Master of Arts in History: Admission Requirements
Current Degree Status
The Department of History requires that students obtain an MA in History to be eligible to apply to our PhD program. Thus, students holding a Bachelor's Degree or a Master's degree in a field other than History must apply for our MA program. The History Graduate Admissions Committee assesses the degrees held by applicants and assigns each to MA or PhD student status when offering admission to the graduate program.
The Department welcomes applications both from students whose ultimate degree goal is the MA, and from those who intend to go on to the PhD program, whether at UW or another institution. Students who wish to continue to the PhD in History at UW may apply for promotion to our PhD program once the MA is granted.
Basic Criteria
- Completion of a strong undergraduate program in History, ordinarily as a History Major.
- 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.
- Ordinarily a score in the 80th percentile or higher on the verbal portion of the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Evidence of genuine intellectual ability and interest beyond the routine performance of academic tasks.
- Reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to English
is required for all graduate degrees. It is not a requirement for admission
to the graduate program, but qualified applicants with knowledge of
at least one foreign language may be favored over those who lack such
knowledge. Moreover, an applicant who proposes to work for a degree
in Greek, Roman, European, Russian, Medieval, Eastern European, Latin
American, Middle Eastern, or Asian history is expected to have begun
to acquire a working knowledge in the foreign languages essential to
research in the field.
While the several components of an application ensure that no single component is decisive in determining whether or not an applicant is offered admission, the following general profile of our entering class of 2008-2009 may help you assess your competitiveness for admission:
| Number of Applicants |
Number Entering Program |
Median Grade Point |
Median Verbal GRE Score |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.A. |
117 | 7 | 3.81 | 87% |
| Ph.D. |
66 | 8 | 3.91 | 89% |