History
The Ph.D. Program in History at the CUNY Graduate Center is a major center for research and graduate training in a wide array of fields of historical inquiry, ranging from ancient to contemporary times and covering Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.
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Ph.D. in History
Full-time
Admissions Deadlines
January 1 for fall enrollment
(No spring enrollment)The Ph.D. Program in History at the CUNY Graduate Center is a major center for research and graduate training in a wide array of fields of historical inquiry, ranging from ancient to contemporary times and covering Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. The program stresses training in primary research and encourages interdisciplinary study. The distinguished faculty, consisting of more than 70 respected historians throughout the CUNY system, works closely with the approximately 125 Ph.D. students throughout their studies at the Graduate Center.
Learn more about our curriculum and current courses.
Additional information on History program events, funding, job opportunities, news and more, is available at our History program blog.
Fields of Study
Students gain a range of knowledge as they choose a field of study for their major and another for their minor. Major fields of study include: Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, Latin America, U.S History, and Middle Eastern History.
View the fields of study
History Program Blog
The program hosts events throughout the year, including an annual graduate student conference and lectures from renowned historians. The Graduate Center's location in midtown Manhattan enables students to take advantage of numerous resources for historical research in the area, including the collections at the nearby New York Public Library.
News and Events
Support
Students are supported by a variety of forms of financial aid and have broad opportunities to teach at the CUNY undergraduate and other area colleges. Graduates of the program teach in universities across the country and abroad, and work in archives, publishing houses, and public history positions. The Graduate Center is a publicly funded institution, and much of our support for students comes from private donations.
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Hear About our Student's Research
Watch Benjamin Diehl (Ph.D. ’25, History) explain what Sergei Chakhotin, a forgotten pioneer of propaganda theory, can teach us about the roots of today’s post-truth world at our 2025 Dissertation Showcase.
View the video
Hear About our Student's Research
Watch Oscar Aponte (Ph.D. ’25, History) explore how Murui Muina communities in the Colombian Amazon rebuilt their societies after the brutal rubber trade and why preserving their stories is urgent work today at our 2025 Dissertation Showcase.
View the videoLatest News
Nov 10, 2025
David Nasaw Uncovers the Silent Suffering of World War II Veterans
The Graduate Center distinguished professor emeritus and acclaimed historian reveals the emotional and social tolls of winning a brutal war.
- GC Stories
- Faculty News
Nov 4, 2025
Students Turn Personal Experience into Scholarship With Conference on Eating Disorders and Life Writing
Biography and Memoir master’s students Meghan Racklin and Ausma Palmer bring new voices and perspectives to an overlooked and sensitive topic in memoir studies.
- GC Stories
- Student News
Sep 30, 2025
Alumna Starts a Faculty Role at The American University in Cairo
The Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center congratulates Tamara Maatouk, a historian of the modern Middle East and North Africa and the center's former assistant director.
- Alumni News
Sep 15, 2025
Honoring Hispanic Heritage in Their Scholarship and Service
Graduate Center students, alumni, faculty, and leaders of Latino heritage are shaping culture, informing policy, and building knowledge that will have a lasting impact.
- GC Stories
- Alumni News
- Faculty News
- Student News
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