Graduate Admissions Information
Who Is Eligible?
M.A. Program
To be considered for admission to the M.A. program, you must have received a bachelor's degree. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in history may be required to take some of our undergraduate courses as a condition of admission.
Many of our master's students, though not nearly all, move on to the Ph.D. program at Kansas State or at another institution after receiving the M.A.
Ph.D. Program
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, you should have a master's degree (preferably in History or a related humanities or social science discipline). If your advanced degree is in a very different field (such as engineering), you are not necessarily eliminated from consideration from the doctoral program. Depending upon a wide variety of factors, including your undergraduate background in history, the department may require you to take several undergraduate courses as a condition of admission, or may suggest that you begin at the master's level.
How to Apply?
We ask for the following admissions materials from all applicants to our graduate degree programs. Please keep in mind that the Committee will assess your file as a whole. A complete application will include:
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- Application and information form. Available online from the KSU Graduate School.
- The Statement of Objectives form.
- Three letters of recommendation. Please provide each person who will be sending a recommendation letter with a copy of this form which you have signed (to waive your right to see the letter - although you can choose not to waive that right, less weight is given to recommendations that do not include waivers). For admissions purposes, letters from those who have taught you in an academic context are usually more effective than recommendations from work supervisors or military superiors. (In the case of Ft. Leavenworth Partnership applicants, we expect that one of the three letters will be an endorsement from the Combat Studies Institute).
- One official copy of your transcript from each college or university you have attended (including Kansas State, if you have studied here before).
- A writing sample, required for Ph.D. applicants and strongly recommended for M.A. applicants. This should be between ten and thirty pages, and be representative of your best scholarly work. Term papers, thesis chapters, and copies of published articles are all acceptable.
- Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official report of their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). These requirements may be waived for applicants who have earned a degree from a college or university in the United States not more than two years before the time of applications.
- Application fee payment:
- The fee for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. is $65 and may be paid online with a credit card.
- The fee for international applicants (individuals who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S.) is $75. The fees for international applicants must paid by international cashier's check or money order, even if the applicant is residing in the U.S.
The check or money order should be made payable to the Kansas State University Graduate School.
International applicants may need to supply a Financial Affidavit as well. Learn more.
*A note on GRE scores: As of Spring 2024 applications and forward, GRE scores are no longer required for applicants to either the MA or PhD programs.*
Please be advised that all materials submitted become the property of the History Department of Kansas State University and will not be returned or forwarded.
Deadline for admissions
- December 1st of the preceding year for fall admissions for applicants who wish to be considered for assistantships. Graduate Teaching Assistantships are the principal form of financial aid available from the department. They are awarded for fall admissions. Announcements of the awards will be made in April.
- January 8th For International applicants seeking fall admission.
- March 1st For domestic applicants seeking fall admission who do not wish to be considered for an assistantship.
- August 1st For International applicants seeking spring admission.
- October 15th For domestic applicants seeking spring admission. Assistantships are not available for spring.
Applicants who cannot make those deadlines because of exigent circumstances (for example, spring arrival at Ft. Riley or Ft. Leavenworth) should contact the Chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee, Professor Heather McCrea, at hmccrea@k-state.edu
For More Information
For more information about our admissions process and procedures, or to arrange a campus visit, please contact:
Dr. Heather McCrea
Chair, Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of History
hmccrea@k-state.edu
For more information about the structure and requirements of our graduate degree programs, please contact:
Dr. Louise Breen
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of History
785-532-0365
breen@k-state.edu
To check on the status of a pending application, please contact the History Department Office at hoffice@k-state.edu.