Vanderbilt University
Department of History
VU Station B #351802
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1802
Director of Graduate Studies: Katherine B. Crawford (katherine.b.crawford@vanderbilt.edu)
Graduate Secretary: Jane Anderson (jane.a.anderson@vanderbilt.edu)
Deadline: January 15
Application Guidelines
Online application fees are waived. Along with the online application, you must include a Statement of
Purpose, 3-5 letters of recommendation, College and Graduate Transcripts, and GRE scores. The
Department does not require a GRE Subject Test. “In addition, candidates are asked to send a writing
sample, in hard copy, directly to Jane Anderson, Graduate Secretary, Department of History.
Undergraduate research papers and theses, especially those that show facility in using original and/or
archival materials, are of most use to the admissions committee in making their decisions.”
Financial Support
All History Ph.D. students are recipients of five years of funding from a combination of sources. The
Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Provost's Office, and several special fellowship
funds enable the History Department to offer up to $26,000/year. Over the course of graduate study,
some fellowships will be related to teaching, and others awarded as research fellowships. Students
must be enrolled full-time and are expected to meet departmental and Graduate School benchmarks in
order to maintain their fellowship status. Also, several of Vanderbilt's interdisciplinary programs have
fellowship competitions. In addition to the usual stipendiary academic-year fellowships the department
offers graduate students at all levels opportunities to compete for three different research grants.
University of Maryland:
Director of Graduate Studies: Prof. Julie Greene (jmg@umd.edu)
Deadline: December 15
Application standards:
Although there are exceptions, the minimum overall grade point average for admission to a master's
degree program is 3.25 and 3.50 for admission to the doctoral program. The admissions committee
would typically expect a higher grade point average in past coursework in history and related
disciplines. Successful applicants usually score above the 80th percentile in the analytical writing and
verbal reasoning portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The Department
does not require a GRE Subject Test.
Statistics on Admissions:
For the 2007-08 admissions cycle, the Department received 250 applications for admission. Seventy-four
applicants received an offer of admission (46 PhD; 15 MA; 13 HiLS). The Fall 2008 matriculating class will
number twenty-seven. The average GPA for students admitted for the 2007-08 admissions cycle was 3.6. The
average GRE scores, expressed as percentiles, were: Verbal: 91%; Quantitative: 53%; Analytical: 74%.
Guidelines on applications:
The admission decision is made after careful consideration of the entire application package. Each
required component of the admissions package (i.e., the Statement of Goals, Experiences, & Research
Interests; the writing sample; the GRE scores; the transcripts of previous academic study; and the
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letters of recommendation) should demonstrate the applicant's qualifications for excellence in graduate
study in history. The overall package should make a strong case for the match between the applicant's
interests in historical studies and the faculty, resources, and opportunities available at the University of
Maryland. All prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to make contact with the faculty in the
area(s) of interest to discuss the potential opportunities and expectations for graduate study at
Maryland. Faculty play an important role in the admissions decision. Prospective applicants are also
encouraged to make contact with current graduate students to learn more about their experiences. The
History Graduate Student Association can facilitate communications with current students.
Financial Support: The University of Maryland, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Department of
History offer several forms of financial support to our graduate students, including University fellowships,
teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, research assistantships, research awards, and travel grants. The
majority of financial support is made available to students in the doctoral program.
Overall Materials: Applicants are required to submit a sample of written work of historical scholarship,
such as a research paper or thesis; a Statement of Goals, Experiences, & Research Interests (1000-2000
words); official transcripts of all previous academic study; three (3) letters of recommendation; and
GRE scores; CV/Resume.
University Of Virginia:
Director of Graduate Admissions: Prof. Paul Kershaw (pjk3p@virginia.edu)
Deadline: December 1
Strong GRE scores are required for admission. The general exam is required of all applicants, but not
the History exam. The average scores of applicants who were offered admission for the Fall of 2008
were 666 Verbal, 644 Quantitative, and 5.3 Analytic Writing. Admitted applicants in U.S. history had
higher averages in Verbal (680) and Analytical Writing (5.5), while those in non-U.S. fields tended to
score higher (average 665) on the Quantitative section. There is no minimum that all applicants must
obtain to be considered for acceptance; GRE scores will be considered along with all other parts of the
application.
Applicants Holding (or Completing) M.A. Degree
Applicants to the Ph.D. program who are in the process of earning or already hold an M.A. degree must
submit, in addition to the Personal Statement, a 300-word Research Statement describing their work to
date and ideas and intentions for doctoral dissertation research. For the Writing Sample, such applicants
should submit the M.A. thesis (in whole if it is finished) or a graduate seminar paper based on original
research. Such applicants also should submit at least THREE letters of recommendation, including at
least one (and preferably two) from an instructor familiar with their graduate work.
The department is especially selective in the admission of applicants holding an M.A. degree, and you
should be aware of the requirements which must be fulfilled before obtaining permission to proceed to
the doctorate (see Rules and Regulations). Applicants with master's degrees in other disciplines are
rarely admitted directly to doctoral work.
Financial Support: The department provides financial aid on a competitive basis, chiefly in the form of
fellowships and teaching assistantships. In addition, the University has an active work-study program
and student loans available to students who meet stringent financial need criteria.
