history phd columbia

• Dean’s Letter
• Administration
• Student Work
• Media Archive
• Master of Architecture
• M.S. Advanced Architectural Design
• M.S. Computational Design Practices
• M.S. Critical, Curatorial & Conceptual Practices
• Ph.D. Architecture
• New York/Paris
• Intro Program
• M.S. Architecture and Urban Design
• M.S. Urban Planning
• Ph.D. Urban Planning
• M.S. Historic Preservation
• Ph.D. Historic Preservation
• M.S. Real Estate Development
• Initiatives
• Exhibitions
• Publications
• Academic Calendar
• Hybrid Pedagogy Guide
• Policies & Resources
• Career Services
• Student Organizations
• Avery Library
• Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery
• Making Studio
• Output Shop
• Preservation Technology Lab
• Thinking About Applying
• Application Process
• After You’re Admitted
• Tuition & Aid

Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

The PHD in Historic Preservation was launched in 2017 and is oriented toward the training of future historic preservation scholars. The first of its kind in the United States, the program aims to expand the discipline’s range of intellectual entanglements and cultivate new paradigms for scholarly research, experimental practice, global action, and communication.

As a doctoral program, it underscores a historical understanding of the discipline’s evolving challenges and purposes; promotes theoretical speculation on alternative modes of practice suited to deal with the ethical, technical, aesthetic, and social problems of the twenty-first century; and fosters a critical and scholarly culture conducive to preparing the discipline’s next leaders. Candidates are expected to conduct independent research with support from the preservation faculty’s wide range of expertise, the Historic Preservation Laboratory, the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, and the rest of the scholarly community at GSAPP and Columbia University, more broadly.

The curriculum requires two years of coursework, one year to prepare and take general exams, and two years for independent research and writing. The total time to completion is expected to be five years. The Ph.D. in Historic Preservation is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Admission for 2024

• The application deadline for 2024 admissions was January 4, 2024 and is now closed.
• For additional information about the application process and requirments, please see the GSAS website.

Please visit the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for admissions details.

In addition to the requirements shown on the GSAS website, all students must submit one transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a statement of academic purpose, and three letters of evaluation from academic sources.

Applicants are encouraged to submit an optional portfolio if it speaks to their research interest in experimental preservation approaches that explore material intersections of the PAAST (Preservation Art Architecture Science and Technology) with urgent contemporary environmental and social issues. For more information on the portfolio format, please review the Admissions FAQ .

All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS .

For more information, refer to the Admissions Information and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Recent News

• Classical Studies Graduate Program
• ACHP Committee
• Mentoring Program
• Statement of Solidarity (6.19.20)
• Office/ Resources
• Alumni/ Alumnae
• Ancient Eudaimonism and Modern Morality
• Ancient Theories of Color
• Calling Philosophers Names
• Classical Greek Oligarchy
• Domesticating Empire
• Human and Animal Bodies in Ancient Greece
• Killing Mummies: On Inka Epistemology and Imperial Power
• Miskawayh on Pleasures and Pains
• Natural Character
• Networks Colonization, and Regional Hybridity
• Office and Rule in Constitutional Change
• Plautus and Popular Comedy
• Scale, Space and Canon in Ancient Literary Culture
• Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome
• Stoics and Skeptics on Cataleptic Impressions
• The Ancient Middle Classes
• The Beginnings of Latin Literature
• The Divinization of Caesar and Augustus
• The Early Roman Expansion into Italy
• The Journey of Christianity to India in Late Antiquity
• Tombs and Burial Customs in Third-Century CE Rome
• Two Classic Problems in the Stoic Theory of Time
• Two questions about the rule of Law in Plato
• Tyrannicide in Ancient Greece
• Virgilian Geopoetics, or the Emotional Science of Geography
• Void and Space in the Thought of the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle
• ​​The Open Sea
• A Roman World? Imperial Power and Provincial Communities
• Aristophanes and Politics
• Conference in Memory of Alan Cameron
• Epistemology After Sextus Empiricus
• Refuge and Refugees in the Ancient World
• The Creation of Roman History and Epigraphy: Theodor Mommsen from 1817 to 2017
• The Many Worlds of the Odyssey
• CLST Placement Workshop
• Classical Studies Dissertation Workshop
• Hellenistic Literatures in Context
• Margarete Bieber Reading Group
• Munich New York City Workshop in Ethics
• Pirro Ligorio's Worlds: Antiquarianism, Classical Erudition, and the Visual Arts in the Late Renaissance
• Technology and Skills Workshop II: Researching Ancient Places
• Technology and Skills
• Ways of Seeing, Ways of Reading II: The Anthropology and Aesthetics of Arms and Armor
• Workshop in Ancient & Contemporary Philosophy
• 2011-12: APAHA Excavations at Stabiae
• 2013: A Tour to Imperial Residences and Villas in Rome and Latium
• 2014-2019: Excavations and Research at Hadrian's Villa
• 2019: CAM Graduate Traveling Seminar to Egypt
• Hadrian's Villa: A Photo Journal
• Research Seminar
• Summer Research
• Olcott Collection at Columbia University
• Fellowships and Awards
• Courses on Offer

