Graduate Programs

The Department of History at Georgia State University offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Arts with a concentration in World History, Master of Heritage Preservation (M.H.P.) , and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Committed to broad-based and innovative approaches to graduate study, the faculty includes historians of the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

All of our students are supported in their intellectual growth through a myriad of services, including graduate student organizations, world history lectures and workshops, study abroad opportunities, and working relationships with nationally-recognized faculty. Please explore the links at right to learn more about the university an community as well as opportunities and resources for graduate students.

Become A Part of The Atlanta Academic Community

Becoming a graduate student at Georgia State opens the door to participation in an active academic and cultural community that begins with the Department of History but extends across the city of Atlanta.

The department sponsors a variety of history related events, including public lectures by internationally recognized scholars, presentations by faculty on their latest research and publications, and workshops dedicated to graduate student interests. All graduate students are also invited to join the Association of Georgia State University Historians (AGSUH), an organization dedicated to the ongoing professional development of students, alumni and faculty of Georgia State University. AGSUH’s primary purpose is to facilitate the professional efforts of its members in teaching, publishing, participation in conferences, obtaining funding, and scholarly research.

Beyond the Georgia State campus, Atlanta is home to Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Atlanta University Center, and a number of other academic institutions. Through cross-registration, students can take courses at any of these colleges and universities. Our students furthermore enjoy Atlanta’s vibrant cultural scene, which includes prominent museums such as the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta History Center, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History; diverse venues for dramatic and musical performance of all kinds; and exciting options for fine dining and evening entertainment. 

Opportunities and Resources

• Through the Association of Georgia State University Historians (AGSUH), an independent organization led by graduate students, the department fosters a sense of intellectual community.
• The department’s graduate student listserv provides information on public history events, talks, and workshops in the Atlanta community.
• The department also promotes interdisciplinary programs. It contributes to the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the Center for Latin American and Hispanic Studies, and the Center for Middle East Studies. It helped found the Seminar in the Comparative History of Labor, Industry, Technology, and Society (SCHLITS) which brings together graduate students and faculty members from GSU, Emory University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Graduate students engaged in research are able to exploit a wide variety of research and archival collections in metro Atlanta. The Department of Special Collections at GSU's Pullen Library includes the Southern Labor Archives, the Georgia Women's Movement Archives, and the Georgia Government Documentation Project. In addition, the Atlanta History Center, the southeast regional branch of the National Archives, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Auburn Avenue Research Library, and the State Archives of Georgia are nearby. Students also have access to the libraries and collections of Emory University, the Atlanta University Center, and the University of Georgia at Athens.