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Georgia
Institute of Technology
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| School of History, Technology, and Society Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332-0345 Link to program page: http://www.hts.gatech.edu/ |
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Dr. Willie Pearson, Jr., Chair Phone: (404) 385-2265 Fax: (404) 894-0535 willie.pearson@hts.gatech.edu Dr. Steven Usselman, Director of Graduate Studies |
HTS owes its free-standing status to a major process of institutional
reorganization that took place in 1988-1990. Before that time, Georgia
Tech's historians and sociologists had been members, along with philosophers
and political scientists, of the School of Social Sciences, a unit that
offered an M.S. in Technology and Science Policy but no undergraduate
degrees. As a result of that reorganization, the School of Social Sciences
was divided into three distinct units -- the School of History, Technology,
and Society (HTS), the School of International Affairs (INTA), and the
School of Public Policy (SPP) - each of which would have the option
of offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
HTS quickly took advantage of the opportunity, and in its first year
the School developed curricula for both a B.S. degree in HTS and a M.S.
and Ph.D. in History of Technology. The graduate degrees in History
of Technology reflected a conscious choice not to create another Science
and Technology Studies (STS) degree, but to establish a special niche
in graduate education that would draw on the existing strengths of the
HTS faculty. Subsequent hires have prompted us recently to refashion
the graduate degree programs as History and Sociology of Technology
and Science, with tracks in Sociology of Technology and Science and
in Technology and Modern History
M.S. and Ph.D. in History and Sociology of Technology and Science (pending formal approval by Board of Regents; until then, degrees will formally be titled History of Technology)
Bachelor's degree with undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
GRE general exam
Three references
Biographical Statement
Writing sample or other evidence of writing ability
M.S. 30 semester hours, including core seminars in History of Technology and in Social Theory, a course in methods and analysis, a comparative seminar, and a research paper worth 3-6 hours. The 30 hours may include no more than 6 hours of independent study (including credits received for the research paper) and no more than 6 hours outside HTS.
Ph.D. Completion of M.S. requirements or their equivalent, reading knowledge of a foreign language, comprehensive exams in three fields, and successful defense of an original doctoral dissertation.
The comprehensive examinations cover four fields. One of the fields
must be the history of technology. Of the remaining three, at least
one must incorporate disciplinary perspectives outside of history, and
at most one can be taken under the supervision of faculty residing outside
HTS. One of these three fields may be Science and Technology Policy.
Current student population is approximately twenty, with the majority pursuing the doctorate.
Positions for Graduates
The four recipients of the doctoral degree all hold jobs in the historical profession as college teachers, researchers, or curators.
M.S. graduates have obtained employment as researchers in think tanks,
business, and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control;
several have entered law school.
Most full-time students in the program are supported with teaching or research assistantships. These cover tuition and provide a stipend of at least $10,000 per year ($5,000 per semester). Exceptional students may receive a President's Fellowship, which provides an additional stipend of $5,500 per year for four years. HTS also offers the Raymond Riddle dissertation fellowship and the Smith Teaching Fellowship, and it regularly provides funds for travel to conduct research or present papers at academic conferences.
