Rice University Reviews

"I attended Rice University's history program from the years 2011-2015. I greatly enjoyed my program. The professors (especially Dr. Maya Soifer Irish, Dr. Caleb McDaniel, Dr. John Zammito, and Dr. Lisa Balabanlilar) were fantastic, always willing to assist any student with an assignment or with career advice. My specialization was medieval history, but I took courses in many other subject areas. I gained a new understanding and appreciation for history. It is a tough program, but well worth it in the end. Through my time at Rice, I have gained new writing skills that I did not possess before, the ability to analyze documents for the information they posses, and new confidence in my ability to present something to an audience. The downsides would be that there were not many networking opportunities, as I'm sure the department realized many students would use their history degree in another field. The skills that I gained at Rice will help me greatly in my Master's of Library Science program. If given the opportunity to relive my time in college, I would still choose this degree and still be satisfied with it.Read Less"

"Rice offers an environment that fosters growth and experimentation. The program is highly flexible, designed so that each students gets what he or she wants out of the courses. The professors are readily available for questions outside of class, and the interaction between students and faculty are friendly and collegial. While traffic in Houston can be bad, the area around the university is quite nice, and the cost of living is quite manageable."

"Rice's History PhD program is fantastic; a top-tier school with a very small, good-natured student and faculty body. I work very closely with my co-advisers, and we have a great working relationship. The rest of the faculty is typically very open and helpful. The courses are challenging, but that's one reason you want to come to Rice, right? I loved coursework, and even enjoyed studying for my comprehensive exams this past summer (though I'm happy to say I'm done with those). The funding is now (generally) on par with other high-ranking institutions, yet there are many more opportunities for research and conference funding than at other places. Additionally, the department is committed to helping students become professionals. With that, students are required to spend 5 semesters in a particular professional development job for the department, such as Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Southern History, Research Assistant for a particular professor, or Teaching Assistant. As a student, you rate your choice of job according to what is available each year. There are opportunities to TA with Rice’s Freshmen Writing Seminars (FWIS), content-based writing seminars that all Rice freshmen must take. In terms of teaching, during your third year you take a Pedagogy Seminar that prepares and allow you to teach at Rice during your 4th and 5th years, particularly in those FWIS classes. Also, there are many community colleges around town where students adjunct to increase their teaching experience. Overall, I love the program. I also love Houston; while I'm certainly biased (since I've lived here since age 7), it's a fun, always-growing, always-changing city with great food, drink, music, art, and sports.Read Less"

"Rice offers a supportive yet academically challenging environment, provides great funding opportunities, and has excellent, friendly faculty. The tree-lined campus is beautiful and located near downtown Houston, with plenty of free and fun activities close by."

"Rice's history doctoral program maintains high standards and a rigorous workload without the cutthroat competition and high stress level of other programs."