The department of History has close to 800 undergraduate students, following Joint Honours, Single Honours and other programmes. About 120 students are enrolled in postgraduate programmes, including 40 for the PhD and 12 for the MLitt. The staff of 18 academics and 2 administrators, supported by a team of part-time lecturers and tutors, offers a range of taught postgraduate programmes. The department is an excellent centre for individual and group research, currently hosting 4 externally funded postdoctoral research fellows and several research projects funded by the Irish Research Council and other external sponsors. Staff's main research strengths are in the fields of Irish, European, British, North American and world history, and in the specific areas of built heritage (historic houses and landed estates); material and visual culture; health and welfare; institutions; migration; political regimes, including Empires; religions; settlement (urban and rural); war and strategic studies. The department provides a supportive, collegial environment for all students to pursue their studies.  

Our programmes cover medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary history. While we have a particular concentration in the field of history of Ireland, the scope of the department's expertise has no area limits, and we have particular strength in early modern and modern Europe (West and East) and North America.  

The department is a major participant in the BA in Local Studies, an evening programme available in Maynooth and at the NUI campus in Kilkenny, and managed by the Department of Adult and Community Education.

In addition to the research programmes of individual staff members, the department is home to several funded projects and independently supported centres.

The offices of the department are located in Rhetoric House (see campus map), which dates from 1834 and is located on the South Campus. (See map)