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Overall Materials: Form, Personal Statement, Research Statement, Writing Sample, Transcripts, GREs,
Letters of Rec.
UNC-Chapel Hill
Director of Graduate Studies Department of History
CB# 3195, Hamilton Hall
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3195
(919) 962-2115.
Director of Graduate Studies: Melissa M. Bullard (mbullard@email.unc.edu)
Deadline: December 1 suggested, December 15 at the latest
Application Requirements
Along with the online application, you must include a statement of purpose, three letters of
recommendation, transcripts, a writing sample, and GRE test scores. Only the General Aptitude test is
required for applicants to the graduate program in History. These scores must be sent officially from
ETS, and should be sent directly to the Graduate School, please use the institutional code number 5816.
The minimum GPA requirement for admission to a graduate program is a 3.0 accumulated GPA.
Admission Statistics
How many applications to the PhD program did you receive for the fall 2009 term? 407
How many students matriculated into the PhD program in fall 2009? 21
How many students are currently enrolled in the PhD program (since the Directory only lists the
number of graduate students enrolled)? 109
What proportion of the PhD students counted above received some type of financial aid from the
university? 84%
What proportion of the PhD students counted above will serve as TA's in the current academic year?
81%
Financial Support
Virtually all entering History Ph.D. students are recipients of five years of financial support. These
packages include tuition, health insurance, and an annual stipend (to be $14,700 for 2009-2010
academic year). The department also supplements this financial support with three years of summer
research funding. Exceptional applicants may be nominated for some of the one year and multi year
competitive and prestigious fellowships awarded by the Graduate School at Chapel Hill.
Duke University
Office of Admissions
2127 Campus Drive
Box 90065
Durham, North Carolina 27708-0065
Telephone: (919) 684-3913
Director of Graduate Studies: Pete Sigal (pete.sigal@duke.edu)
Deadline: December 15
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Admission Guidelines
All applicants must submit satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination, official and
confidential transcripts from all post-secondary school education, three letters of recommendation, a
Statement of Purpose, and the online application.
Admission Statistics
Each year the History Department matriculates between 10 and 12 graduate students, approximately
10% of applicants. Last year, the average GRE verbal score was 689, quatitative score was 687, and
the average GPA was 3.7.
Financial Support
All students accepted in the program have funding, either through the department, a university
fellowship, a fellowship from other academic units at Duke, or outside funding sources. Students
accepted to the Ph.D. program in the History Department who are not funded by the university, another
academic unit, or by outside sources are offered departmental fellowships that cover certain expenses
for a five-year period. Each award is renewable annually, contingent upon satisfactory academic
progress; for the current academic year the stipend is $18,250.
University of Kentucky
1715 Patterson Office Tower
Department of History
Lexington, KY 40506-0027
Telephone: (859) 257-6861
Director of Graduate Studies: David Hamilton (dehami01@uky.edu)
History Graduate Program Contact: Tina Hagee (thagee1@email.uky.edu)
Deadline: Final deadline is March 31, deadline for fellowships and assistantships is January 15.
Application Guidelines
Applicants are evaluated individually and in terms of the overall quality of the pool of applications.
Applicants must send complete transcripts, GRE test scores (university requires completion of verbal,
quantitative, and written sections), a two page statement of interest, a writing sample, three letters of
recommendation, . Also, UKY requires that applicants have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a
GPA of 3.25 in their major.
Completed applications, official transcripts, and scores on the GRE should be sent to The Graduate
School, University of Kentucky, Gillis Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0033. The Statement of
Scholarly Interest, the writing sample, and the letters of recommendation should be sent to the Director
of Graduate Studies, Department of History.
Financial Support
The University and the History Department make available several forms of financial support,
including dissertation travel grants, fellowships, and teaching assistantships. Though, usually fewer
than fifty per cent of those admitted to the program each year will secure assistantships or fellowships
in their first year. A student who enters with an M.A. degree is eligible for a maximum of four years of
assistance. The duration of financial eligibility includes all forms of University or Department
assistantships and fellowships, except the Dissertation Year Fellowship. Students who receive
extramural grants and fellowships will retain eligibility for their maximum intramural assistance.
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University of Tennessee Knoxville
Department of History
915 Volunteer Blvd.
6th Floor Dunford Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-4065
Phone: (865) 974-5421
Graduate Secretary: Jennifer Ward (jward34@utk.edu)
Deadline: December 31
Admissions Guidelines
Ph.D.s are awarded in specialized fields in the history of the United States, premodern Europe, and
modern Europe. A student seeking admission to the doctoral program must present a master's degree in
History or a related field from an accredited college or university. GRE scores, previous GPA, and the
quality of the applicant's writing sample and letters of recommendation will all be considered in
admission decisions. Send the following three items to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office:
Application form, Graduate Record Examination scores, and transcripts from all colleges/universities
where a student has taken courses. The following four items are to be mailed to the Department of
History: Three Graduate Rating Forms, student's statement of scholarly interest, including the intended
field of study and professional goals (1,000 words), a writing sample (approximately 15 pages), and a
copy of current C.V.
Financial Assistance
The university offers fellowships, assistantships, scholarships and other funding sources for those who
apply and qualify.
