Krieger Hall

 

The deadline to apply for Fall 2025 is December 5, 2024.

To apply, please visit https://apply.grad.uci.edu/apply/ to begin the online application. The online application is run centrally by UCI Graduate Division. Should you have any issues with the online application, contact their office by emailing gradapplicant@uci.edu

Application materials:
The Department of History requires the submission of the following materials in order to complete your application to the MA or PhD program. All materials must be received by the application deadline, including letters of recommendation.

Additional information for the application requirements can be found here: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/index.php
Information for International Students can be found here: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/international-qualifications.php

1. No GRE score required (Electronic Submission)
  • Beginning with the admission cycle for Fall 2021 admission, a GRE score will no longer be required to apply to the UCI History Graduate Program.
2. Transcripts (Electronic Submission)
For application review purposes only, scan and upload copies of transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. In the online application, you will be prompted to upload your scanned documents. Please upload both the front and back sides of the transcript. Uploaded transcripts should be recent and include the following: your name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits and grading legend. UCI reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admission process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found. Official transcripts will be requested if and when you are admitted and decide to attend UCI. Do not send official transcripts until this time, unless you are requested to do so.

3. One copy of TOEFL or IELTS scores (Electronic Submission) 4. Three Letters of Recommendation (Electronic submission) 5. One Writing Sample (Electronic submission)
  • Please upload your writing sample to your online application.
  • Length: A minimum of ten pages to a maximum of thirty pages. Any submission longer than the maximum will not be reviewed past the maximum page limit.
  • You may submit two pieces of work as long as it does not exceed the page limit.
  • In the event you have a longer piece of work to submit, such as a Master's thesis or Undergraduate research paper, please submit a chapter or section of the work within the page restriction.
  • Demonstration of work: In addition to demonstrating your writing ability, the selection should show your ability to work with primary source materials, and/or deal with historiographical debates.
6. Personal History Statement and Statement of Purpose (Electronic submission)

Application FAQ's (click a question for the answer)

For the application process of 2022-2023, the non-refundable application fee will be as follows: Domestic Applicants (US Citizens/US Permanent Residents) $135; International Applicants: $155. For further details about the application fee, please visit Graduate Division Website. 

Due to the high volume of applications and fairness to all applicants, the Department will not accept any applications past the deadline. Please be aware of the different submission deadlines for the PhD program and the MA program.
The application online is for both the MA and PhD programs. All applicants will need to submit the application along with the supplemental application materials.
All applications are reviewed by the Departmental Admissions Committee. The Committee carefully examines each individual’s total dossier. Though it is desirable that an applicant have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in History, the Department also considers students who have previously specialized in other subject areas and who have strong writing and analytical skills.
A GRE score is not required for application to the UCI History Graduate Programs (beginning in the admissions cycle for Fall 2021).
No. Letters must be uploaded digitally; paper LORs will not be accepted.
All materials can be submitted through the online application system. 
No. Applicants do not need to have an advisor during the application process; however, it is in your best interest to speak with faculty members that you are interested in working with in person or by phone.
Yes. There is a 1200 word-limit for each of these categories.
TBA
History admits all students with five-year funding package, supporting summer archival trips and facilitating intensive work towards the Ph.D.

For the MA program, time to degree is one year to complete all coursework and the thesis. For the PhD program, time to degree is seven years for domestic students and six years for international students to complete all coursework and the dissertation.

MA students may apply to be part-time status as to continue your work life. Most courses begin at 4pm to accommodate such a schedule. For PhD students, the PhD program is a full-time commitment as most students are working as teaching assistants as to supplement their degree funding. Exceptions can be requested to the Dean of Graduate Division, however, approvals of such request are extremely rare and would not support maintaining teaching assistant positions.

No. All incoming students, whether they have a MA or not, are still required to take all the necessary coursework; however, students with a MA are allowed to petition the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) for exemption from the First Year Research Seminar (History 202A/202B). The MA thesis or equivalent should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies with an exemption request one month prior to the beginning of instruction for consideration.

