Department of History, [](https://www.memphis.edu/history/about/ "Why History?")

When you study history at the University of Memphis, you learn from a team of talented, award-winning scholars and teachers. You absorb the diverse, important, and fascinating lessons of the human past. And you master the necessary skills to succeed in today’s economy: you think critically, research deeply, analyze complex events, and write with clarity and distinction. Our faculty members teach courses on a wide variety of themes, time periods, and geographic regions, and they teach many of them online. We are one of the few major research universities to offer both the [B.A. and M.A. degrees online](https://www.memphis.edu/history/online/). Our graduate program offers both the [M.A.](https://www.memphis.edu/history/ma_program/ "Master of Arts Program in History") and [Ph.D.](https://www.memphis.edu/history/phd_program/ "Ph.D. Program in History") We have five major focus areas that define our strengths as a graduate program: [African-American and Southern History](https://www.memphis.edu/history/focus_afam_southern.php); [Egyptology](https://www.memphis.edu/history/focus_egyptology.php); [Global History](https://www.memphis.edu/history/focus_global.php); [Modern European History](https://www.memphis.edu/history/focus_european.php); and the study of [Women, Gender, and the Family](https://www.memphis.edu/history/focus_wgf.php).