University of Hawaii at Manoa

What you'll study

The programme combines advanced coursework, language and palaeography training, research seminars and a sustained supervised dissertation. You will take core seminars in historiography and research methods, alongside specialised seminars in areas such as medieval religion and society, early modern intellectual and cultural history, material and visual cultures, book history and print culture, and the history of gender, law and diplomacy.

• Coursework and seminars: advanced historiography, theory of culture, comparative approaches to medieval and early modern Europe, topical seminars on courts and elites, urban and rural society, and religion and ritual.
• Language and source training: reading competence in necessary European languages (for example Latin, medieval or early modern French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese) and palaeography for working with manuscripts and early printed material.
• Research methods: archival research methods, textual criticism, material culture studies, digital humanities approaches to historical sources, and professionalisation seminars on publishing and grant-writing.
• Comprehensive/qualifying examinations: assessment of breadth and depth in the field, typically including a written and/or oral examination to establish readiness for dissertation research.
• Dissertation: an original, book-length research project supervised by faculty, based on primary sources and making a substantive contribution to medieval or early modern European cultural history. The programme emphasises archival work, including research in libraries, archives and special collections.
• Teaching practicum: opportunities to gain experience as a teaching assistant or instructor, preparing students for academic careers.

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally expected to have a recognised master's degree in history or a closely related humanities discipline, with evidence of strong academic performance and preparation for doctoral-level research. Exceptional applicants with a strong bachelor’s degree and substantial research experience may be considered where departmental policy allows.

• Academic transcripts: official transcripts demonstrating a record of graduate (or strong undergraduate) work in history or related fields.
• Research statement/proposal: a clear statement of research interests and a preliminary dissertation proposal that demonstrates fit with faculty expertise and the programme’s strengths in medieval and early modern cultural history.
• Writing sample: an extended piece of research writing (such as a seminar paper or master’s thesis chapter) that shows ability to work with primary sources and scholarly argumentation.
• Language preparation: evidence of prior language study relevant to proposed research; the programme often expects competence in one or more European languages and in Latin for medieval studies.
• References: strong letters of recommendation from academic referees familiar with the applicant’s research potential.
• Interview or faculty matching: applicants may be asked to speak with potential supervisors to confirm alignment of research interests and supervisory capacity.

Career prospects

Graduates of this PhD programme move into a wide range of careers that value advanced research, language skills and critical analysis. Many pursue academic careers as postdoctoral researchers, lecturers and professors in history, medieval and early modern studies, and related humanities disciplines. Others apply their skills in:

• museum and archive work, including curation and collections management;
• heritage and public history roles in cultural institutions and government agencies;
• publishing, editorial and scholarly communications;
• libraries and special collections, including cataloguing and digitisation projects;
• policy, education and cultural consultancy where historical expertise and research design are needed.

Why study at University of Hawaii at Mānoa

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa offers a PhD environment with relatively small, research-focused cohorts and opportunities for close supervision. Hamilton Library’s strong holdings and interlibrary connections support deep archival and rare-book research; the university’s location in Honolulu also facilitates comparative and transnational projects that situate European cultural history in broader global contexts.

The Department of History encourages interdisciplinary collaboration across area studies, art history, religious studies and digital humanities, enabling students to pursue innovative methodological approaches. The programme’s emphasis on language training, palaeography and hands-on archival work prepares students for careers that require rigorous primary-source skills and sustained original research.