- Application and Admission.
- Eligibility Requirements
- Admissions Procedures
- Financial Assistance
- Filing a FAFSA
- Application Forms
- Contacts for Further Information
Application for admission to the graduate program in History is a two-step process involving applications to both the History Department and Arizona State University’s Graduate College. Application instructions and forms are available on the websites of the Graduate College and the History Department. The Department only admits new students in the fall semester of each academic year, and the deadline for applications is Jan 1. Only completed applications are considered for admission. After you have turned in all your application materials to both the Graduate College and the Department, please double-check to make sure they have been received and processed. Applications are considered complete when they include all of the following:
1. Electronic application form to the Graduate College.
2. Copies of all transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work submitted to the Graduate College (with one additional unofficial copy submitted directly to the History Department).
3. A report of the scores received on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) submitted to the Graduate College (with an unofficial copy sent by the applicant directly to the History Department) – preferably scores should be no more than five years old.
4. Letter of application addressed to the History Department explaining your interest in graduate study at Arizona State University, the geographic and thematic areas of emphasis you plan to pursue, and a statement of career goals (about 500 words in length).
5. Résumé.
6. Departmental data form submitted to the History Department only (see link below under “Application Forms”).
7. Sample of the applicant's written work submitted directly to the History Department. The writing sample may be an article (published or unpublished), a research paper, or any other extended example of the applicant's expository skill no longer than 30 to 35 pages in length. Longer writing samples should not be submitted without first consulting the Graduate Director.
8. Application form for a Graduate Assistantship, if desired.
9. At least three letters of reference from faculty or others qualified to speak to your suitability for graduate study (reference forms are available below)
The department requests that applicants submit items 2-9 directly to the department in a single package by priority mail.
Foreign Students: Students applying from outside the United States whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL scores and TSE scores to the Graduate Division. TWE scores are also requested. On the TOEFL, students are required to score 600 or higher on the regular examination (or an equivalent score on the computerized version). Students applying whose original language is other than English should send a copy of an article or research paper in their native or principal research language in addition to the English writing sample required of all students.
Normally, a History degree or at least 24 hours of previous history course work (the equivalent of eight semester-length History courses) are required for regular admission. An applicant with outstanding undergraduate or graduate records and GRE scores but lacking the 24 History credit hours may be considered for admission with the stipulation that additional course work may be required to make up for the deficiencies.
The Department prefers that applicants to the Ph.D. degree have a Master’s degree, but in exceptional cases students with a B.A. may apply directly to the Ph.D. program depending on their qualifications and career goals. If an applicant is admitted to the doctoral program on the basis of a pending M.A. degree, the student must complete the requirements for that M.A. before commencing doctoral studies at Arizona State University. Doctoral applicants who fail to complete an M.A. in progress before enrollment at Arizona State University may be put on probation and their assistantship aid may be reduced or cancelled.
Admissions Procedures
The department's Graduate Admissions committee evaluates completed applications January-February of each year. Based upon the review of the Graduate Admissions committee, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies recommends to the Graduate College which applicants will be granted or denied admission. These decisions are usually made by March 1. Because of the volume of mail and electronic submissions received in the Graduate College, it is strongly recommended that application materials be mailed no later than December 1. Applications completed after the January 1 deadline will be considered only if space is available.
Applicants are evaluated not only on the strength of their applications but also on their fit with the programs and fields offered by the department. The program admits students only to those areas that it currently emphasizes, where faculty mentors are available, and where space exists. The department admits primarily doctoral students except in the field of Public History. Doctoral admissions are highly competitive. The Public History Program admits a small group of master's and doctoral students each fall as well.
Applicants submitting material to the Department of History may use the following street address for Federal Express mailings:
Arizona State University
Department of History
Attn: Graduate Coordinator
975 S Myrtle Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
The primary departmental financial aid available to graduate students is in the form of graduate teaching and research assistantships/associateships. Doctoral students receive priority for these GA positions, but some Masters students receive assistantships as well. The History graduate program annually awards these GAs on a competitive basis in amounts currently ranging from $6,400-$7,000 for quarter-time/10 hours/week up to $12,800-$14,000 for half-time/20 hours/week. Half-time awards include full tuition remission and health insurance. Quarter-time awards come with a partial tuition remission. Other types of assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships are available on a very limited, highly competitive basis.
Graduate assistant positions take many forms depending on the source of funding. Most GAs work with members of the faculty providing research or instructional support—i.e., grading exams and papers, preparing classroom materials, doing library research for a faculty member, or assisting in other research or teaching tasks. Some GAs assist with undergraduate advising, provide editorial support for journals and on-line publications, or work with faculty on special funded projects. Advanced Ph.D. candidates at the ABD (all-but-dissertation) stage have the opportunity to do independent teaching and participate in the department's formal TA Training Program.
Application forms for assistantships may be found on the departmental or Graduate Division website and must be submitted with the application material to the History Department by January 1. Applications postmarked after January 1 will be given consideration only if additional funding becomes available.
The History Graduate program administers an endowed fellowship. M. Seishu Kawahashi, abbot of the Reiganji (Zen) Temple in Toyota City, Japan, endowed the Reiganji Fellowship in Chinese Intellectual and Cultural History. It is awarded annually to the most promising new or continuing student in Chinese history. Currently the fellowship's annual stipend is $1,400, and it is accompanied by a waiver of tuition. The Reiganji Fellow is also considered for regular departmental assistantships
Students are encouraged to file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It is required to receive many different forms of assistance, including various loans, work-study grants, and need-based assistantships for graduate study. Information about these sources of funding can be found at the Student Financial Assistance Office. To qualify for these sources of funding students must complete the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA each year. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible.
Applicants submitting material to the Department of History may use the following street address for Federal Express mailings:
Arizona State University
Department of History
Attn: Graduate Coordinator
975 S Myrtle Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
Graduate College Admissions Office
http://www.asu.edu/graduate
Graduate College
Arizona State University
Administration Building, B Wing, Suite 285
PO Box 871003
Tempe, AZ 85287-1003
Phone: 480.965.6113
Graduate College Information and Advising: 480.965.3521
Residential Life (Student Services A131): 480.965.3515
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/reslife/index.html
Off Campus Student Services (ASASU) : 480.965.2940
OCCSS@asu.edu
Student Financial Assistance Office (Student Services C219): 480.965.3355
http://www.asu.edu/fa/
GRE Testing Services (Payne Hall EDB 302): 480.965.7146
http://asu.edu/uts/
Parking and Transit Services
http://asu.edu/parking/
Department of History
Coor Hall, 4th floor
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona 85287-4302
Phone: 480-965-3226, 480-965-5778
http://www.asu.edu/clas/history
graduate.history@asu.edu
Rita Hallows, Public History Program Coordinator
Coor Hall, 4th floor
Phone: 480-965-5775
Email: public.history@asu.edu
Paul Hirt, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History
Coor Hall, 4488
Phone: 480-965-6641
Email: Paul.Hirt@asu.edu
Suzanne Rios, Graduate Program Coordinator, Graduate Program in History
Coor Hall, 4th floor
Phone: 480-965-3226
Email: Suzanne.Rios@asu.edu
Noel J. Stowe, Senior Director, Public History Program
Coor Hall, 4502
Phone: 480-965-6012
Email: Noel.Stowe@asu.edu
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