How to Apply
Applicants to the graduate program should use the online application, which is available on the Graduate School site.
Feel free to contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Sarah Phillips, by email with additional questions.
Prospective students can apply for fee waivers for the PhD application or MA application at the Graduate School’s website. Please do not submit the application until you have received a decision regarding your fee waiver application.
The department accepts applications for September admission only. The deadline for all Fall 2020 applications is January 5th, 2020.
Application Requirements
- Online Application Form
- All relevant transcripts – unofficial copies (official transcripts are only needed for students who have accepted an admission offer)
- Three letters of recommendation
- GRE scores (the institution code for the Boston University Graduate School is 3087)
- Personal statement/statement of purpose
- Resume/CV
- Writing sample (not more than 40 pages)
- Statement on foreign language competence (a list of courses or other training you have completed in languages and an assessment of your reading ability in each language–terms such as “beginning”,”intermediate,” “advanced,” “fluent” are acceptable); this statement should be added to the Graduate School’s online application under Department-Requested Document.
- Do not send any admissions materials to the History Department. Send supplementary application materials to:
Admissions Office
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Boston University
705 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112
Boston, MA 02215
- A $95 application fee must be paid in order for your application to be considered complete. This fee is non-refundable. Information on fee waivers for MA and PhD applicants is available on the Graduate School website.
Financial Assistance
All applicants accepted for the PhD program will receive full funding for 5 years. This includes tuition and University related fees. Aid is restricted to students in the PhD program. The department strives to support every student in good standing as fully as possible. PhD students entering in Fall 2019 will receive summer stipends in addition to service or non-service fellowships in the academic year. Students in their fifth year with an approved Dissertation Prospectus qualify for a non-service fellowship to support full-time work towards their dissertation.
The Admissions Process
The departmental Graduate Studies Committee consists of three faculty members. This committee reads and makes recommendations to the Graduate School on all applications. The process begins in January and continues until all applications received by deadline have been considered. Applications are not considered until they are complete, that is, have the requisite letters of recommendation, relevant transcripts, and GRE scores. After waiting for any missing credentials to arrive, the department will send a notice that an application is incomplete; it is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure all materials are submitted. The committee’s admissions meetings are spaced approximately two to three weeks apart, and admission decisions are mailed to applicants as soon as possible after these meetings.