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM AT COLUMBIA

The Ph.D. program in Classical Studies attracts students with a broad range of interests in all fields of ancient studies. Unique in its scope, the Classical Studies Program provides access to the intellectual and organizational resources of the four participating Departments: Art History and Archaeology , Classics , History , and Philosophy . Students are eligible to work with the materials of Columbia’s archaeological, epigraphic, and numismatic collections, can apply to Columbia’s excavation projects, and participate in the numerous initiatives organized by the University: seminars, lectures, conferences, museum trips, and more.

The beginnings of this integrated approach to antiquity go back at least as far as “Altertumswissenschaft” in 19th century Germany. For Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, classical scholarship was a “science.” It should “re-create the poet’s song, the thought of the philosopher and the lawgiver, the sanctity of the temple and the feelings of the believers and the unbelievers, the bustling life of market and port, the physical appearance of land and sea, mankind at work and play.” Today, the study of antiquity is a methodologically diverse field, looking to discover the past, but also to engage with art as art, and to do philosophy with the ancient philosophers. In the words of Momigliano, historians work with sources. But their work is not to interpret these sources. It is to interpret the reality that these sources refer to: “it is this ability to interpret a document by not making it a document, but a real episode of life in the past, that ultimately makes someone a historian.”

Variety and flexibility are among the defining features of the program. Each scholar graduating from Classical Studies has a different profile. Through one-on-one advising and a vibrant research community, we help students define their interests and move toward independent scholarship. As students enter the program, we encourage them to develop advanced language skills and to learn about aspects of antiquity that they may not yet have explored as undergraduates. As students proceed toward dissertation work, they are advised to find topics that reflect inter-disciplinary training and that allow them to make original contributions to the field. All Classical Studies Ph.D. students receive a full funding package which includes both the cost of tuition and a stipend.

For more information about the program and the application process, please get in touch with faculty , Chair Ellen Morris, or the administrators of Classical Studies , and consult the Classical Studies admissions page as well as the admissions page of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University .

Requirements

The requirements below should be read in conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School.

After admittance to the program, students should consult the Chair to set up an advisory committee to assist in planning a course of study for each term in residence. Typically, the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the program shall act as advisors, and an individual advisor shall be assigned depending on the specific interests of the students. Each student’s program of study must be approved before registration.

Requirements for the free-standing M.A. degree in Classical Studies and the M.A. degree taken en route to the Ph.D. are identical (see M.A. requirements). The M.A. dissertation must be approved before the student is permitted to continue on to the M.Phil. degree.

Phases of Study

The program of study for the Ph.D. tends to fall into three phases: (i) coursework and language training, (ii) developing advanced research skills and deeper knowledge of topics relevant to a dissertation project, to be demonstrated in qualifying exams, as well as a dissertation proposal, to be defended at a proposal defense examination, (iii) the dissertation phase during which the student completes a Ph.D. dissertation.

Students are encouraged to apply for additional external fellowships, and to consult GSAS guidelines about fellowship applications. Students should consult with their advisors about fellowships suitable to their phase of study and research profile.

M.Phil. Requirements

Students in the Ph.D. program are admitted to candidacy for the M.Phil. degree upon completion of all requirements for the M.A. degree.

Languages: Competence in a second ancient language, Greek or Latin, to be demonstrated by course work or examination, and in a second modern language (one of the two must be German, the other may be French or Italian), by examination.

