This page outlines some basic information for applicants interested in UW History Graduate Program, and describes the required components of an application to our Graduate Program.
Basic Criteria
- Completion of a strong undergraduate program in History, ordinarily as a History Major.
- Completion of a strong Masters program in History for those students applying to the PhD program
- Usually a GPA of 3.5 (A-) or above, particularly in History and related subjects, and especially in the final two years of work, and in graduate work if any graduate studies have been completed prior to application.
- Evidence of genuine intellectual ability and interest beyond the routine performance of academic tasks.
- An applicant who proposes to specialize in an area of history in which the primary documents are not in English (such as Ancient, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Russia, Middle East) is expected to have begun to acquire a working knowledge of the appropriate foreign language(s) essential to research in the field.
Components of the Application
The following materials are required for application to the UW Graduate Program in History:
Curriculum Vitae: A Curriculum Vitae (cv) is an academic resume. It should summarize your educational background, including institutions attended and degrees earned. Additionally, it should include a summary of academic positions held (e.g. Teaching Assistantships), awards and fellowships, and academic publications.
Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should explain your purposes for undertaking graduate study in history. Normally the statement should be 700-1,000 words. The Statement of Purpose should give an impression of purpose and self-awareness. Be specific about the intellectual experiences that led you to your proposed areas of study; include courses you have taken, research you have done, books read, methodologies discovered, etc. Link these to some reasonably specific statement of your research interests and ultimate career goals; discuss how these interests can be advanced through pursuing graduate work in our program by working with specific professors or by utilizing particular resources of our institution. Note any relevant skills that you possess. The Statement of Purpose should include information about the graduate areas of specialization you intend to study and the faculty you intend to work. Because our graduate program is designed for MA and PhD students who intend ultimately to complete the doctoral degree, applicants to the MA program should also discuss their future plans for proposed PhD-level work in our graduate program.
Writing Sample: A writing sample, such as the Master's thesis, a seminar paper, or course paper of at least 15 pages, should show your mind at work. The most impressive writing samples demonstrate an ability to conduct research in a variety of sources, to write analytical prose, to construct a reasoned argument based on evidence, and to create a context for assessing the significance of what has been presented. Preferably, the writing sample should be on a historical topic related to your primary area of interest and should include bibliography and footnotes. Writing samples should normally not exceed 50 pages in length; writing samples of 20-30 pages are most common.
Unofficial Transcripts: We require a transcript from each institution from which you have obtained a degree. In addition, you should submit transcripts from any non-degree institutions at which you completed coursework relevant to your proposed course of study. This might include foreign language coursework in addition to work in History or allied fields. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Applicants who are admitted to the program will be required to submit official transcripts prior to matriculation.
Three letters of recommendation: Each letter of recommendation should be written by a professor who is able to comment on your qualifications for graduate study in History. If you have been out of college or university for some time, the letter may be written by some other person who is able to comment on your academic qualifications. The letters will be held in confidence from the public. As part of the application process you will be given the opportunity to voluntarily waive your right to inspect the submitted letters.
Summary of Language Preparation: We request a summary of your language preparation in order to assess your readiness to undertake research in your chosen field of study. There are some fields of study--ancient, medieval, European, Russian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Asian--where a high degree of competency in one or more foreign languages is essential for the completion of a graduate degree. The applicant must list of the languages other than English you know or have studied, along with an assessment of your level of proficiency in each language and a brief summary of your formal training in the language. We ask that you rate your proficiency according to a ranked scale: 1--Read fluently; 2--Read with occasional aid of a dictionary; 3--Read with difficulty; 4--Elementary training. Note that if you rate your proficiency as a level 1 or a 2, we would expect you to be able to take and pass a written translation exam from a scholarly source in that language within your first quarter of graduate study.
Proposed Areas of Study for MA Applicants: MA students specialize in two fields of history. For guidelines on the selection of fields, a list of our graduate divisions, and descriptions of the areas of study available through individual faculty members, please refer to the "Areas of Study" page.
- For each of the two fields, please indicate the division, the supervising faculty member, a proposed title for the field, and a 25-word or less description of the parameters of the field. Be certain to address the chronological, thematic, and/or geographic limits of the field as appropriate. The information provided in this section of the application will serve to match your strengths as a candidate with ours as a department.
