Their Brilliant Careers - Beyond the history PhD

Since 2000 over 50 PhDs have been awarded by the Department of History at the University of Sydney (see a full list of thesis titles). The following information gives a snapshot of the careers of this group of graduates in early 2007.

Career paths

International and international recognition of the quality of a research degree from Sydney is reflected in the impressive roll call of recent graduates' academic posts.

• 18 recipients of history PhDs since 2000 now hold positions as academics and postdoctoral fellows across a range of respected national and international institutions.
• Sydney graduates can be found teaching and researching at the Universities of Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and New South Wales, La Trobe University, Macquarie University, Flinders University and the University of Technology, Sydney.
• Current international locations of recent graduates include Manchester University, King's College (University of London), the University of Lancaster, Georgetown University (Washington, DC), the Hungarian Academy of Science and the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Beyond the academy, other Sydney trained historians choose to pursue further historical research in other contexts, such as museums, local studies and independent scholarship.

• Drs Laina Hall and Martha Sear are curators at the National Museum of Australia.
• Dr Lisa Murray is the City of Sydney Historian.

Graduate pathways also involve the application of the research, writing and analysis skills developed through a research degree in History in quite different forums, including the public service and journalism.

• Dr Julia Baird, former columnist at the Sydney Morning Herald, is a Senior Editor at Newsweek
• Dr Angela Macdonald is a policy officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Whilst many research students are Honours graduates direct their from school education, others return to study, bringing the background of their work and life experience to their research. Thus, they may not be embarking on a professional career post-PhD but continue in established careers, both within history and beyond, in fields ranging from emergency management to film-making.

Others again pursue their studies in history upon retirement from their professional careers.

• Dr Frank McGrath AM OBE undertook his PhD research after his retirement as Chief Judge of the Compensation Court of New South Wales.

Publications

In 2003 Ruth Balint's thesis manuscript, Troubled Waters: Australian Maritime Expansion in the Timor Sea, was the first non-literary work to win the Australian Vogel Award. Margaret Poulos received the American Historical Association's Gutenberg-e prize in 2003. James Curran's book arising from his PhD research, The Power of Speech: Australian Prime Ministers Defining the National Image, was published by Melbourne University Press and shortlisted for the 2004 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, Prize for a First Book of History.

• Monographs published by recent graduates

Perspectives

View recent graduates comments on their Sydney History experience:

• Dr Andrew Beattie on German history at Sydney
• Dr Ebor Gabli with an international perspective on research degrees at Sydney
• Dr John Fahey on his military history research experience

More information

If you would like to undertake postgraduate studies at the University
of Sydney, please have a look at the general information on degrees
and enrollment, and contact the Postgraduate (Research) Coordinator .