Chicago,
IL,
United States
Type
Private
Degrees offered
Bachelor's Degree
PhD in History - Social History in Chicago United States | University of Chicago
University of Chicago
|
Chicago United States
Visit institution website
for more information
Qualification
Doctor of Philosophy
Languages
English
Delivery Mode
On-Campus
Tuition (2025)
USD
65,145
Attendance
Full-time
Full-time Duration
36 months
Social History developed in the mid-1900s as a response to traditional approaches like political history, diplomatic history, and the study of prominent figures and ideas—fields that overlooked ordinary people's experiences by focusing on elites. Dedicated to examining everyday lives, social historians encounter unique difficulties in finding sources. Throughout history, most non-elite individuals lacked access to writing, leaving behind few personal records; instead, available documents were often produced by authorities or employers. Undeterred, social historians have innovated by using quantitative methods, artifacts, visual materials, architecture, and oral histories alongside conventional archives and texts. Understanding past societies requires analyzing how people were classified, their awareness of their circumstances, and their collective actions. Consequently, social history connects to research on families, childhood, gender, race, work, religion, crime, poverty, health, and disability (among other topics). Shared interests and methodologies also foster ongoing exchanges between social historians and scholars in sociology, anthropology, geography, and archaeology.
Destination of Study
Subjects of Study
Language Requirements
English
IELTS 7.0
Qualification Requirements
The Department of History offers a PhD program centered on rigorous research within a vibrant and diverse intellectual community. While most of our students have a history degree (BA) or degrees (BA and MA), we accept students with a variety of backgrounds and interests. Your writing sample should be a complete self-contained work. The ideal sample should be in the field of history (or a closely related field) that you plan to pursue at Chicago. Include the class or publication for which the sample was written. For papers longer than twenty-five pages, please flag a section for the committee.
Your candidate statement should explore specific academic interests and explain how they fit with our faculty's research and teaching strengths. You should discuss your preparation for graduate study and, where applicable to your scholarly plan, your language training and preparation.
The most helpful letters of recommendation come from faculty members who can access your ability to work on your proposed historical topic.
The GRE requirement cannot be waived; the history subject test is not required; successful applicants generally have high GRE scores.
There is no minimum foreign language requirement to enter the program, but successful applicants should possess strong language skills in their proposed research language(s) and be aware of the language requirements for the various fields. All students are required to take a language exam in the first quarter of the program. The University of Chicago accepts either the internet-Based Test (iBT) of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for the purpose of meeting the English language requirement. Minimum required scores in the IELTS are an overall score of 7, with sub scores of 7 in each section. The Minimum TOEFL Score - No less than 25 on each subsection(100)
Tuition
USD
65,145