Graduate Student Resources

• Teaching: Beginning in the second year, PhD students have the opportunity to work as Teaching Fellows assisting faculty members in the History Department. Teaching Fellowships allow students to cultivate their own teaching style, strategies, and experience for future use in their academic careers. Once students have taken and passed their oral qualifying exams, they are also permitted to design and teach their own courses during Summer Term at BU.
• ABD Status: Once all course work, research paper, language, and exam requirements have been completed, students become PhD candidates with ABD status, or “all but dissertation.” During this phase of the doctoral degree, PhD candidates apply for grants and fellowships that would allow them to travel and conduct research toward their dissertation. Normally, research grants and fellowships are only open to those who are ABD. We strongly encourage students to think ahead and apply as soon as possible for these funds.
• Conferences: The Department of History sets aside funds for PhD candidates to present their research at conferences in North America. Students can apply for a conference travel grant to attend or present at a conference. Grants cover costs associated with conference travel: airfare, airline fees, baggage fees, transportation costs, conference fees, and accommodations, but does not cover meals. Reimbursement regulations will be announced by the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Administrator each year. Students are still encouraged to apply to outside sources for conference grants as well, and to disclose any additional conference funding to the Department Administrator. The Director of Graduate Studies will periodically send news and updates on upcoming conference opportunities to all graduate students in the department. Among the conference opportunities hosted by Boston University are those offered through the American Political History Institute and the International History Institute.
• The History Department holds a pedagogical training workshop for new teaching fellows just before the start of the fall semester.
• As of 2023, The History Department offers a one-day professionalization workshop for students who have an approved prospectus. Topics covered include conducting archival research, organizing materials, maintaining archival contacts, writing the dissertation, working well with your committee, and time management.

• Formal Academic Advising: All prospective students should consult the Direct of Graduate Studies about contacting an appropriate faculty member to serve as their academic advisor. Students may select a different faculty advisor should their interests change. Normally the advisor chairs the qualifying examination committee and serves as first reader for the dissertation. Students should work closely with their advisor to develop a compact schedule for completing PhD program requirements, research, writing, and revision.
• Informal Advising: The Department of History at BU benefits from a small and close-knit academic community. Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to other faculty members and fellow graduate students at BU and in the Boston Consortium for guidance and information about the graduate school experience.
• Graduate Student Cohorts: The Department aims to build strong graduate cohorts through its curricular design and area strengths. The faculty also encourage graduate students to collaborate with each other outside class. Because preparing for intellectual work is only partially a solitary exercise, the Director of Graduate Studies encourages students to create informal working groups to provide each other with the kind of intellectual and emotional support that will help them through the process, whether it is during orals, when writing up your prospectus, or as you complete dissertation chapters. The Director of Graduate Studies also encourages students to reach out to more advanced students every step of the way. The transmission of information between cohorts is essential to the graduate program’s vitality and an excellent way to understand better how to navigate our requirements and learn more about faculty you might want to work with.

As a department, we highly value open and honest communication. If students have concerns they wish to share with the department leadership, they are encouraged to reach out to their course instructor, their academic advisor, or to the DGS, who will then share it with the department chair if need be. Students may approach any one of these three individuals depending on the situation at hand and their level of comfort, and they will receive feedback or an update about their reported concern.

Graduate students are also encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of professionalization resources offered through the Office of Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs

• The Graduate School has compiled a list of resources pertaining to diversity and inclusion here.

Social

• The Boston University History Graduate Student Organization (HGSO) hosts social events as well as academic and professional programs for all current graduate students in the History Department.
• The Boston University Graduate Student Organization sponsors social activities and other events that are open to all graduate students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Mental Health

Life as a graduate student can be challenging. The faculty members of the Department of History are committed to making your experience at BU a stimulating intellectual and positive social experience. The mental health and emotional well-being of our students is important to us. If you are feeling stressed by the demands of grad school or overwhelmed by the social isolation that sometimes accompanies intellectual life, remember that there is no shame in seeking help. We all experience similar challenges in life. Students experiencing difficulties should know that they can come to the Director of Graduate Studies with any problems or questions at any time. You should also feel free to take advantage of the resources on campus, listed below, that are devoted to supporting students.

Similarly, we strive at BU and in the History Department to treat everyone with fairness and dignity. Our faculty do not tolerate sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or any other form of prejudice. If you have been subjected to objectionable behavior, we strongly encourage you to alert the Director of Graduate Studies and contact the support services listed below.

• The Behavioral Medicine staff at Boston University Health Services consist of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and clinicians who offer a wide array of counseling resources to promote mental health and well-being.
• The Office of the Ombuds at BU is an independent, impartial and confidential problem-solving resource open to all graduate students. The Ombuds can be a very useful and supportive outlet for discussing conflicts that may arise in academic, professional or personal settings. All conversations remain completely confidential and are advisory in nature.
• No student should tolerate sexual harassment. The Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) provides assistance to all BU students who have experienced or are experiencing sexual assault or misconduct.
• If you want to learn more about your rights under Title IX or speak to a Title IX Coordinator, go to CAS’s Title IX page here.