George Mason University
CHSS Graduate Admissions
George Mason University
College Hall, Room C119
4400 University Drive, MSN 2D2
Fairfax, VA 22030
Graduate Director: Sharon Bloomquist (sbloomqu@gmu.edu)
Deadline: January 15
Admissions Guidelines
In addition to meeting all admission requirements for graduate study at George Mason University,
applicants to the PhD in History should submit the following: University online application,
Departmental application form, three letters of recommendation, goals statement, GRE scores, official
transcripts, assistantship application. The only GRE scores that the department considers are the verbal
and writing scores.
Financial Support
The Department of History offers teaching and research assistantships for qualified full-time doctoral
candidates, in 2008-2009 stipends were at least $12,500 for the year. The State of Virginia also has
financial assistance for students who enter graduate school to prepare to teach at the college level. The
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Governor and the General Assembly allocate the funds for these fellowships to the State Council of
Higher Education. Student loans and work study are also available.
University of South Carolina
Graduate School Admissions
901 Sumter Street
Byrnes Suite 304
Columbia, SC 29208
Director of Graduate Studies: Mark M. Smith (Mark-Smith@sc.edu)
Deadline: January 5
Application Guidelines
Applications are made through the Graduate School, and you must send in official transcripts and GRE
scores, along with departmental requirements. The History Department requires you to submit with the
online application a statement of purpose and a writing sample. Though the deadline is January 5, the
department highly recommends applying by early December.
Financial Support
The department works with the Financial Aid office and the Graduate School to offer assistantships,
fellowships, stipends and tuition. Almost all Ph.D. candidates in History work as teaching assistants or
as research assistants for department faculty. Ph.D. candidates with teaching or research assistantships
receive stipends of $14,250 per year and abatement of all tuition for the normal full-time course load of
nine hours each semester. Students who enter the Ph.D. program with an M.A. can ordinarily expect to
receive four years of departmental funding. Students who enter the Ph.D. program prior to receiving an
M.A. can ordinarily expect to receive five years of departmental funding.
William and Mary
Director of Graduate Studies
Lyon G. Tyler Department of History
The College of William & Mary
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Deadline: December 5
Director of Graduate Studies: Leisa Meyer (gradap@wm.edu)
Admissions Guidelines
Applicants to William & Mary's graduate program in history should have at minimum a bachelor's
degree from an accredited college or university, twenty-four college-level credit hours in history, and at
least a B average, or they must have completed satisfactorily the first year of graduate work at an
accredited college or university. The program usually enrolls just fifteen new Master's students and six
doctoral students each year, and all doctoral students do a teacher training apprenticeship. Applications
must include the Graduate School application, History Department supplement, official transcripts,
three letters of recommendation, a writing sample (twenty pages or less), and official GRE scores.
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Financial Support
All doctoral students who apply for funding are awarded five or six-year stipend packages of $18,000
plus full tuition and fees, depending on whether they enter with an MA in hand. Of that $18,000,
$4,000 is awarded as a summer fellowship and is contingent upon a commitment to devote at least ten
weeks of the summer to degree-related activities, such as completing the Master's thesis, studying for
comprehensive exams, or working on the dissertation.
Georgetown University
Department of History
Intercultural Center 600
Box 571035
3700 O St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20057-1035
Deadline: December 15
Director of Doctoral Studies: Professor Alison Games (gamesa@georgetown.edu)
Admissions Guidelines
The key materials to provide with the application are: transcripts; test scores from the GRE General
Test; a two-page statement of purpose; a substantive sample of work (we prefer a research paper); and
three letters of recommendation. If at all possible, the sample of work should demonstrate your ability
to work with primary sources. Georgetown has a highly selective program: we accept only 20 percent
of those who apply. Incoming classes average about 15 students.
Financial Support
The department offers several different funding opportunities, including several fellowships,
assistantships, teaching assistantships, and scholarships. Competition for aid, due to the limited amount
available, is extremely rigorous. The application for admission serves as the application for financial
aid and is due December 15.
Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Admissions Office
Shriver Hall 28
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Director of Graduate Studies: Professor Ron Walters (rgw1@jhu.edu)
Graduate Program Contact: Megan Zeller (mzeller4@jhu.edu)
Deadline: December 15
Admissions Guidelines
The program is designed for students who wish to proceed directly to the PhD degree and aims to train
students for careers as research scholars and university teachers. Along with the online application,
you must include a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, transcripts, a writing sample,
and GRE test scores (dept. code 2799). Applicant files are maintained by the academic departments,
and admission decisions are made by departmental faculty committees. The main criteria for
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admissions are outstanding intellectual promise and an evident talent for, and strong commitment to,
research. Each applicant is required to submit a sample of written work, preferably a research paper
that demonstrates careful use of primary documents. Applicants are also required to take the general
aptitude portions of the Graduate Records Examination. An ability to read at least one foreign language
is also expected.
Financial Support
Applicants need to indicate a need for financial assistance on the electronic application for admission.
