Admissions
How to Apply to the History Graduate Program
Application Deadline is
December 1st, 2023
for fall 2024 admission.
After an application is submitted, the applicant can login to their application status portal to track letters of recommendations, submit additional transcripts and other materials, withdraw their application, and view their decision.
Prerequisites for Admission
Those who hold a BA or BS from an accredited college or university and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above are eligible for admission to the Master's Program. Those who already hold a MA degree from an accredited college or university and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or above are eligible for admission to the PhD program. In exceptional cases the grade point requirement may be waived.
The Department of History Graduate Program no longer requires GRE scores as part of the application materials.
Required Application Materials
Please read this section with great care
All applications, writing samples, recommendations, and supporting materials must be submitted via the University of Utah Graduate online application system, Slate. The History Department will not accept applications nor materials that are submitted by mail.
Use the Graduate Application Materials Checklist to ensure that you have submitted all the required application materials. They are as follows:
The research statement of interest is an academically oriented discussion of the fields and themes that interest you. You should begin with your broad interests and then funnel down to a more specific research interest or project. You should reference any relevant skills (including methodologies like oral history, languages, digital skills, etc.) and work experience, and conclude with a discussion of three faculty in our program whose work most closely matches yours.
Your personal statement should discuss your professional goals and how you see the University of Utah helping you further those goals. It should address your career path and be specific about the work you would like to do. That can be anything related to history including but not limited to: K-12 teaching, public history (work in archives, historic preservation, museums and state, federal or tribal agencies), and/or obtaining a PHD and college or university teaching.
Applicants must submit at least one example of academic or professional writing, e.g., a published essay, a masters thesis, an honors thesis, or a seminar paper (10 to 15 pages is the expected length for Masters candidates, 20 to 25 pages is the expected length for PhD candidates).
We strongly recommend that you select individuals to write references that can comment on your academic abilities. Letters from History or other academic faculty are highly valued. It is your responsibility to ensure that all three letters of recommendation reach us by the application deadline.
For the application, we need an unnoficial copy of your academic transcripts from all institutions you have attended. If you are admitted to your graduate program, you will be asked to submit an official copy of your transcripts, sent directly from your previous school(s) sent to the Admissions Office.
The application fee is $55.00 for domestic students and $65.00 for international students.
International applicants need to allow more time for their applications to be processed. We recommend that, if possible, you have all of your materials submitted by November 1, a month earlier than the stated deadline. For international applicants whose first language is not English, language proficiency scores on either the TOEFL or IELTS sent as soon as possible to the Admission Office. Admission to the graduate program requires a minimum TOEFL score of 80 (Internet-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) or on IELTS: An overall minimum band score of 6.5.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email our Academic Advisor, Amarilys Scott at amarilys.scott@utah.edu.
Etiquette for requesting a Letter of Recommendation
During your time at the University of Utah, chances are high that you will need to ask someone for a letter of recommendation to support an application (for a scholarship, a job, an internship, etc.). To support your success in these endeavors, we have put together the following advice, which will help you make most out of your relationships with your professors and get the best possible letters of recommendation for your applications.
Put thought into your choice of a reference
Ask someone who you know and who knows you. Ideally you will have had some direct personal contact with your letter writer. However, you may not feel confident that your professor knows you very well, especially in the case of online classes or large lectures. Please know that your professors understand the challenge of approaching others to requests letters of recommendation; not only have we been in your shoes when we were undergraduates ourselves, but even now, as professional academics, we continue to need letters written in support of our work for various reasons. Letters of recommendation are a normal part of academic life, and it is part of our job to provide them for you. If you have shown yourself to be a good student in a professor’s class, it is likely they will be willing to meet with you in person or on Zoom to get to know you and your strengths better, in order that they may write a better-informed letter for you.
Ask early
If possible, allow at least two weeks before the letter is due. Everyone understands that emergencies happen, and two weeks’ notice is not always possible. However, it is always best. A hurried letter is not likely to be as thoughtful or enthusiastic as is a considered one. If you are emailing your request, make sure to compose your message with care and respect, specifying the class or other setting in which you were acquainted with the professor.
Gentle reminders to your professor are appreciated
Professors are only human and are very busy, so tasks do sometimes slip through the cracks. If you notice on the scholarship application system that your professor has not submitted the letter that they agreed to write for you, a gentle reminder is appropriate. A single email near the due date should suffice.
Provide the professor with complete, written information about yourself and the scholarship for which you are applying
Your professor will need specific information about you, the reason you are asking for the letter, and when and where the letter should be submitted. The more information you provide, the better: Attach your CV/resume and the personal statement or other writing you are submitting with your application. Make sure that they have easy access to information about your activities, including academics, service, and campus involvement. You may offer to provide a transcript to the professor (see below for FERPA rules regarding this). If it has been a year or more since you studied under the professor, consider attaching a sample of the work that you completed with them, to refresh their memory. So that your professor might write a letter tailored to the scholarship or other opportunity, provide information about the criteria or the focus of the scholarship (service, academic, etc.). If the scholarship form gives you the option, it’s always better to waive your right to see the letter. The scholarship committee assumes that this will encourage a more candid letter from the professor, and such a letter will carry more weight.
FERPA rules require that the professor get a signed release from a student to report his grades or any educational information linked to him in letters of reference.
You can get a copy of that form from several sources [Academic Advising Center, Office of the Registrar]. You should give it to the professor when you deliver the materials.
Consider the letter of recommendation your professor has written to be a valuable investment that they have made in you and in your academic success.
After the process is over, send a thank-you note to your professor. This acknowledges the time the professor spent (thirty minutes to an hour). It also paves the way for you, should you need to ask for another letter in the future. Later, send your professor an email, letting them know the result of your application. We are invested in you and appreciate being able to celebrate your successes with you.
– Adapted from advice written by Carolan Ownby, LEAP Program
Graduate Program Frequently Asked Questions
No, the History Department no longer requires the GRE.
The application deadline is December 1st to enroll the following fall semester.
To apply for Department support, prospective students must fill out the appropriate section of the online application. No FAFSA is required for departmental support.
Although we do not gaurantee departmental financial support, for the past several years we have been able to support all applicants who have requested financial aid.
We recommend students take one or more graduate level courses as a non-degree seeking student. More information about applying to be a non-degree seeking student can be found here.
Taking a graduate course as a non-degree seeking student will most likely provide a writing sample and a letter of recommendation. Up to fifteen semester hours of credit earned as a non-matriculated graduate student, taken no more than three years prior to approval, can be applied toward a Master’s degree. Up to nine semester hours of nonmatriculated credit, taken no more than three years prior to approval, can be applied toward a doctoral degree.
Please see the Graduate School website for further information.
Yes, your research interests need to fit within one of the graduate fields of study.
Graduate Application Checklist
To be considered complete, all items listed below must be submitted via the online application system by December 1st: Slate.
- Application
A completed University of Utah Common Online Graduate Admissions Application, including an affidavit of support for International Students. - Application Fee
Payment of application fee ($55 for domestic applicants; $65 for international applicants) via the online application system. - Transcripts
Transcripts must be uploaded via the online application system. To facilitate this process you may request your unofficial transcripts, print them out, and upload them into the online application system. If you are accepted into the program and choose to attend, you must then supply official transcripts mailed from your schools directly to the University of Utah Admissions Office before you are able to register for your second semester of graduate work.
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
ADMISSIONS OFFICE
201 S 1460 E RM 250S
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84112-9057
- Research Statement
- Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement
- Writing Sample
- Three Academic Letters of Recommendation
Note: The History Department no longer requires the GRE to apply.
