The Education of Historians for the Twenty-First Century

In 1962, the American Historical Association published a detailed examination of the state of graduate history education in the United States. Addressing such issues as the supply and demand for teachers, student recruitment, and the best training for advanced degrees, the report set a benchmark against which to judge the study of history. Four decades later, with a substantial grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the AHA has returned to these issues. The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century documents the remarkable conclusions of this new study. Both the American academy and the study of history have been dramatically transformed since the original investigation, but doctoral programs in history have barely changed. This report explains why and offers concrete, practical recommendations for improving graduate education. The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century stands as the first exploration of graduate training for historians in more than forty years and the best available study of doctoral education in any major academic discipline.

Thomas Bender is University Professor of the Humanities and a professor of history at New York University Philip M. Katz is the research director for graduate education at the American Historical Association Colin Palmer is Dodge Professor of History at Princeton University