Federal loans and work study are available on the basis of financial need to U.S. citizens and
permanent residents. The schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering offer comprehensive financial
assistance to graduate students in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, teaching
assistantships, other academic employment possibilities, and tuition waivers. All full-time, resident,
PhD-seeking graduate students in the schools receive free health insurance. The History Department
offers fellowships for five years which provide tuition and a stipend to all incoming students, as well as
some funds for summer support and research travel. Normally, each student is required to perform four
semesters of supervised teaching or research duties at some point during the graduate program, most
often as a teaching assistant during the second and fourth years
University of Pittsburgh
Graduate Administrator
Department of History
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
Graduate Director: Alejandro de la Fuente (fuente2@pitt.edu)
Graduate Administer: Molly Estes (wid2@pitt.edu)
Deadline: January 15
Admissions Guidelines
To apply, prospective students must submit both an electronic application AND send (by mail) a career
statement, writing sample, GRE aptitude scores, current CV/Resume and letters of recommendation to
the department. Admission is based on the decision of the Graduate Committee, in the case of students
with an MA from another institution. The coursework portion of the PhD program should normally
take two years beyond the MA. Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.A. from another
institution must sit a preliminary examination. This hour-long oral exam will take place in April at the
end of the student’s first year in the program.
Admissions Statistics
2008 – Applicants: 105, Admitted: 15, Accepted: 8
2009 – Applicants: 112, Admitted: 18, Accepted: 10
Financial Support
A limited number of teaching assistantships and nonteaching fellowships are available. In addition,
history students are eligible for fellowships for East Asia, Latin America, Russia and Eastern Europe,
and West Europe offered through the University Center for International Studies (UCIS). Departmental
and non-departmental sources of funding are available.
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University of Georgia
History Department
Graduate Admissions
LeConte Hall, U of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1602
Director of Graduate Studies: Benjamin Ehlers (behlers@uga.edu)
Deadline: December 15
Application Guidelines
In addition to the Graduate School application (which should be sent to the Graduate School),
applicants to the History Department graduate program are required to submit the following directly to
the History Department (by mail): a personal statement (1-2 pages), a writing sample, three letters of
recommendation, assistantship application, proposed study form, resume/CV. The History Department
program in graduate studies is highly selective. Even prior to formal application, we encourage you to
start an e-mail or phone dialogue with one or two faculty members in your field of special interest. You
will need to have at least one faculty member who will be interested in working with you. The
Graduate Studies Committee carefully considers all aspects of a candidate's file in making its decision.
Financial Support
Numerous forms of financial support are available. Merit-based teaching and research assistantships
provide a stipend and remission of all but nominal fees for both MA and PhD students. Enhancement
grants are readily available to the most qualified applicants. Most of our graduate students have
teaching assistantships with moderate work loads. Fellowships are available to exceptionally qualified
applicants and finishing doctoral students. Travel grants for research and conference papers are
available on a limited basis. Several of our graduate students have won competitive grants for research
as well. Prospective students should also note the low cost of living in Athens.
University of Florida
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of History
PO Box 117320
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida 32611-7320
Graduate Coordinator: J. Matthew Gallman (gallmanm@history.ufl.edu)
Graduate Coordinator Assistant: Kathleen Clay (kmclay@history.ufl.edu)
Deadline: January 15
Application Guidelines
Along with your online application, you also need to mail in a hard copy. Other items you must submit
include GRE scores, academic transcripts, statement of purpose (3 -5 pages), three letters of
recommendation, and a writing sample. In evaluating files, most faculty members pay particular
attention to the verbal and writing scores. The History Department has no absolute rules about
minimum GRE scores, but normally applicants should have at least 500 on their verbal score and the
majority of successful applicants exceed that level by a considerable margin. Over the last five years
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the mean GREs for the department’s matriculating graduate students has ranged from 1150 to 1300. In
the most recent class, roughly 70% of the students admitted to the doctoral program had verbal scores
of 600 or above. Ordinarily, applicants must have a GPA of at least a 3.0. Over the last five year the
mean undergraduate GPA for matriculating graduate students has been about 3.6. The faculty pays
attention to the whole picture, and factors in life factors and improvement over time.
Financial Support
Graduate students pay for their schooling through some combination of four sources: fellowships,
assistantships, loans, and outside employment. The History Department offers incoming doctoral
students a wide range of financial packages. Nearly all funded students are guaranteed continued
support for four years, assuming that they maintain good grades and continue to make progress towards
their degree. In 2006-2007 our incoming students received offers ranging from $9,000 to $16,000. All
students on assistantships or fellowships receive full tuition waivers although they still must pay
student fees. Also, all graduate students on assistantships will receive full health insurance coverage.
University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
Graduate Secretary,
309 Gregory Hall, 810 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
Director of Graduate Studies: Diane P Koenker
Deadline: December 15
Application Deadlines
Applicants must submit an online application, three references (they will be e-mailed to provide a letter
of recommendation), official transcripts, GRE scores (no subject test required), and a writing sample
(no more than 30 pages). The department pays particular attention to the GRE verbal scores, the
average scores in the last several years have been in the 80s. You must also include an estimation of
your ability to do research in a language not your own; this may be done in a cover letter or in a
paragraph as part of your statement of purpose in the application.
Financial Support
Financial support opportunities include fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships,
and minority student fellowships. Fellowships and assistantships may be offered to first-year students,
and the great majority of History graduate students receive some form of support from the University
of Illinois during years two through six depending on their progress in the program. The department
also helps advanced doctoral candidates find outside fellowships from foundations and national and
international granting agencies. The department provides pre-dissertation travel and research funding
as well as fellowships for dissertation travel and research. Students admitted with an M. A. degree at
the time of entry, and who have previous teaching experience in an English language context, are
eligible for teaching assistantships in the department. If you are in this category and would like such an
opportunity, you are encouraged to mention this briefly in your application, and if at all possible, visit
the department for an interview. An important thing to note is the History department does not usually
provide summer funding for its students.