- In making your selections of divisions, fields, and faculty, please keep the following in mind:
- Applicants must propose two fields of specialization. Both of these fields can be selected from the same division, or each field can be drawn from a different division.
- Both fields must be History fields, and both fields must be supervised by History faculty (regular or adjunct).
- Each field proposed must be unique, possessing a different title, description, and faculty supervisor (one faculty member cannot supervise both fields).
- Adjunct faculty may not supervise a primary (first) field.
- Lecturers and emeritus faculty do not supervise MA fields.
- The two proposed fields should be presented in rank order. The first field is the applicant's primary area of specialization in graduate study, and the faculty supervisor of the first field would serve as the Chair of the student's masters committee. The second field is of secondary significance to the student's course of study.
- Graduate admissions decisions are based on the faculty field specialists' evaluation of the applicant's previous coursework, research experience, language training, etc. as preparation for graduate work in the applicant's proposed fields of study. Therefore, once admitted to the graduate program, a student cannot significantly change the geographical, chronological or substantive focus of his/her primary area of study.
Please note: History faculty members may also interview a graduate applicant (via skype or teleconference) as part of the graduate admissions process.
Proposed Areas of Study for PhD Applicants: PhD students specialize in four fields of history. For guidelines on the selection of fields, a list of our graduate divisions, and descriptions of the areas of study available through individual faculty members, please refer to the "Areas of Study" page.
- For each of the four fields, please indicate the division, the supervising faculty member, a proposed title for the field, and a 25-word or less description of the parameters of the field. Be certain to address the chronological, thematic, and/or geographic limits of the field as appropriate. The information provided in this section of the application will serve to match your strengths as a candidate with ours as a department.
- In making your selections of divisions, fields, and faculty, please keep the following in mind:
- At the time of application, all four fields must be History fields, and all four fields must be supervised by History faculty (regular or adjunct). Once admitted, students may propose one field outside history (not the primary field).
- Each field proposed must be unique, possessing a different title, description, and faculty supervisor.
- An individual faculty member cannot supervise more than one field.
- Adjunct faculty may not supervise a primary (first) field.
- Emeritus faculty and lecturers do not supervise PhD fields.
- At least one of the four fields must be outside the student's main division of specialization (in other words, all four fields cannot be drawn from the same division of history). If three fields are drawn from one division, a fourth field selected from the Global/TransnationaComparative History division must be supervised by a faculty member whose area is clearly outside the division from which the other three fields are drawn. (For example, if you select three fields from the Europe since 1789 division, do not select a modern European faculty member to supervise a fourth field in Comparative Colonialisms.)
- Students specializing in US History must propose at least one chronological field: Early America, 19th century, or 20th century; or a chronological field that is a combination of these periods, as appropriate.
- The four proposed fields should be presented in rank order. The first field is the applicant's primary area of specialization in graduate study, and the faculty supervisor of the first field would serve as the Chair of the student's doctoral committee. The second, third, and fourth fields are listed in descending order of significance to the student's course of study.
- Graduate admissions decisions are based on the faculty field specialists' evaluation of the applicant's previous coursework, research experience, language training, etc. as preparation for graduate work in the applicant's proposed fields of study. Therefore, once admitted to the graduate program, a student cannot significantly change the geographical, chronological or substantive focus of his/her primary area of study.
Please note: History faculty members may also interview a graduate applicant (via skype or teleconference) as part of the graduate admissions process.
Personal Statement (optional): The Department of History welcomes all students who contribute to the cultural, educational, and economic diversity of the Graduate Program. Please provide a 300-850 word Personal Statement concerning your personal history, family background, and influences on your intellectual development. You might consider including your cultural and educational opportunties (or lack thereof), social and ecomomic disadvantages which you may have had to ovecome, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you. Domestic applicants who have achieved academic merit despite severe economic, social or educational disadvantages will be considered for any UW Diversity Awards that may be available. Individuals who have overcome economic barriers, are the first generation in their family to pursue college or graduate school, or whose eduational background did not expose them to a wide variety of resources are examples of eligible candidates. Race, color, ethnicity, national origin, and gender are not used as factors in determining recipients.
International applicants must fulfill the UW Graduate School's requirements for English language proficiency.
Please note: Applicants who are offered admission to the UW Graduate Program in History must submit and clear the University's required Sexual Misconduct Delaration. Admittees are provided with information and instructions about this requirement as part of the graduate admissions process.