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Admission to the Graduate Program

To enter a program leading to a graduate degree in History at Texas Tech University, you must be admitted by both the Graduate School and the Department of History. Each has its own application requirements and forms. Graduate School requirements for admission are available one the Graduate School Website. History Department requirements are listed on the application form available at the bottom of this page.  Forms may also be obtained in the following ways:

TTU Graduate School - on-line form   
Or, request forms via USPS by writing to:
Graduate School Admissions
Texas Tech University
Box 1030
Lubbock, Texas 79409-1030
Graduate School Website 

Department of History - on-line form                                                                                                       
Or, request forms via USPS by writing to:
Dept of History
Graduate Advisor
Texas Tech University
Box 41013
Lubbock Texas 79409-1013

Application Checklist-for the Graduate School:

  1. Fill out the online application: ApplyTexas Application
  2. Pay your application fee: $50 for domestic students, $60 for international students (Beginning September 1, 2009, the International Application fee will change to $75).
  3. Have GRE Scores sent to the Graduate School.
  4. Send copy of all transcripts of post-secondary work to the Graduate School.

Application Checklist for the History Department:

1. Fill out History Department Application Available at the Bottom of this page.

2. Contact Faculty with whom you wish to study to discuss the possibility of working with them.

3. Send copy of all Transcripts of post-secondary work to the History Department.

4. Have three referees (preferably those familiar with your academic record) submit letters of recommendation to the History Department.

5. Submit a statement of purpose outlining your reasons for wanting to study History at the Graduate Level, your goals in the field, and your particular strengths and aptitudes for Graduate Study in History.  For more advice on how to write this see http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/1989/8910/8910NOTE2.cfm.

6. Submit a writing sample such as a thesis chapter, research paper or some other written work indicative of your abilities as a writer and researcher.

Applicants are responsible for arranging their own GRE tests, for having the scores sent to the Graduate School, and for having transcripts sent to the Graduate School. No application will be considered by the admissions committee until both the Graduate School and History Department files are complete.

Application to our program is competitive and only those students who demonstrate considerable aptitude for graduate study in History are admitted.  For Academic Year 2009-2010 the department admitted 58% of those who applied to the program and was able to fund only 38% of our applicants. The average Verbal GRE Score of those admitted was 560, and the average undergraduate GPA of those admitted was a 3.4.  For those students who received funding the average Verbal GRE Score was a 605 and the GPA of those funded was a 3.53.

Admission Deadlines:

Spring 2011 Enrollment:

Completed applications must be  postmarked by October 15, 2010 and final admission decisions will be made shortly thereafter. Completed applications are those which include all required materials for both the History department portion and the Graduate School portion.  Students who begin their enrollment in spring semesters will be able to apply for funding for the following academic year (beginning in the fall). Funding is not normally available for spring admissions.

Fall 2010 enrollment:

1) completed applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2010 for full funding consideration. Completed applications are those which include all required materials for both the History department portion and the Graduate School portion.

 

2) Final admission decisions on all complete files will be made by April 15. 

Summer enrollment:

Completed applications must be received according to the fall enrollment deadlines above. Completed applications are those which include all required materials for both the History department portion and the Graduate School portion.  Students who begin their degrees in summer would normally apply for considered for funding in the following academic year (beginning in fall). Summer enrollees should be aware that summer graduate course offerings are limited.

Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet degree requirements may gain information about possible accommodations by contacting the History Department and/or the Dean of Students Office's AccessTech.

Master of Arts Program

 

Admission

A student qualifying for admission to the Graduate School may gain unconditional admission to the department's master's program by meeting the following standards:

  1. Possession of a bachelor's degree in history or at least 24 hours of undergraduate history or sufficient courses in related disciplines to indicate a background in the general area of humanistic studies.

