Ohio State University - Department of History

**About** The History Department at the Ohio State University aspires to distinction in scholarship, teaching, and service. As a top-tier department in an eminent public university, we seek to advance the highest standards of our discipline. Because we believe that research inspires great teaching, our mission is to promote the finest historical scholarship, and to offer both graduate and undergraduate students the most rigorous and intellectually challenging education. Espousing the values of a diverse and collegial community of historians, we explore connections across areas, eras, and themes. We strive to provide comprehensive and challenging understandings of the complexity of the human past to audiences across the state, the nation, and the world at large. Learn more about our department's inner workings by reading our [Pattern of Administration](https://history.osu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-09/history-poa-rev-07-2022.pdf). Originally formed in 1879 as the Department of History and Philosophy, our department has a long and varied history. In 1969, Francis P. Weisenburger wrote, "[A Brief History of Our Department](https://history.osu.edu/sites/history.osu.edu/files/HistoryDepartmentHistory.pdf)," which outlines our early years.