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Graduate Program Requirements and Applications

The goal of our graduate program is to offer a small, high quality program with a favorable student-faculty ratio and ample opportunity for participation in seminars, lecture courses, and individual instruction. We offer fields leading to the master's degree in both geographically and topically defined areas and fields leading to the doctorate in the history of the United States, Latin America, and Europe. Our graduate program is selective. In recent years, owing to a rise in the number of applicants and a decrease in the size of the program, we have only been able to admit 20 - 25% of applicants. Applicants to the doctoral program must have or expect an M.A. before being admitted to the doctoral program. Completion of the M.A. degree in our department will not facilitate admission to Ph.D. candidacy; our own M.A. recipients will be judged on the same basis as outside applicants to the doctoral program.

Degree Requirements

Applications

The deadline for application to the graduate programs (M.A. and Ph.D.) is January 2, for admission the following Fall Semester (the department admits new students for fall only). Applications must be made directly to the Graduate School. Details about the application process, and online application forms, are available through the Graduate School website. Applications are sent directly to the Graduate School, but admissions decisions are made by the History Department's Graduate Studies Committee.

Complete applications must include the following: (1) application form, (2) application fee, (3) personal statement, (4) transcripts, (5) GRE General Test scores, (6) at least two letters of recommendation, and (7) writing sample. Massachusetts residents must also submit a residency statement to qualify for in-state tuition. Some US permanent residents and international applicants must submit TOEFL scores.

Apply here.

Writing sample

Applicants to the graduate program should submit a writing sample of up to 30 pages. Samples should be submitted directly to the Graduate School with the application.

Please email a pdf to Graduate Admissions: gradadm@grad.umass.edu.

Personal Statement

Most Personal Statements run about 2 pages, single-spaced. The purpose of this element of the application to assess the degree to which the applicant's intellectual aims and career objectives fit with the interests and strengths of our faculty and program. For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) linked below.

Financial Aid

The History Department is prepared to offer financial aid to a few highly qualified incoming graduate students each year. Such aid ordinarily takes the form of renewable teaching assistantships, which currently provide a stipend of $14,516 per year plus a waiver of tuition. In addition, small research grants are available for advanced graduate research.

For more applicant information, please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Further Inquiries

For more information, contact the History Department:

Postal Address:
Graduate Program
Department of History, Herter Hall
University of Massachusetts
161 Presidents Drive
Amherst, MA 01003-9312

Phone: (413) 545-1330; Fax: (413) 545-6137
E-mail: history@history.umass.edu

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

This summary is intended to provide an overview of the requirements. Details may be found in the Graduate Program Handbook.

Each M.A. candidate selects a major area of concentration from those offered by the History Department. The M.A. areas offered include the following: United States, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, East Asia, and History of Science. Selection of the student's adviser is based on the choice of area of concentration. More complete information on graduate study in history may be found in the departmental statement, Graduate Programs in History, available from the Department of History office.

Course Work

Each student must obtain 30 credits, at least 24 of which must be in the 600 - 800 series.
One course must be History 691P, Introduction to the Study of History, in the first semester of the first year.
One course must be a historiography course in the relevant area.
One or two courses must be 700-level research seminars, taken as regular courses or independent studies.
Students may write a Master's thesis for 8 credits as a substitute for two courses in the 600 - 800 series, one of which may be a seminar.
A normal course load is three courses per semester, or two courses for students with an assistantship.

M.A. candidates may choose to pursue a concentration in public history or in Global History in addition to the regular course of study.

Fields and Final Evaluation

To complete their degree, M.A. candidates craft a portfolio of work and present it at a capstone departmental event in their final semester of study. The portfolio covers three broad fields of history, one of which must be outside a student's major (geographical) area. See the list of currently approved fields. For more information on the portfolio, click here.

Note: Candidates in the class of 2013 may choose from two systems for their final evaluation: the traditional written/oral exam, or the portfolio. This decision must be made by the end of their first year.

Language Proficiency

All M.A. candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge in one foreign language. U.S. history specialists may substitute proficiency in an alternative tool of research.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements

This summary is intended to provide an overview of the requirements. Details may be found in the Graduate Program Handbook . More complete information on graduate study in history may be found in the departmental statement, Graduate Programs in History, available from the Department of History office. The Department of History offers doctoral work in three major areas of history: Europe, United States, and Latin America. Each of these areas is divided into various fields.

Prior to admission as a Ph.D. candidate, candidates must have an M.A. degree from this or another university. On admission as a Ph.D. candidate each student is assigned a Guidance Committee to advise and approve the choice of doctoral fields appropriate to the student's major interests. The candidate chooses an area of specialization, and within this area a major field.

Course Work

Four courses in the 600 - 800 series are required, including two graduate seminars.

Language Proficiency

Candidates must pass the departmental examination demonstrating reading ability in one foreign language. Students specializing in areas for which knowledge of more than one foreign language is usual for scholarly work must demonstrate reading proficiency in the relevant languages.

Preliminary Comprehensive Examination

Candidates must pass the general examination in three fields. Not more than two can be in the candidate's area of specialization. With the approval of the major adviser and of the departmental Graduate Program Director, the candidate may offer one field in a department other than history.

Dissertation

A dissertation is required.

Statute of Limitations

Doctoral degree candidates shall complete all requirements within four calendar years of initial registration.

Residence

Minimum full-time residence at the University of Massachusetts for one academic year.