University of Iowa
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Director of Graduate Studies: Elizabeth Heineman (elizabeth-heineman@uiowa.edu)
Graduate Secretary: Patricia Goodwin (patricia-goodwin@uiowa.edu)
Admissions Guidelines
In addition to the information that the Graduate College requires (GRE scores, transcripts, the
completed application form, and processing fee), the History Department requires that all applicants
send us a sample of their written work, a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation,
transcripts, and an application for Graduate Awards form. The sample of written work should be the
best substantial paper you wrote as an undergraduate in an upper division history class. If you have an
M.A. in history, it should be your Master's thesis or a major paper that you wrote for a graduate
seminar.
Financial Support
During the admissions process the department nominates the very best candidates for Iowa Fellowships
and our top minority candidates for fellowships from the Graduate College. Funding from these sources
come in multi-year packages, which usually include an initial year of fellowship support, followed by
two to three years of teaching, and a fourth year of fellowship funding. They also have two sources of
support that we can offer directly from the History Department: the Research Assistantship and the
Graduate Instructorship. Applicants to the program must fill out the "Application for Graduate Awards"
included with the Graduate Admissions material in order to be considered for funding from these
sources.
University of Michigan
1029 Tisch Hall
435 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003
Director of Graduate Studies: Martin Pemick (mpemick@umich.edu)
Deadline: December 1
Application Guidelines
In addition to the online application, the following documents are necessary for a complete admissions
file: Cover Sheet, Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, Writing Sample (no more than 35 pages),
Three letters of recommendation, Official degree transcripts, CV or Résumé. A 3.0 GPA is required
along with competence in the reading of a foreign language appropriate to the applicant's field. The
department strongly recommends familiarizing yourself with the faculty and their research, and in your
cover letter List the History faculty members with whom you would like to work and indicate your
geographical and topical fields of interest.
The department receives 350-400 applications each year. From that pool they select an incoming class
of approximately 20 students. The History Department does not have a required minimum GPA or
GRE. For most of the applicants, the undergraduate GPA ranges from 3.5 to 4.0., scores for the GRE
tests are generally in the range of 650 to 750 for the verbal and quantitative tests, and 5.0-6.0 for the
writing test. Although foreign language proficiency is not a requirement for admission, previous
training in a language relevant to one’s major field is highly desirable, and in some cases essential to
admission.
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Financial Support
The University of Michigan offer all students admitted to the Ph.D. program in history a five-year
program of support. This five-year funding package begins with fellowship support for the first year of
study. The following four years are funded through three years of a Graduate Student Instructorship, an
additional year of fellowship support, and one summer of research. The timing and distribution of this
support will be customized to the individual needs and eligibility of each student. The fellowship and
instructorships include stipends, tuition and medical insurance.
Ohio State University
186 University Hall
230 North Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
Graduate Studies Chair: Paula Baker (baker.973@osu.edu)
Deadline: December 1
Admissions Guidelines
Prospective students need to include the following documents when applying: official transcripts,
personal bio or personal statement (2-3 pages), a CV, at least three letters of recommendation, and a
writing sample (less than 40 pages).
Financial Support
The Department of History awards Graduate Associateships that provide tuition and a stipend for
service as a grader, discussion section leader, research assistant, or instructor. Students who enter the
program with a fellowship or Graduate Associateship can expect under normal circumstances to receive
funding for four or five years. To apply for a Fellowship or Graduate Associateship, applicants need
only check the appropriate box on the Graduate School Admissions Application.
Penn State University
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of History
108 Weaver Building
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
Director of Graduate Studies: Carol Reardon (car9@psu.edu)
Deadline: January 15
Admissions Guidelines
Applicants must submit an online application, GRE test scores (general test), three letters of
recommendation, statement of intent (1-3 pages), writing sample (at least ten pages), graduate
assistantship application form, and the “applicants field preference” sheet. The committee takes test
scores, recommendations, and GPA into account, of course. And, most successful applicants do score
above 1,300 on the verbal and quantitative GRE, and have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher. In
recent years, offers of admission have been extended to about 25% of applicants.
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Financial Support
Fellowships or assistantships are offered to all successful applicants for admission to graduate study in
history. Funding packages vary, but most offer at least four full years of funding, and many offer more.
Typically a student will serve few years as graduate assistantships, followed by independent
lectureships and dissertation fellowships once a student passes the comprehensive examinations.
Regardless of the type, assistantships provide cash stipends competitive with those of similar
institutions, and a tuition waiver covering the two regular semesters and the following summer session.
Students in History are eligible to apply for fellowships and awards from other entities at Penn State,
such as the College of the Liberal Arts, the Graduate School, and the Institute for Arts and Humanities
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Department of History
UW-Madison
3211 Mosse Humanities Building
455 North Park Street
Madison, WI 53706-1483
Director of Graduate Studies: Thongchai Winichakul (twinicha@wisc.edu)
Deadline: December 1
Application Guidelines
The following items must be completed and sent for application: online application, official transcripts,
reasons for graduate study/statement of purpose (2-3 pages), selection of study form, supplementary
information for fellowships, three letters of recommendation, writing sample, and GRE scores.
