The Department of History offers master’s and doctoral programs in national, comparative, and transnational fields, including the history of Africa, African diaspora, Atlantic world, East Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, and United States. There are joint Ph.D. programs in French History, through the Institute of French Studies; in Hebrew and Judaic studies and History, through the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies; and in History and Middle Eastern studies, with the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Students may choose to emphasize comparative or thematic approaches, either within their areas of specialization or as a second field.
The faculty is large, diverse, and distinguished. Their interests cover the spectrum of historical research, and no methodological or historiographical approach is favored or excluded. Though the graduate programs are built around colloquia and seminars within the department, they often include distinguished faculty from affiliated departments.