The Department of History offers courses leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees . The fields offered by the Department are: United States History, Africa, African Diaspora, Latin America and the Caribbean (M.A. and Ph.D.), Modern Europe and public history (M.A. only).

General Admission Requirements

A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is preferred and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in major course work is required. Each graduate department may have additional "special admission requirements" which are noted on this page.

• Completed on-line application and signature page or
• Download the paper application (HTML) | (Acrobat)
• The non-refundable $45 application fee (Waivers accepted for FAMU Feeder Program and McNair Scholars)
• Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the Registrar’s Office from ALL colleges and universities attended
• GRE Scores (Only official score reports are accepted within 5 years of the test date) www.gre.org
• Statement of Academic and Research Interest
• Autobiographical Sketch (Personal biography)
• Resume
• Three letters of recommendation Word

For International Applicants

In addition to the requirements listed above you must meet the following:

• Official transcripts, certificates and/or mark/grade sheets must be sent directly from the college or university to the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions, and must show proof of degree(s) earned, courses taken and marks/grades received. Also, ALL transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services (www.wes.org) or AACRAO (www.aacrao.org) and be forwarded to Graduate Recruitment and Admissions.
• TOEFL Scores (Minimum computer-based score of 213 is required and only official score reports are accepted within 2 years of the test date) www.toelf.org

Special Admission Requirement

• Students entering the master's program must have a bachelor's degree and at least a 2.7 GPA. 
• Students applying for the PhD program and holding a master's degree must have at least a 3.0 GPA in the M.A program. 
• Students holding only a bachelor's degree and applying for the PhD program must have a 3.5 GPA.

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Master of Arts

Students who choose to write a thesis must complete 30 credit hours, with 24 to 27 hours earned in course work, including 212-200, 212-201 and 212-300 and 212-301; one seminar in the major field; and 3 to 6 hours of thesis writing.

For students who submit a seminar paper in lieu of a thesis, 30 hours of course work, including 212-200, 212-201 and two seminar courses, are required.

All students must complete 12 credit hours in the major field and 6 in the minor field. They must also pass a final oral examination in the major field and on the thesis or seminar paper. Students may fulfill the foreign language requirement by passing an official language examination, by completing a special advanced course in a foreign language approved by the department, or a Graduate School standardized test, administered by the Educational Testing Service.

Doctor of Philosophy

Students must complete 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate, including 6 hours of dissertation writing. The required courses are 212-200, 212-201, 212-500, and 212-501.

Candidates must concentrate in one major fields and must complete at least 24 hours in the major field, 18 hours in the minor.

Students must also pass a qualifying examination in the major field, and complete and orally defend a dissertation. The foreign language requirement may be fulfilled by passing two official language examinations approved by the department, successfully completing special advanced courses in two appropriate foreign languages or one foreign language and a specific research skill, or completing a research project utilizing the appropriate languages or research skills. The foreign language requirement may also be satisfied by having a minor field (15-18 hours) at the undergraduate level in an appropriate language and having earned a B, subject to review by Howard's language faculty.

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