The Ohio State University Department of History

The History of World War II in Europe

The History of World War II in Europe

 

A group of students holding an Ohio State University flag at Omaha Beach


Our powerful interdisciplinary academic/study abroad program is an in-depth look at how World War II shaped our world. We expect our students to build a strong foundation for their future leadership roles—in their professions, their communities, and their world.

The History Department’s Program in the Transnational Study of World War II is among the most unique educational opportunities available at The Ohio State University.  Both immersive and experiential, it combines prerequisite courses with a May term study-abroad course in Europe that carries classroom learning to many of the war’s most crucial sites.

The program is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the most destructive period in human history, the varied impacts the war had in different places and among different peoples, and how the war continues to reverberate today.  Beyond that, the program asks students to confront in depth some of the most difficult ethical and moral problems of that time and ours, ones of race hatred and human rights, the place of non-combatants in wartime, and the fine lines between collaboration and resistance.  Through both the intensive study of these difficult issues and exhilarating, if exhausting, travel, we hope that program students begin to develop a sense for where they fit in the world as intellectually-emboldened global citizens.  (View an informational video about the program.)

May Travel Itinerary

London

A group of students in front of a pair of Royal Navy 15-inch guns at the Imperial War Museum

Normandy

A student placing an Ohio State University flag at the grave of Captain Robert Lane in the Normandy American Cemetery

Krakow-Auschwitz

Scattered bricks and broken roof rubble of a collapsed building

Berlin

Students standing in front of a street sign at an urban crossroad in Berlin, Germany

Prerequisite Courses

Once accepted into the Program, students must take (or have taken) History 3570, The History of WWII (History 3670) and the The Transnational History of WWII in Europe, with Professor David Steigerwald. History 3670 must be taken in the Spring term before travel to Europe.  

 

Applications

Applications are welcomed from students across the university regardless of major. See these testimonials from previous students.

A letter of application, student advising report, and a letter of reference from an Ohio State University professor or staff person is due for the 2027 program on October 16, 2026. 
 
Applications will be accepted only through the Global Education web site.

Students should be aware that the WWII Program is competitive.  Each year’s cohort is limited to 20-24 students.  

The ideal applicants are those students who demonstrate a keen interest in the subject matter and intense curiosity about the world.  GPA, participation in campus and community organizations, long-range goals, and quality of application essay are all considered in the selection process.  None of these measures, however, are in themselves either qualifying or disqualifying.  

Interested students should begin exploring the program at Global Education information sessions.  In addition, Professor Steigerwald welcomes individual office visits.  

For more information, contact: Professor David Steigerwald at steigerwald.2@osu.edu; Professor Eric Limbach at limbach.22@osu.edu; or Tiffany Pierskalla at the Office of International Affairs—Global Education Program at pierskalla.5@osu.edu
 


World War II Endowment Scholarships

Because of the extraordinary generosity of Friends of WWII Studies, this program has an exclusive endowment used only to help defray student costs. All students accepted into the program can count on some degree of financial aid.