Admissions

The UW History Department is no longer accepting applications  Autumn Quarter 2024 admission to our Graduate Program (our application deadline was December 1, 2023).

Applications for Autumn Quarter 2025 admssion to our graduate program will open in late Summer 2024.  The application deadline will be in December 2024.

 

 

Why Study History at the UW?

The University of Washington History Department currently enrolls more than 30 scholars pursuing MA and Ph.D. degrees in a wide range of fields. Ours is in the top third of History Ph.D. programs nationwide, and benefits from a large and vibrant university community and a location in beautiful Seattle. Our graduate students and faculty are award-winning scholars and teachers, active in the historical profession nationally and globally, and engaged in digital scholarship, public and applied history, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

The Graduate Program in History—its coursework, credits, writing and research requirements. field and examination preparation, professional preparation as well as funding considerations--is designed at both the MA and PhD level for students who intend the complete the doctoral degree in our program. Consequently, our graduate program is not designed for students who want to complete a terminal MA program only.  If your goal is to get a terminal MA in History, you should look elsewhere for a graduate program that accommodates your needs.  

As you consider the UW, we encourage you to contact prospective faculty advisors to tell them about your interest and learn if they will be taking on new graduate students. In your application, you will need to propose fields of study (two at the MA level, and four for the Ph.D.). A list of graduate fields offered by our faculty can be found here.

Your application for admission is also your application for funding.  Students admitted to our graduate program receive financial support from the History Department or other units (including tuition, insurance, nine-month stipend) that takes the form of a combination of fellowships and service appointments (teaching, research, and staff assistantships).  In addition, students are eligible and encouraged to apply for outside sources of funding, and in the past have had an excellent track record of winning competitive university and national fellowships.

The UW History Department encourages applicants to the Graduate Program in History to apply also for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, if they are eligible. The FLAS is a competitive fellowship intended to support foreign language training and is a means to fund new and continuing UW graduate students. FLAS Fellowships are offered in several modern languages and generally provide tuition and a stipend.  For information about the FLAS Fellowships including eligibility requirements, deadlines and application procedures, go to the Jackson School's FLAS Fellowships page.

The FLAS application process is administered by the UW's Jackson School of International Studies and is entirely separate from History's graduate admissions process. Receipt of a FLAS Fellowship does not guarantee an graduate applicant admission to the History Graduate Program.

 

APPLYING TO THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

The History Department admits new students each Autumn. The admissions process is managed online through the UW Graduate School. Applicants should submit ALL materials via the electronic application process; do not mail any hardcopy materials directly to the History Department.  Applicants should check the status of their graduate application via the UW Graduate School's online application system.

We accept applicants who hold a BA or MA. Applicants with an MA in History are eligible to apply to the PhD program. Applicants with a BA only, or with an MA in a field other than History, must apply to our MA program.  Students who complete the MA in our graduate program and who have the support of their supervising faculty typically promote to the History PhD program. If you have an MA in a closely related field, you may note in your statement of purpose that you would like to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. program.

The History Department does not defer offers of graduate admission to a later quarter or a later year.

Further information about application criteria, required materials, and other FAQs about the process can be found on the Graduate Admissions Overview page.

All graduate application materials must be submitted electronically through the UW Graduate School's online application system

 

 

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