The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is the state of Michigan's top-rated history program. "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the University of Michigan's history department at No. 7 in the nation in 2009. Rankings were based on surveys taken by faculty members in the field of history. At the undergraduate level, students are allowed to take a flexible program of study that allows them to focus in one of several areas of study, such as medieval and modern Europe, ancient Greece and Rome, East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, Africa and U.S. history. Students also take a number of courses outside of the department related to the field, such as anthropology or religion. At the graduate level, the University of Michigan offers a Ph.D. in either a singular field or through a joint-degree program. Joint-degree programs include Greek and Roman history in conjunction with the Department of Classical Studies, a joint-degree in history and women's studies and one in history and anthropology.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Department of History
1029 Tisch Hall
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-764-6358
lsa.umich.edu/history/grad
The second highest-rated history college in the state is Michigan State University. The university's program was ranked No. 56 by "U.S. News & World Report" in 2009. MSU also offers a flexible undergraduate degree program that allows students to specialize based on distinctions such as geography, era or type of history. The graduate program at MSU is designed to be interdisciplinary, allowing students to also take courses outside of the department and establish their own study program in pursuit of the Ph,D. The result of collaboration with outside departments has resulted in the construction of new fields of study, such as comparative black history, the Atlantic world and migration studies. Areas of specialty within the graduate program include African history, African-American history, science, technology and medicine and women's and gender studies.
Michigan State University
Department of History
301 Morrill Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-355-7500
matrix.msu.edu/~history/grad.php
Although not ranked as a top-tier program, Western Michigan University's department of history offers options comparable to both Michigan and Michigan State. At the undergraduate level, students can follow three paths in pursuit of the bachelor's degree--liberal education, secondary education and public history. Western Michigan offers both a master of arts and Ph.D. Areas of specialization by the college's department include ethnohistory, Atlantic history, medieval history and public history.
Western Michigan University
Department of History
4301 Friedmann Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
269-387-4650
wmich.edu/history