Graduate Programs
The graduate program in History at West Virginia University has a long, distinguished history. With the arrival of Dr. James Morton Callahan on campus in September 1902, the efforts to develop the History curriculum accelerated. Callahan’s training at John Hopkins University under Herbert Baxter Adams, his accomplishments in diplomatic history, his eye for professional talent, and his administrative skill immediately benefited the department. The program began a period of growth which reached an important level when Festus P. Summers, who later became chairman of the department, was awarded its first Ph.D. in Histosry in 1933.
Under Callahan, the department emphasized diplomatic history and West Virginia/Appalachian regional history. Callahan’s many publications on international relations quickly established the reputation of the department in this area. Charles H. Ambler, recruited by Callahan and later became chairman of the department, launched an aggressive campaign to strengthen the library, particularly in West Virginia materials. Today, the West Virginia and Regional History Collection is one of the strongest of its kind, housing primary source materials for political, economic, social, cultural, and technological history of the state and region.
West Virginia/Appalachian regional history is still a major strength of the department. Additions gradually followed, until the department offered graduate work in several fields of United States, European, African, East Asian, and Latin America history, and of science and technology.