Applicants must have achieved a minimum, overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
(on a 4.0 scale) as well as a minimum GPA of 3.0 in history courses taken as an undergraduate.
Occasionally the History Department admits superior students who have not had the equivalent of a
history major or students whose grades in history courses are exceptional but whose other grades do not
meet the minimum GPA.
Financial Support
The school do not offer full funding in the traditional sense. However, many sources are available for
graduate student support. UWM offers as many fellowships to incoming students, as well as to current
students, as funds permit each year. Graduate student support can, and usually does, come from a
variety of places - internal and external, awarded and occupational. The History department and UWM
offer a variety of assistantships, fellowships, and travel awards.
Rutgers University
Department of History
111 Van Dyck Hall
16 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Vice Chairperson of Graduate Education: graduate@history.rutgers.edu
Deadline: December 15
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Application Guidelines
Those interested in applying to the doctoral program, should apply online. The complete application
consists of the application form, three letters of recommendation, official transcripts of previous
academic work, personal statement, writing sample, and GRE scores. All these items must be
submitted electronically, except the transcripts. Typically the department receives 275-300 applications
per year to the doctoral program. Since only 12-15 are admitted, the competition is stiff, and top
candidates are generally invited for an on-campus interview in the final stages of negotiation.
Financial Support
Admission is highly competitive; generous financial support is available. Students arriving with the
B.A. are normally guaranteed a five year package of support (two years of fellowship, two of TA-ship,
and one either of fellowship or TA-ship, depending on students' needs). Students who already have
earned the M.A. are normally guaranteed a four year package of support (two years of fellowship, two
of TA-ship).
University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Division of Social Sciences
Office of Admissions
1130 E. 59th St., Room 105
Chicago, IL 60637
Graduate Affairs Administrator: Sonja Rusnak (srusnak@uchicago.edu)
Deadline: December 10
Admissions Guidelines
All applications must include: Online application, Application fee, Official transcript, Three
confidential letters of recommendation, Writing Sample (please send your best complete writing
sample, regardless of length), Statement of Academic Purpose, GRE score report, Supplemental form.
The Department does not have a minimum score requirement, and we do not reject applications based
on GRE. Of the students we accepted for 2009 admission, the mean scores were: 5 analytical/ 617
quantitative/ 673 verbal, and the median scores were: 5 analytical/ 630 quantitative/ 700 verbal. Every
application is read in its entirety by at least two faculty members. The Department typically receives
300-350 applications, and admit 50-60 students, all of whom receive some kind of financial aid.
Financial Support
All applicants who meet the admission requirements are eligible for financial aid, both domestic and
international students. There are no separate financial aid forms. When your completed application is
presented to the admissions committee, it is also reviewed at that time for any financial aid that we may
offer. The aid review is based on the academic potential of the applicant and is not need-based. We
offer admission to approximately sixty applicants to the Department of History each year, and all of
these offers include some type of University grant. Currently these offers are tuition plus a $19,000
stipend, or a tuition scholarship alone (with the promise of a $19,000 stipend in the third- through fifthyear if good academic progress is made). The fellowships provide a fifth year of funding, based on
good academic progress; in the third through fifth year of these fellowships, a portion of the stipend
award comprises teaching service for the College.
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University of Texas at Austin
Graduate and International Admissions Center
University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 7608
Austin, TX 78713-7608
Graduate Contact: Kerri Neimeyer (lyonsneimeyer@mail.utexas.edu)
Deadline: December 1
Application Guidelines
Applicants must send online application, GRE scores, statement of purpose (no more than 700 words),
and a writing sample. The department requires you to submit results only from the standard GRE. Note
that there is no minimum score for admission, nor will a high GPA or GRE score in itself assure
admission. Our Graduate Admissions Committee will take all elements of your application into
consideration, and will give substantial weight to your personal statement, writing sample, and letters
of recommendation. You are encouraged to identify one or more university history faculty members
with whom you might wish to study, read some of their publications, and contact them directly before
you apply.
Financial Support
Each year The University of Texas History Department generally offers about 65 of its graduate
students positions as Teaching Assistants. Teaching Assistants who hold an M.A. (or have completed at
least 30 hours of graduate coursework) are scheduled to be paid $14,206 per year; TAs who do not hold
an M.A. are to be paid $12,895. All TAs holding regular appointments also receive health insurance
benefits and reimbursement for their tuition and fees. Each year the History Department offers
recruitment fellowships to a number of its incoming graduate students based on their regular admission
applications; no separate fellowship application is required. Each recruitment fellowship carries a
stipend of $18,000 per year, plus tuition and fees, and a health insurance supplement; such fellowships
are generally combined with a multi-year offer of a Teaching Assistantship. Research grants and other
awards are available.
Stanford University
Graduate Admissions
Department of History
450 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-2024
Graduate Program Administrator: Art Palmon (apalmon@standford.edu)
Deadline: December 8
Application Guidelines
Applicants must send application, Statement of Purpose, 3 Letters of Recommendation, 2 Copies of
Official Transcripts from each University/College attended, 1 Writing Sample on a Historic Topic (1025 pages; sent via post only), and Official GRE scores sent via ETS. Only about 10-15 students,
admitted from a large pool of applicants, matriculate in the program each year.
