WKU History Graduate Program

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Graduate Admissions

Applications to the History Department’s graduate programs are handled by the Graduate School office (www.wku.edu/graduate). Students must meet the minimum standards for admission set forth by the Graduate School.

In addition, applicants must meet the following admission standards set forth by the History Department:

• Completion of at least 15 undergraduate credit-hours in history with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in history courses (on a 4.0 scale).
• An overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• Applicants must submit application and supporting materials by June 15 (fall semester start) or November 15 (spring semester start).

Applicants must also submit:

• A brief (approximately 750 words) statement of purpose that discusses why they wish to pursue the Master of Arts degree in History,
• A sample research paper (at least five pages long) that is relevant to the field of History.
• A letter of recommendation from an instructor or supervisor who can assess the applicant’s ability to succeed in an academic or work environment. This letter must be sent directly by the letter writer to the Graduate School (graduate.school@wku.edu) and should not be uploaded by the applicant.

Conditional admission is considered on a case-by-case basis for those not meeting these requirements. Students admitted under the alternate admission process are conditionally admitted and must achieve a B or better in the first three graduate courses completed.

All application materials should be submitted following the instructions on The Graduate School application page. The History Department will admit students on a rolling basis. Applications for admission are typically reviewed within a month of submission.

Successful applicants will receive information about how to register for class. Information about applying for financial aid can be found by contacting the Office of Student Financial Assistance (www.wku.edu/financialaid/). The Graduate School also publishes a detailed list of financial resources (https://www.wku.edu/graduate/aid/). Students who are employed as teachers in Kentucky (and certain counties in bordering states) might be eligible for reduced tuition through the Kentucky Educator Discount (www.wku.edu/cebs/educatordiscount/). Graduate Assistant positions are available on a competitive basis through the History Department.