Admission Requirements

Applications for our graduate programs can be obtained from The Graduate School, Room 109, Thompson Hall, 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824-3547 or on the web.

The Department usually requires evidence of substantial preparation in history at the undergraduate level, together with some preparation in other areas of humanities and social sciences. Applicants for admission to any graduate program in history should have a minimum of a B average in history, allied humanities, and social sciences. In addition, applicants must submit general test scores from the Graduate Record Examination and a writing sample. The department assesses the student's entire application, including letters of recommendation, in making its decision on admission. Deficiencies in an undergraduate program may be rectified by coursework as a special student, but such coursework cannot be used to satisfy requirements for an advanced degree. The department also recommends that a beginning graduate student have some training in a foreign language. Students in seminar or reading courses in other than American history may be required to have a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language appropriate to the particular course. Applicants should include with their applications a personal statement indicating their reason for undertaking graduate study at the University of New Hampshire. Normally an entering student intending to be a candidate for the doctorate will complete an M.A. program as a prerequisite. However, students with the M.A. from another institution, or with exceptionally strong preparation at the undergraduate level, can begin the doctoral program immediately. In addition, a student in residence can, with the consent of the department, omit the M.A. and proceed directly toward the Ph.D.