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Financial Support
Since such a small number of applicants are admitted, that helps to make funding in one form or
another more available to most students admitted to the Ph.D. program. The History Department
Fellowship offers 5 years of financial support to PhD students. The fellowship provides support for
tuition and a stipend. The funding package includes a combination of fellowship stipends, teaching
assistantships (TAships), and research assistantships (RAships). Currently, the fellowship includes
support for 3 summers.
University of California – Berkeley
Department of History
Graduate Admissions Office
3229 Dwinelle Hall, MC #2550
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2550
History Admissions Coordinator: histadm@berkeley.edu
Deadline: December 1
Admissions Guidelines
Applicants must send online application, GRE scores, personal history statement and statement of
purpose (Limit to around 1000 words for each), a writing sample, and GPA. It is also recommended to
do some research on a faculty member that you would like to work with and list that on the application.
Admission decisions are based on departmental review, using a combination of factors, including
academic degrees and records, the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, and
relevant work experience.
Financial Support
To be eligible for fellowship consideration, entering students must complete the fellowship section(s)
of the online Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships. Starting with the Fall 2007 cohort,
entering students are offered a history department funding package, which includes tuition, registration
fees and a living allowance in the form of graduate student employment and/or stipend. Health
insurance is covered by the registration fees. Continued fellowship support from year to year is
contingent upon timely and adequate progress through the program. One of the years of support in our
five-year package is in the form of a Dean’s Normative Time Fellowship (DNTF) for the research year.
The DNTF includes registration fees with health insurance, and stipend but it is awarded only if the
student advances to candidacy by the expected time for their field. Once a student is in our program,
the Department asks that they continue to apply for non-departmental fellowships.
New York University
New York University
Graduate School of Arts and Science
Graduate Enrollment Services
P.O. Box 907
New York, NY 10276-0907
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Graduate Program Administrator: history.dept@nyu.edu
Deadline: December 12
Application Guidelines
Items to include in your application are Application Form (online application strongly preferred; paper
application also accepted), Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages double-spaced), Resume or CV, Letters of
Recommendation (3), Academic Transcripts (1 from each school you have attended), Official test
scores for the GRE general test (NYU GSAS code: 2596), and a Writing Sample (all programs except
Archives and Public History, and sample should not be more than 35 pages). No minimum GRE score
or GPA is needed to apply, but most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.3 or higher. The department
receives about 300 applications annually, and are able to enroll about 17 new students each year.
Funding Guidelines
All students admitted into the PhD program are funded by the Henry Mitchell MacCracken Program
for five years; candidates who have already completed an applicable MA receive four years of funding
instead. Fully-funded MacCracken supported students receive full tuition and fee remission, a living
stipend, and NYU health insurance for the four or five years of their support package. Each five-year
award combines three years (six semesters) of fellowship funding with two years (four semesters) of
teaching assistantship funding. Four-year awards combine five semesters of fellowship funding with
three semesters of teaching assistantship funding. The stipend amount for 2008-2009 is $22,000. New
students also receive a one-time $1,000 stipend that may be used for start-up expenses. Graduate
students are also encouraged to seek outside funding.
Emory University
Admissions
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322
Director of Graduate Studies: Jonathan Prude (histjp@emory.edu)
Deadline: January 3
Admissions Guidelines
To be considered for admission and fellowship awards, students must submit completed applications by
January 3, to include: application and statement of purpose, GRE general test scores, official
transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. The Ph.D. program requires
demonstrated competency in two foreign languages. All students must complete one language by the
end of the first year. You would be well advised, therefore, to develop your language skills as much as
possible before applying and to make these skills clear in your application because they will be an
important factor in your admission decision. If you are thinking of applying, the department
encourages you to contact the faculty member(s) with whom you are interested in working. Admission
is highly competitive, with nine to fifteen students admitted each year.
Financial Support
Full time students admitted to graduate programs at Emory are offered either tuition and stipend
awards by the university, or have individual fellowships from outside funding sources. The various
kinds of funding opportunities are: fellowships for graduate study, awards and prizes, and research
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funding. Currently, all incoming students receive stipends of at least $16,000 per year for five years in
addition to waivers of tuition. In addition, the Graduate School of Arts and Science supports
outstanding applicants with a variety of special fellowships.
Harvard University
Robinson Hall
35 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Director of Graduate Studies: David Armitage (armitage@fas.harvard.edu)
Deadline: December 16
Application Guidelines
The admissions process is extremely competitive. The following are required or strongly recommended
for admission: Personal statement (that make clear why the applicant wants to study history in graduate
school, and why he or she wants to study at Harvard; this statement often illustrates the applicant’s
research interests and notes potential advisors), Three strong letters of reference, Writing sample of
remarkable quality that asks historical questions, Reading ability in two languages other than English,
Strong undergraduate, and, if applicable, graduate record with excellent marks in history courses, high
GRE scores, and a statement of financial resources. Each year the department receives nearly 400
applications to the doctoral program and offers admission to about 8% of applicants. The typical
incoming class size is 16 students.