Full-time MA students should take a total of nine courses in one year for degree completion:

A total of nine courses are required for students completing the thesis track of the program: three in a primary field, one History Methods course (History 205), the two quarter first-year research seminar (History 202A and History 202B), two electives that may be taken outside of the Department, and one directed reading course (History 291) with the advisor to prepare to work on the thesis.

 

Students completing the exam track for the M.A. program are required to complete nine courses: three in a primary field, one History Methods course (History 205), four elective courses (two of which may be taken outside of the Department, one may be History 291 with an exam committee member), and one directed reading course (History 291) with the advisor to prepare for the comprehensive exam.

The Schedule of Classes (SOC) for first year PhD students looks as follows:

Fall Quarter:
History 205-History Methods

Professional Development Colloquium

First Field Colloquium
Elective

 


Winter Quarter:
History 200 History & Theory

Professional Development Colloquium

History 202A-First Year Research Seminar
First Field (cont’d)

 

Spring Quarter:
History 202B - First Year Research Seminar

Professional Development Colloquium

Second Field Colloquium
First Field Colloquium

A field delineates a broad historiography knowledge of the chronologic and geographic area in which the dissertation will be situated. PhD students are required to complete course work in a first field and a second field.

A first field is the major chronologic and/or geographic field in which you situate yourself and in which you are competent to teach. A second field can consist of the above, as well as a thematic field, such as an emphasis in the history of gender and sexuality, Asian American studies, and visual studies which will involve course work and interaction with these outside departments.

Current fields of study include: Early Modern European History (220 series), Modern European History (230 series), World History (240 series), Latin American History (250 series), American History (260 series), Chinese History (274 series), and Middle Eastern and North African History (275 series). Please note many of the colloquium series are offered every other year.
First and second fields are satisfied through the completion of a colloquia series.
The Proseminar/Research Seminars (History 202A/202B) are designed to give students historiographic and research expertise in a particular topical area. Together, they fulfill the first year research paper requirement. The Proseminar generally emphasizes the historiography of a particular topic, while the Research Seminar focuses on individual student research. This work is typically a twenty-five page paper based on primary research. The subject of focus of the Proseminar and the Research Seminar are the same.

Requests for deviations to this course work due to individual circumstances must be made by petition to the Graduate Program Committee (GPC).
Electives are courses that are not used to fulfill other requirements such as the first or second field series. All courses except for History 200 can be taken as electives. Graduate level courses in other departments also count as electives.

Special Topics courses (History 290) are specifically electives within the Department. These courses vary in content from year to year. Recent offerings include: Gendered Narratives, Histories of Migration, Cold War Culture, Intro to Digital Humanities, and Latin America Export Economy.
Directed Readings are individual reading courses that students arrange with faculty members. A Directed Reading Contract Form must be completed by the student and the faculty member along with a plan of study or reading list.

These courses can cover an area not currently taught in a regularly scheduled course or can focus on a student’s particular interests. These courses often count as electives, but upon petition to the Graduate Program Director, they may be part of a first or second field.

Program FAQ's (click a question for the answer)

For the application process of 2022-2023, the non-refundable application fee will be as follows: Domestic Applicants (US Citizens/US Permanent Residents) $135; International Applicants: $155. For further details about the application fee, please visit Graduate Division Website. 

Due to the high volume of applications and fairness to all applicants, the Department will not accept any applications past the deadline. Please be aware of the different submission deadlines for the PhD program and the MA program.
The application online is for both the MA and PhD programs. All applicants will need to submit the application along with the supplemental application materials.
All applications are reviewed by the Departmental Admissions Committee. The Committee carefully examines each individual’s total dossier. Though it is desirable that an applicant have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in History, the Department also considers students who have previously specialized in other subject areas and who have strong writing and analytical skills.
A GRE score is not required for application to the UCI History Graduate Programs (beginning in the admissions cycle for Fall 2021).
No. Letters must be uploaded digitally; paper LORs will not be accepted.
All materials can be submitted through the online application system. 
No. Applicants do not need to have an advisor during the application process; however, it is in your best interest to speak with faculty members that you are interested in working with in person or by phone.
Yes. There is a 1200 word-limit for each of these categories.
TBA
History admits all students with five-year funding package, supporting summer archival trips and facilitating intensive work towards the Ph.D.

