Admission

Decisions regarding admission to the graduate program of the Department of History, continuation in the program, and dismissal from it are made by the department’s Graduate Studies Committee. The candidate for admission must meet the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average as verified by official transcripts. A strong candidate will have substantial undergraduate course work in History or a major in the field.

In addition to the School of Graduate Studies requirements, each candidate shall include a statement of goals, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. The one-page statement of goals should explain what draws the candidate to graduate school and discuss his or her long-term career aspirations. The writing sample should be on a historical topic and include complete citations (usually the writing sample comes from an advanced undergraduate history course). Please note that the Department of History does not require the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE.

In special cases, a candidate with a cumulative grade point average below 3.0 may be admitted conditionally (see the School of Graduate Studies website for details). Conditional status may be granted upon a favorable committee recommendation based on the candidate’s application and an interview with the director of the graduate program. An applicant without adequate work in History may enter the program but may be required to take deficiency work as prescribed by the Graduate Studies Committee.

A graduate student in any college of the university may take up to three graduate history courses without prior approval of the Department of History. Any student desiring more than 12 credit hours of graduate history courses must secure the approval of a director of the graduate program.

Applications for admission may be made at any time during the year, and studies may begin in any quarter. Please regard the following deadlines, however: July 30 for admission beginning in the fall quarter; November 1 for admission in the winter; and February 15 for admission in the spring.