Financial Support
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences provides a five-year funding package for incoming doctoral
students. The package consists of a combination of financial aid and fellowships. A tuition grant covers
the cost of tuition for five years, and depending on where students are in their progress towards the
degree, the tuition grant is supplemented with additional funding. In the first two years, students
receive a stipend while they are engaged in coursework. In years three and four, students usually
receive teaching fellowships, which are equal to the stipend received in years one and two. In the last
year of graduate work students receive a dissertation completion fellowship. In addition to this
package, a summer stipend is provided for the first, second, third, and fourth summers that students are
in residence. Additionally, students may receive external funding, such as a Mellon or Javits fellowship
while they are in the program. In that case, the external funding is substituted for awards from the
Graduate School.
Yale University
Hall of Graduate Studies
Department of History
320 York Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Director of Graduate Studies: Steven Pincus (history.dgs@yale.edu)
Deadline: December 15
Application Guidelines
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The department requires a short book review (maximum two pages) to accompany the application. It
should cover the book that has most shaped the applicant's understanding of the kind of work he or she
would like to do as a historian. In addition, the department requires an academic writing sample (25
pages or less), a personal statement (500-1000 words), three letters of recommendation, transcripts,
GRE test scores, and a statement of financial resources. All students in History must demonstrate
competence in one foreign language before or during the first year of study, and must fulfill additional
requirements for particular fields before taking the oral examination. On average, 22 new students are
matriculated each year.
Financial Support
Most graduate students in the Ph.D. program in History receive fellowship support from the Yale
Graduate School. As of 2008 this support typically covers full tuition for the four years in which full
tuition is due, a living stipend of $25,000 for the first two years (September 1 through August 31), and
a teaching fellowship of at least that amount for the next two years. In addition to fellowships, many
students also receive some support in the form of loans. The History Graduate office maintains a file
on outside fellowships opportunities as well.
Princeton University
Department of History
129 Dickinson Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544-1017
Director of Graduate Studies: John Haldon (jhaldon@princeton.edu)
Deadline: December 31, though December 1 is recommended
Application Guidelines
In order to apply, applicants must submit an online application, three letters of recommendation,
official transcripts, a statement of purpose (no more than 1000 words), resume/CV, GRE scores, and a
writing sample (no more than 30-35 pages). Overall last year, the Graduate School received 10,126
applications and made offers to 1,056 – about 10% of applicants.
Financial Support
Students who are admitted to any of Princeton's doctoral programs are almost always offered financial
assistance in the form of a fellowship and/or assistantship. This financial support helps to defray the
cost of tuition, and also provides a stipend to assist with living expenses during the student's four- or
five-year program. The amount of financial support provided to each student depends on the Graduate
School's evaluation of the academic merit of the applicant (from the student's application and
supporting documents), the department's recommendation, the size of the entering class, and all
available financial resources. In some cases, a student may be required to borrow a modest sum of
money through low-interest student loans to meet the full cost of living, especially if a spouse and/or
children will be joining the applicant at Princeton.
Columbia University
611 Fayerweather Hall
1180 Amsterdam Avenue, MC 2527
New York, NY 10027
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Director of Graduate Studies: Charles Armstrong (cra10@columbia.edu)
Deadline: December 15
Application Guidelines
Applications must include a personal statement; GRE scores; academic transcripts; letters of
recommendations, ideally from faculty members with whom you have worked; and a writing sample,
which should not be more than 20 pages long. Decisions are made by History Department faculty. The
department has an entering class of 20–25 students which is drawn from a pool that typically contains
over 400 applications. Only candidates with outstanding qualifications are likely to be admitted.
Financial Support
Beginning in fall 2001, every student entering our Ph.D. program will receive a full fellowship (tuition,
fees, and a stipend) either upon admission or after successful completion of the first year of graduate
study. Students awarded such funding upon admission will receive five years of support. In all cases,
continuation of the fellowship is subject to satisfactory performance. These fellowships carry teaching
appointments in some or all years of support except the last, which is devoted solely to dissertation
research. In addition to these fellowships, students are eligible for several other kinds of teaching
appointments in Columbia College and in the History Department. Also, in recent years, the
Department of History has been able to award between fifteen and twenty $3,000 summer fellowships
to students who have successfully completed their first year in the doctoral program.
Cornell University
Director of Graduate Studies: Prof. T. Robert Travers (trt5@cornell.edu)
Deadline: January 1
Applicants with an MA: Incoming Ph.D. students who hold a master's degree from another university
must still complete the requirements listed above. No formal transfer credit is given, but the Special
Committee normally takes previous graduate work in history into account, which may speed the
student's progress toward the doctorate.
In addition to the information requested with the admissions form (three letters of recommendation, a
statement of purpose, and transcripts), the Field of History requires all applicants to submit a writing
sample (an academic paper or essay that demonstrates their ability to do historical research).
Applicants must also have taken the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative, and analytical
-- the subject exam in history is not required). GRE's must normally be taken before December so that
scores will be reported in time for review for admissions the following fall. Non-native speakers of
English must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Faculty may also interview
prospective students by phone.
Financial Support: Candidates for the Ph.D. normally are supported for at least five years (plus four
summer fellowships) with a combination of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research grants.
Most students will have assistantships in about half their years of graduate study and fellowships in the
other years (including the first year).
Overall Materials: Online app, writing sample, purpose statement, transcripts, GREs, letters of rec.