For the MA program, time to degree is one year to complete all coursework and the thesis. For the PhD program, time to degree is seven years for domestic students and six years for international students to complete all coursework and the dissertation.

MA students may apply to be part-time status as to continue your work life. Most courses begin at 4pm to accommodate such a schedule. For PhD students, the PhD program is a full-time commitment as most students are working as teaching assistants as to supplement their degree funding. Exceptions can be requested to the Dean of Graduate Division, however, approvals of such request are extremely rare and would not support maintaining teaching assistant positions.

No. All incoming students, whether they have a MA or not, are still required to take all the necessary coursework; however, students with a MA are allowed to petition the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) for exemption from the First Year Proseminar/Research Seminar (History 202/203). The MA thesis or equivalent should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies with an exemption request one month prior to the beginning of instruction for consideration.

Full-time MA students should take a total of nine courses in one year for degree completion:

A total of nine courses are required for students completing the thesis track of the program: three in a primary field, one History Methods course (History 205), the two quarter first-year research seminar (History 202A and History 202B), two electives that may be taken outside of the Department, and one directed reading course (History 291) with the advisor to prepare to work on the thesis.

 

Students completing the exam track for the M.A. program are required to complete nine courses: three in a primary field, one History Methods course (History 205), four elective courses (two of which may be taken outside of the Department, one may be History 291 with an exam committee member), and one directed reading course (History 291) with the advisor to prepare for the comprehensive exam.

The Schedule of Classes (SOC) for first year PhD students looks as follows:

Fall Quarter:

History 205-History Methods

Professional Development Coloquim

First Field Colloquium
Elective


Winter Quarter:
History 200 History & Theory

Professional Development Colloquium
History 202A-First Year Proseminar
First Field (cont’d)

Spring Quarter:
History 202B-First Year Research Seminar

Professional Development Colloquium
Second Field Colloquium
First Field Colloquium

A field delineates a broad historiography knowledge of the chronologic and geographic area in which the dissertation will be situated. PhD students are required to complete course work in a first field and a second field.

A first field is the major chronologic and/or geographic field in which you situate yourself and in which you are competent to teach. A second field can consist of the above, as well as a thematic field, such as an emphasis in the history of gender and sexuality, Asian American studies, and visual studies which will involve course work and interaction with these outside departments.

Current fields of study include: Early Modern European History (220 series), Modern European History (230 series), World History (240 series), Latin American History (250 series), American History (260 series), Chinese History (274 series), and Middle Eastern and North African History (275 series). Please note many of the colloquium series are offered every other year.
First and second fields are satisfied through the completion of a colloquia series.
The Proseminar/Research Seminars (History 202A/202B) are designed to give students historiographic and research expertise in a particular topical area. Together, they fulfill the first year research paper requirement. The Proseminar generally emphasizes the historiography of a particular topic, while the Research Seminar focuses on individual student research. This work is typically a twenty-five page paper based on primary research. The subject of focus of the Proseminar and the Research Seminar are the same.

Requests for deviations to this course work due to individual circumstances must be made by petition to the Graduate Program Committee (GPC).
Electives are courses that are not used to fulfill other requirements such as the first or second field series. All courses except for History 200 can be taken as electives. Graduate level courses in other departments also count as electives.

Special Topics courses (History 290) are specifically electives within the Department. These courses vary in content from year to year. Recent offerings include: Gendered Narratives, Histories of Migration, Cold War Culture, Intro to Digital Humanities, and Latin America Export Economy.
Directed Readings are individual reading courses that students arrange with faculty members. A Directed Reading Contract Form must be completed by the student and the faculty member along with a plan of study or reading list.

These courses can cover an area not currently taught in a regularly scheduled course or can focus on a student’s particular interests. These courses often count as electives, but upon petition to the Graduate Program Director, they may be part of a first or second field.