  2. An overall grade-point average on undergraduate work of 3.00.

  3. At least 18 hours of undergraduate history with grades of B or above. Students must take the Graduate Record Examination. Generally speaking, students accepted into the program have scores ranging from 500 to 650 on the Verbal Section of the examination, and scores ranging from 450 to 600 on the mathematical section of the examination. In no case will GRE scores serve by themselves as a sufficient criterion for acceptance or rejection.

A student may receive conditional admission to the department's M.A. program by meeting the following standards:

  1. Possession of a bachelor's degree in history or at least 18 hours of undergraduate history and sufficient courses in related disciplines to indicate a knowledge of the general area of humanistic studies. Students with less than 24 hours of undergraduate work may be required to do leveling work as a part of their conditional admission.

  2. An overall grade-point average of 2.50.

  3. Students must take the Graduate Record Examination. Generally speaking, students accepted into the program have scores ranging from 500 to 650 on the Verbal Section of the examination, and scores ranging from 450 to 600 on the mathematical section of the examination. In no case will GRE scores serve by themselves as a sufficient criterion for acceptance or rejection.

Students admitted conditionally must maintain at least a 3.25 grade-point average in the first full semester (or 12 hours if enrolled for less than a full course load) of graduate work. Students who meet the minimum qualifications for entrance to the Graduate School, but who fail to meet the requirements for conditional admission to a degree program in history, may secure conditional admission by completing one full semester's work (or 12 hours if they enroll for less than a full load of graduate course work) in history with a grade-point average higher than a 3.25. In no case will GRE scores serve by themselves as a sufficient criterion for acceptance or rejection.

An appeals committee, normally the Graduate Studies Committee, may consider special cases for admission and make recommendations to the Graduate Faculty.

The department will accept credit by examination for leveling work. Course requirements for conditional admission may be waived in exceptional circumstances. Students should consult with the Graduate Advisor

PhD. Program

Admission

Regular Admission to the Doctoral Program:

A student qualifying for admission to the Graduate School may gain admission to the department's doctoral program by meeting the following standards:

  1.  Possession of a master's degree which includes at least 18 hours of course work in history.

  2. An overall grade-point average in all graduate work of 3.50.

  3. Students must take the Graduate Record Examination. Generally speaking, students accepted into the program have scores ranging from 500 to 650 on the Verbal Section of the examination, and scores ranging from 450 to 600 on the mathematical section of the examination. In no case will GRE scores serve by themselves as a sufficient criterion for acceptance or rejection

Conditional Admission to the Doctoral Program:

  1. A student may receive conditional admission to the department's doctoral program by meeting the following standards:

  2. Possession of a master's degree in a related discipline or a degree with less than 18  hours of graduate course work in a related discipline.

  3. An overall grade-point average in all previous graduate courses of less than  3.50.

  4. Students must take the Graduate Record Examination. Generally speaking, students accepted into the program have scores ranging from 500 to 650 on the Verbal Section of the examination, and scores ranging from 450 to 600 on the mathematical section of the examination. In no case will GRE scores serve by themselves as a sufficient criterion for acceptance or rejection.

Students admitted conditionally must maintain at least a 3.50 grade-point average through the first semester of their graduate work or through their first 12 hours of graduate work if they enroll for less than a full course load.

Students who meet the minimum qualifications for entrance to the Graduate School, but who fail to meet the requirements for conditional admission to the doctoral program in history, may secure conditional admission by completing one full semester's work (or 12 hours if they enroll for less than a full load of graduate course work) in history with a minimum grade-point average of 3.50.

Students admitted to the Doctoral program as Non-Degree seeking graduate students by the Graduate School must complete six hours of graduate work in History before applying for regular admission to the program.

An appeals committee, normally the Graduate Studies Committee, may consider special cases for admission and make recommendations to the Graduate Faculty.

Course requirements for conditional admission may be waived in exceptional circumstances. Students should consult with the Graduate Director.

 

Application Forms

We offer several ways to download, print, and fill out the application for graduate program admission:

To save these documents to your hard drive, right click on the link above and click "Save Target As".