Majoring in history may be a growing trend for Penn students, but when it comes to earning a Ph.D. in the subject, it's not so easy.
According to a study released at the end of last month by the American Historical Association, 16 percent of students who matriculated to history graduate programs five years ago have quit their respective programs - almost double the number of dropouts that the AHA reported ten years ago.
The AHA, a nationwide advisor of high school, college and graduate history departments - including Penn's - reported these numbers based on responses from 119 of the 193 history Ph.D. programs in the U.S.
AHA officials do not yet know the exact cause of the increase in dropouts but will use the study results to investigate the issue.
But despite the poor retention rate revealed in the study, History professors at Penn say that they haven't seen this problem among their own students.
"I don't see it as something to be concerned about," History Undergraduate Chairwoman Ann Moyer said.
There are currently 74 students enrolled in Penn's history graduate program, according to the department's Web site.
Doctoral degrees in history - which typically take between seven and 10 years to earn - are primarily intended for students looking to become history professors, Moyer said.
She acknowledged that there are different reasons why students may drop out, including high cost, the tediousness of completing a dissertation or a change of heart about the field in general.
"People. leave usually because they decide they don't want to be a professional historian," Moyer said.
But despite these numbers and trends, diehard history fans continue to sing praises about graduate programs, adding that completing the degree can serve higher purposes.
A history Ph.D. "can also be used for advancing civic understanding on the world in which we live," Clemmie Harris, a History graduate student, wrote in an e-mail.
And this enthusiasm, it seems, is trickling down into the History undergraduate department as well.
"I'm attracted to the idea of becoming a professor because professors are also mentors, and I'm big on that," College sophomore Jason Saunders said.
Saunders - who is a History major and intends on pursuing a history Ph.D. - said he is unfazed by the AHA study's numbers.
"Professors are making an impact, and that really attracted me," he added.
History faculty members have different ways of bucking this dropout pattern, like helping to find financial aid and providing "high-quality" history advisors, Moyer said.
Some professors cited recent changes to Penn's undergraduate degree in history as a source of increased interest in the field.
"A pivotal component of . the [new] History major includes new requirements that have required the undergraduate major to take an equal smattering of American, world and European history," said Japanese-history professor Frederick Dickinson.
"I think that's certainly attracting more people into non-western areas," he said.
