The Department of History is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma State University. Home to leading scholars in many fields, the department has earned a reputation for excellence in teaching and scholarship. It has special strengths in American history, especially the history of the West, Native Americans, and the U.S. in the twentieth century, and in Modern European history. Faculty pursue thematic specialties in political history (international relations, nationalism, regional and local politics) and cultural history (religion, medicine, gender, race and ethnicity, urban life, the environment). Aside from U.S. and European history, the Department offers courses in the history of the Middle East, East Asia, the Ancient Near East, and Latin America. History faculty are active in the Honors Program and contribute to a wide range of interdisciplinary programs. These include Area Studies programs – American Studies, Central Asian Studies, European Studies, Russian and East European Studies - as well as the Women’s Studies program.

Degree programs offered by the Department of History include the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. The Master’s degree includes three options: the M.A. with thesis, a non-thesis M.A., and an M.A. in Applied History. In 2006 thirty-four students completed the B.A. degree and nine students earned graduate degrees. In recent years recipients of the B.A. degree have gone on to distinguished graduate and professional programs and to positions in teaching, government, and business. Recent graduates of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs teach at universities and colleges throughout the nation and hold positions in historical societies, museums, archives, and other cultural institutions.

Oklahoma State University and its surrounding region offer excellent facilities for historical research. The Edmon Low Library, located on the OSU-Stillwater campus, houses a collection that includes in excess of two million volumes and extensive electronic holdings. Of special interest to historians are its holdings in state and regional history, including resources relating to the history of Oklahoma, the Southwest, and Native Americans. As a government depository, the library has an excellent collection of government documents. The university is also located near manuscript collections housed at the Oklahoma Historical Society, the State Archives in Oklahoma City, and the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. Faculty and students also benefit from OSU’s membership in the Inter-University consortium for Political and Social Research and in the Center for Research Libraries.

The History Department is dedicated to serving students. Two vibrant student organizations, the History Club and the Nu Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, offer students opportunities for academic and professional development as well as social interaction. Upper-division and graduate classes are limited to a small or moderate size, allowing for close faculty-student exchange. Students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are encouraged to apply for the many scholarships that are awarded annually by the Department in recognition of scholarly accomplishment.