dig into the field of history a little more and decide if this is the type of work you want to do. it's not just reading and writing about the past. for what it's worth, every time i take a literature or poli sci class, i'm reminded of why i DON'T study those fields. the questions they ask and the ways they answer them are very different from the kind of work i want to do. until you're a little more familiar with historical monographs, you can't really know if history is the right discipline for you.

good luck! don't let this seem too daunting.

Edited March 2, 2012 by StrangeLight

[oswic]

Hi Karen,

My field is Middle Eastern History and I agree with the others about the MA route. I didn't study history in undergrad so I got an MA in Middle Eastern History and am beginning a PhD program in the Fall. You might also consider MA programs in Middle Eastern Studies as others suggested here. It is not uncommon for PhD students in Middle Eastern History to have backgrounds in other related fields, so MES is a viable option for an MA. I'm including a few programs below (in no particular order) that might be a helpful starting point. If you want to talk about this further, feel free to PM me. Best of luck!

University of Texas, Austin - MA in Middle Eastern Studies

Tel Aviv University - MA in Middle Eastern Studies, Overseas Students (check out the work of Eyal Zisser who works on Syria)

Georgetown University - MA in Arab Studies

University of Arizona - MA in Middle Eastern and North African Studies (look at Leila Hudson, also works on Syria)

American University of Beirut - MA Program, Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies

CUNY Graduate Center - MA in Middle Eastern Studies

Harvard University - MA in Middle Eastern Studies

NYU - MA in Middle Eastern Studies

[Riotbeard]

You can also look for a survey of the field type essay on JSTOR to get a list of names to look up and see where they are professors.

[virmundi]

Hey all I'm new here so please be kind! I graduated in May 2010 with degrees in political science and international relations. I've been dinking around in retail since then (glad to have a job mainly!) but I want to get back into academia. I'm interested in studying Middle East history, particularly the Levant during and after the period of French involvement. My eventual goal is a career in U.S. foreign policy. How do I even begin to find good history programs that fit my interests? I highly doubt I'd get into the Harvards and GWs of the world, so how do I know if the U of Wherever's history program is any good? Thanks!

Hi Karen -- please don't sell yourself short when it comes to the top programs in your field. Those programs are looking for original, creative, and capable thinkers! The lack of a particular academic pedigree or a traditional background does not, by any means, disqualify you from consideration. If your concern is a less-than-stellar undergraduate GPA or something along those lines, this can be largely mitigated by pursuing an M.A. with a thesis option at a decent school (preferably in which well-regarded scholars are associated with the top schools at which you would like to pursue your Ph.D.!)... Aim for the stars and see where you land!

Best of luck to you...

[oseirus]

dumb question but doesn't the AHA do a listing as well?