Dr. Brent Cebul

Associate Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Brent Cebul. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Brent Cebul works on 20th century United States history with interests in political history, urban history, political economy, capitalism, race inequality, and federalism. He serves on the Executive Committee of Penn’s Price Lab for Digital Humanities and has co-authored the article, 'Mortgaging FHA Credit Policy, Segregated Rental Housing, Remaking Metropolitan America' in the Journal of American History. His book, 'Illusions of Progress: Business, Poverty, Liberalism in the American Century' (Penn Press, 2023), examines the evolution of 20th-century liberal public-private economic development and its impact on racialized poverty in the U.S. Cebul is a founding co-editor of the University of Chicago Press's political history series, America Unsettled, and his current research investigates the effects of campaign fundraising and the commercialization of American democracy. His prior roles include assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Richmond. He has taught various courses on U.S. politics and society, urban transformation, and historical perspectives on contemporary policy debates.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

Teaching and researching various aspects of U.S. history.

Assistant Professor

— Present

University of North Carolina, Charlotte • Charlotte, NC

Taught courses on history and engaged in research.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

University of Richmond • Richmond, VA

Conducted research and taught courses in digital humanities.

Visiting Scholar

— Present

American Academy of Arts and Sciences • Cambridge, MA

Engaged in collaborative research.

Courses

HIST 1180: U.S. Politics and Society 1960s HIST 1153: Transformations in Urban America, 1945-Present HIST 231: History Headlines: Contemporary Political Policy Debates Historical Perspective HIST 231: 'The State of the Union is Good': United States Crisis in the 1970s HIST 231: Liberalism in Twentieth Century United States

Requirements for University of Pennsylvania

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.6
GRE General
Verbal
Required:162
Quantitative
Required:162
Overall
Required:162
GMAT
Total Score
Required:728
Overall
Required:728
TOEFL
Total
Required:115
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or equivalent Strong quantitative background
Application Checklist
  • Academic Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation (2-3)
  • Resume/CV
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Essays
Specialization Notes

Wharton Doctoral programs cover fields like Finance, Marketing, Management, and Operations, Information and Decisions.