Financial

• GRS provides emergency loans to all graduate students and advances on stipends to qualified PhD students. The stipend advance may be of particular use to PhD students receiving a non-service fellowship, where the fellowship is paid out monthly. PhD programs are encouraged to let incoming PhD students know in a timely manner (ideally at the start of the summer) that they can receive a mid-September advance on their stipend, in order to bridge the gap between the start-up costs of moving to Boston and their first stipend payment at the end of September.
• While Boston University does not operate a food pantry, the Dean of Students’ Office offers meal assistance.
• In addition, the Graduate Program in Religion has a new website that lists other resources in the community available to graduate students who are experiencing food insecurity.

Academic

• Writing Workshops: A series of workshops, organized by and for history graduate students during the academic year, are intended to provide participants with strategies to improve the quality and effectiveness of their writing in a peer setting. Students present a draft of a prospective paper, whether for publication, conference presentation, or other purposes, and receive feedback from a designated commentator with similar academic concentration, after which the floor is open to discussion. Students interested in presenting should contact the current coordinator via the History Department office.
• Local History Programs: The Boston area offers a vibrant and active setting for seminars, lectures, and other programs in the historical field. Graduate students are encouraged to consult the departmental websites below for news and upcoming events of interest.
  • Boston University Department of History
  • Boston College Department of History
  • Tufts University Department of History
  • Brandeis University Department of History
  • Harvard University Department of History (and the various centers)
• Research: There are numerous opportunities for archival research in digital and local archives. The following archival resources are most commonly used by history graduate students at BU:
  • Library of Congress
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • Massachusetts Historical Society

Career Development

• • H-Net: H-Net, or ‘Humanities & Social Sciences Online’, is an interdisciplinary forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences. It curates electronic mailing lists organized by academic discipline. It also publishes reviews of books and other publications and announces opportunities for conferences, programs, fellowships, and calls for papers. Its Job Guide is the most important source of information about job opportunities.
  • American Historical Association: The American Historical Association is the largest organization serving historians in all fields and professions. The AHA is dedicated to promoting history and historians in civic life and the professional job market. Its annual conference serves the entire discipline and remains an important site for job interviews. The AHA also circulates the American Historical Review, the only journal that publishes discipline-wide articles and reviews. It comes free with your AHA membership.

Teaching

• The BU Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) hosts an Orientation for new Teaching Fellows every year. The center also compiled a handbook containing useful classroom tips, strategies and reminders.

Each Fiscal Year (June 30-July 1^st), the following rules apply, and all rules are superseded by Boston University’s travel policy:

Conference Funding:

Students in good standing are eligible for ONE of the following funding opportunities:

1. Presenting at a Conference: Students who present at a conference are eligible for up to $1000 in conference grants to put towards eligible expenses.  Students must submit a confirmation email or program from the conference.
2. Students who are attending but not presenting at a conference will receive up to $500 in conference grants to put towards eligible expenses. Students must submit a program from the conference.

Reimbursement is limited to transportation costs (airfare, rental cars, airline fees) conference registration fees (which also include membership fees) and accommodation costs.  

Conference travel is funded on a rolling basis, but all applications are due no later than May 1^st.  Requests after May 1^st will not be honored to ensure our continued support for graduate professional development.  Students are encouraged to provide a rough budget/application before that date.  Applications must be submitted at least 30 days before travel.

An application consists of a budget, confirmation email or program, and any receipts you currently have.  The budget does not have to be exact, but you can include a budget justification where receipts are not available.  Half of your conference funding (no more than $500/$250 respectively) will be issued as a non-service stipend before conference travel, while the remainder will be processed as a reimbursement.  Students are required to submit receipts immediately upon return.  Failure to submit receipts could result in a forfeiture of their conference grant and ineligibility in future academic years.

Please use this link to submit receipts after travel has occurred.

Please note that non-service stipends for international students are automatically taxed at 14%.  A student may elect to have their whole conference grant processed as a reimbursement, but they must inform the department at the time of application.

Students must disclose any outstanding or planned travel grant applications when submitting proposals.  If a travel grant is received, the student must update their budget and indicate what expenses the travel grant will cover.  A student cannot be reimbursed for the same expense.  The department encourages students to apply for outside funding (GSO travel grants for instance), which will allow the department to continue to provide support for our students.

Students who are presenting at a conference may elect to request the department purchase flights on their behalf. Those students will not get a non-service stipend and must discuss this with the Administrative Manager.

If a student receives a conference grant and does not travel for the conference (cancellation, remote conference, etc), conference funds from FY 25  will “roll over” to FY 26.  Students however will not be eligible for two conference grants in one year.

Research Support

1. Research Travel Grants: While funds last, the Department will once again designate funding for competitive research travel grants between $500-$1500 for travel occurring in 2024-2025  Academic Year.  Students in good standing at every level of graduate study will be considered. Details and deadlines regarding research travel grants will be sent separately at a later date.
2. Research Materials Grants: While funds last, the Department will designate funding for students in good standing who need to purchase research supplies not available through Boston University resources.  Examples of these supplies are commonly scans of archival materials, subscriptions to online databases, books not available via ILL.  To apply, students must submit a 1 paragraph rationale for the expense as well as a budget. These are relatively small expenses, and applicants should aim between $50-$150.

All reimbursements will be done on a monthly basis.