Courses: Six additional courses for a letter grade beyond those completed for the M.A., to be taken in the Departments of Classics, History, Art History and Archaeology, or Philosophy. No more than three of these courses may be in any one department, and at least two of them must be colloquia or seminars. Students are expected to maintain at least a B+ average in their graded courses.

Qualifying Examination: Examinations in three topics are taken after the completion of all language and course requirements. Each student is examined on selected topics from the three fields of ancient study most relevant to the student’s research interests (to be determined with the help of the student’s advisor, and to be approved by the Advisor, Chair and Vice Chair). The examination includes both written and oral sections.

Dissertation Proposal Examination: In addition to completing successfully all requirements for the M.Phil. degree, students must pass a proposal defense and successfully complete and defend their doctoral dissertations in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Continuation beyond the M.Phil. degree is authorized by the student’s dissertation proposal committee (sponsor and two further committee members), the Chair and the Vice-Chair.

Dissertation Phase

Ph.D. candidates must be enrolled full-time. 

Dissertation: Topics are approved by the student’s Dissertation Committee, the Chair and Vice-Chair. Topics usually require a substantial amount of scholarly expertise in more than one of the three disciplines. The student must present and successfully defend the dissertation.

Teaching Requirement

Participation in the instructional activities of one or more of the participating departments for three years. As a rule, in the second, third and fourth years of study, students gain exposure to teaching as assistants to professors in undergraduate courses, as section leaders in lecture courses or as language instructors. Students who are interested in broadening their teaching apprenticeships are eligible to teach in the Core Program once they have received the M.Phil. Students may only apply to be a preceptor if they have or expect to have the M.Phil. by the May prior to being appointed as a preceptor, which includes having successfully defended a dissertation proposal, if they have completed at least two substantive chapters of the dissertation, and if they are not past their sixth year of registration during the first year of the preceptorship. Students may not hold instructional appointments after year seven.

go to application

History and Education PhD

Doctor of philosophy in history & education.

Admissions Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2024, Summer 2024, and Fall 2024 terms.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Points/Credits: 75
• Entry Terms: Fall

Application Deadlines

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines , such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

Additional Information

• Beginning in Fall 2023, the program in History and Education will be located in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2023-2024)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 terms.

View Full Catalog Listing

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires 75 points, including demonstrated proficiency in two foreign languages. The Ph.D. degree program emphasizes historical research in education. Candidates should be in touch with the Office of Doctoral Studies to be certain of complying with the latest procedures, deadlines, and documents.

• View Other Degrees

Program Director : Thomas James

Teachers College, Columbia University 334-E Horace Mann

Program Manager: Malgorzata Kolb

Phone: (212) 678-3751

Email: mlk2004@tc.columbia.edu

A Student’s Journey On The Bridge To PhD Program

Columbia’s Bridge to PhD program supports Eden Shaveet in her journey as a public health infodemiologist.

Find open faculty positions here .

Computer Science at Columbia University

Upcoming events, in the news, press mentions, dean boyce's statement on amicus brief filed by president bollinger.

President Bollinger announced that Columbia University along with many other academic institutions (sixteen, including all Ivy League universities) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging the Executive Order regarding immigrants from seven designated countries and refugees. Among other things, the brief asserts that “safety and security concerns can be addressed in a manner that is consistent with the values America has always stood for, including the free flow of ideas and people across borders and the welcoming of immigrants to our universities.”

This recent action provides a moment for us to collectively reflect on our community within Columbia Engineering and the importance of our commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming community for all students, faculty, researchers and administrative staff. As a School of Engineering and Applied Science, we are fortunate to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, from across the country, and from around the world. It is a great benefit to be able to gather engineers and scientists of so many different perspectives and talents – all with a commitment to learning, a focus on pushing the frontiers of knowledge and discovery, and with a passion for translating our work to impact humanity.

I am proud of our community, and wish to take this opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to maintaining an open and collegial environment. We are fortunate to have the privilege to learn from one another, and to study, work, and live together in such a dynamic and vibrant place as Columbia.

Mary C. Boyce Dean of Engineering Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor

{{title}} {{fullname}}

Courses This Semester

• {{title}} ({{dept}} {{prefix}}{{course_num}}-{{section}})

Today In History: Protecting the Bald Eagle

Given time--time not in years but in millennia--life adjusts, and a balance has been reached. For time is the essential ingredient; but in the modern worl there is no time.

-- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring , p.6.

In the 1960s use of the synthetic insecticide DDT began to diminish after awareness was raised by the publication of Rachel Carson's influential book Silent Spring; Carson, a marine biologist, conservationist and writer, revealed the devastating results of DDT to bird populations, including the bald eagle.  Ingesting DDT via mosquitoes flees, and other insects,  caused birds to lay thin shelled eggs, easily and prematurely broken in nests. Fewer eggs meant fewer eagles -- rendering the species in danger of extinction.

By 1972 DDT was banned  in the United States, and other countries followed suit. Groups and organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund pushed for federal legislation to protect endangered species -- leading to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. From 487 nesting pairs of eagles in the 1960s, to more than 11,000 in 2007, came success in protecting the livelihood and future of our emblematic bird. On June 28th, 2007, the bald eagle was no longer deemed at risk. A technical update in 2020 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided the latest estimates for the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states -- totaling 316,700 individuals and including 71,467 occupied nests.

The following articles are drawn from  Proquest Historical Newspapers , which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Total DDT Ban Meeting Opposition . (1999/08/29/, 1999 Aug 29). Chicago Tribune (1997-)  
• Davenport, C. (2006/12/17/, 2006 Dec 17). Rescued Bald Eagle Part of Educational Program . The Washington Post (1974-)  
• Barringer, F. (2007/02/08/, 2007 Feb 08). I nterior Dept. Gets Reprieve on Its Decision on Bald Eagle . New York Times (1923-) 
• Marshall, L. (2007/02/25/, 2007 Feb 25). Bald Eagle Gathering: A Testament to Bird's Recovery in Lower 48: Hundreds Flock to Wash. State for Salmon Feast . The Washington Post (1974-)  
• Clayton, M. (2007/06/28/, 2007 Jun 28). Bald Eagle Is Set to Lose 'Threatened' Tag: Protected Since 1967 under the Endangered Species Act, the Eagle May Be Delisted as Soon as Today . The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)  
• Fahrenthold, D. A. (2007/06/29/, 2007 Jun 29). U.S. Declares Bald Eagles No Longer Threatened . The Washington Post (1974-)  
• Legal Eagle: The Eagle Has Landed. Will Other Species? (2007/07/01/, 2007 Jul 01). The Washington Post (1974-)  
• Kunkle, F. (2007/07/15/, 2007 Jul 15). Homing in on the Bald Eagle: Just a Short Drive Off Busy Roads, Mason Neck Is a Showcase for the Majestic Bird . The Washington Post (1974-)  
• Carswell, S. (2015/11/28/, 2015 Nov 28). Sorry Mr. Franklin, But the Bald Eagle Would Gobble the Competition: America Letter Up Close, the US's National Bird Shows Why It Is a Symbol of Strength . The Irish Times (1921-)  
• Plumer, B., & Schwartz, J. (2020/04/22/, 2020 Apr 22). What's Better, What's Worse .  New York Times (1923-)  

• Bald Eagle , from CornellLab of Ornithology,  (offers an overview, ID information, life history, maps, and sounds)
• Bald Eagles / [revised and edited by John Mathisen] . (1993). Lake States Interpretive Association, [1993?]. e-book
• Carson, R. (1962).  Silent Spring . Houghton Mifflin.   Stacks   ;   SB959 .C3 1962
• Gibbons, G. (1998).  Soaring with the Wind :  The Bald Eagle . Morrow Junior Books.   Curriculum   ;   QL696.F32 G5 1998
• Lebbin, D. J. (Daniel J., Parr, M., & Fenwick, G. H. (2010).  The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation . University of Chicago Press.  e-book
• Pacific Bald Eagle Recovery Plan . (1986). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. e-book
• Patent, D. H., & Muñoz, W. (2000).  The Bald Eagle Returns . Clarion Books. Curriculum   ;   QL696.F32 P35 2000
• Bald Eagle and Eaglet , Courtesy of Canva
• Bald Eagle Perched on a Tree , Courtesy of Canva

Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of  news  from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context. Be sure to check additional  Cafe News  postings on the library blog.

• Learning at the Library