Graduate Programs

Overview

The University of Toledo master’s and doctoral programs in History are committed to the values of a liberal arts education:  

• Critical analysis  
• Written and oral communication skills 
• Evaluation of evidence  
• Valuing differences, including difference of opinion
• Continuing relevance of the humanities as a search for and understanding of the human experience 

Top Reasons to Study history at UToledo

1. Faculty mentors.

   UToledo master's and Ph.D. students work closely with faculty in a collegial setting that places a high priority on individual studies, archival research and teaching experience. Our program’s small size allows the faculty to work one-on-one with graduate students and mentor them from their first day in the program through graduation. 
2. Invaluable teaching experience.

   We provide our graduate students with a wide variety of teaching experiences before they enter the job market.  
   

   • Teaching assistantships. Every TA receives a tuition waiver and a stipend. This hands-on experience in the classroom and in grading college-level work gives UToledo M.A. students an advantage when applying to Ph.D. programs. 
   • Course instructors. Our Ph.D. students have the opportunity to teach their own classes. This teaching experience is an advantage when they enter the job market.   
   • Workshop on Teaching. All entering M.A. and Ph.D. students take this for-credit workshop their first semester. Students learn how to write a grant, a syllabus, a scholarly prospectus and other essential academic documents. 
3. Public history internships.

   UToledo’s Department of History has connections with a wide variety of local museum, historical societies and other public history sites. Qualified M.A. students are eligible for internships at such places as: 

   • River Raisin National Battlefield Park, managed by the National Park Service, Monroe, Mich.  
   • Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums, Fremont, Ohio 
   • National Museum of the Great Lakes, Toledo 
   • Hancock Historical Museum, Findlay, Ohio 
   • Ward M. Canaday Special Collections Archive, William S. Carlson Library, The University of Toledo 
4. Financial support.

   Research assistantships are available to qualified master’s and doctoral students. UToledo’s Department of History also offers several scholarships specifically for graduate history students. 

UToledo’s graduate faculty in History have expertise in a wide variety of areas, including:

• 19th and 20th century American history 
• African-American history
• Atlantic world history
• Disability history
• Early American history
• Gender history
• Latin-American history
• Modern East-Asian history
• The history of medicine 

Master’s and Ph.D. History students have significant research opportunities. They can serve as research assistants to mentoring faculty and have access to the rich, historical collections in the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections archive on campus. 

UToledo’s Department of History offers funded opportunities to present research at conferences. We also host the regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference each year. Students can present their research in a professional, conference setting alongside graduate students from other, regional universities.

What jobs can I get with a history degree?

Graduates from UToledo’s History M.A. and Ph.D. programs have gone on to successful careers in academia and at museums and other public history sites. Our master’s graduates have been accepted into doctoral programs at Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Houston. 

A sample of recent alumni job placements includes:   

• Associate lecturer, The University of Toledo
• Assistant professor, Kent State University at Stark 
• Assistant professor, Peru State College, Nebraska 
• Curator, Wood County Historical Center
• Director of online education, Mercy College of Ohio
• Executive director, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums