The History Department, through funding from our generous donors, recognizes student excellence through a number of annual awards.
These prizes are generally awarded each spring at the end-of-year reception in mid-June, and are restricted to declared majors and graduate students in History.
For information on scholarships and grants available to our students, please visit our Scholarships page.
Friends of History Awards
The Friends of History organization, which works in close conjunction with the PSU History Department to promote the study of history in the larger community, annually offers a number of prizes to PSU history students:
- Jesse L. Gilmore Prize for Service to the History Department, Undergraduate
- Meritorious Service to the History Department, Graduate
- GPA Award in History, Undergraduate
- GPA Award in History, Graduate
- Best Seminar Paper, Undergraduate
- Best Seminar Paper, Graduate
Johnson Family History Awards
The Johnson Family Awards, established in 2020 through a generous grant made by professor emeritus David A. Johnson, recognizes student excellence in the following:
- Outstanding Graduate Thesis
- Outstanding Undergraduate Honors Thesis
- Outstanding Performance in Lower Division History