THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Students in our doctoral program develop expertise in both thematic areas and geographical fields. Working closely with our award-winning faculty, they engage in interdisciplinary and transnational scholarship. This approach fosters a dynamic and collegial learning environment where students receive substantial mentorship.

Our  themes are:

• Global connections, empire, capitalism
• Health, science, environment
• Race, citizenship, migration
• Religion, gender, cultural identity
• States, nations, political cultures

Our  fields include:

• African history
• Atlantic history
• East Asian history
• Environmental history
• European history
• Latin American history
• South Asian history
• U.S. history

For more information on our areas of expertise, please see our  faculty directory, which includes affiliated faculty from other departments. Students can take advantage of various interdisciplinary and community-building programs on campus, including the  Humanities Institute, the  Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center, the  Initiative in the Historical Social Sciences, and the  Graduate Student Organization. Stony Brook is also a member of the NYC-area  Inter-University Doctoral Consortium and all PhD students may take courses for credit at participating institutions, including Columbia, the CUNY Graduate Center, New York University, and the New School.  

Our graduates have a strong track record finding employment at four-year colleges, universities, and in the public sector. Throughout their time at Stony Brook, they receive substantial advising and may participate in professional development workshops to prepare them for future endeavors--including making conference presentations, publishing, grant writing, preparing job search materials, and interviewing. Our program also emphasizes the development of strong teaching skills and offers extensive teaching opportunities, starting with teaching assistantships and moving on to stand-alone courses in summer and winter terms.

For more information, see the following:

• Admissions
• Course of study
• Testimonials
• Policies and procedures
• Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS)