The Ph.D. program in history at the University of New Mexico offers students the best possible preparation for the challenges and opportunities of the historical profession in the twenty-first century. Seminars and graduate-level courses provide depth within a particular field and also allow students to attain a unique intellectual breadth that complements study along traditional chronological and geographic lines. Through courses in historical methods and historiography, as well as the opportunity to take courses in other departments, students in our program will be able to approach their work with theoretical and interdisciplinary sophistication. Finally, our examination structure emphasizes qualities essential for success as a professional historian: excellence in writing and in public presentations and assurance in professional interactions. In sum, UNM students will be well prepared to carry out innovative work, by writing excellent dissertations, teaching with confidence a variety of courses, working as public historians, or pursuing any other opportunities that the historical profession might offer.

Doctoral students select two concentrations – one regional and one thematic – around which to organize their programs of study. The Regional Concentration provides students with substantial background in a particular geographic, historical field, and the regions chosen here represent the UNM history department’s areas of strength:

U.S./American West
Latin America
Europe

A chronological or geographic specialization within each concentration also allows students to examine a particular period or topic in greater depth, thus acquiring the preparation essential for writing a strong dissertation. Doctoral students also select one field from a wide variety of Thematic Concentrations:

Gender and Sexuality
Race and Ethnicity
Frontiers and Borderlands
War and Society
Environmental History
Religion
Politics and Economy