What degrees does the Graduate Program in History at Boston College offer?
We offer both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Getting an M.A. degree from the BC program does not entail entry into our Ph.D. program, which has a separate admissions process.
Is part-time enrollment possible?
No. All degree students must be enrolled full-time. (Non-degree "special" students may be admitted on a one-semester basis to take a specified course.)
What about fellowships and financial aid?
All Ph.D. students receive multi-year fellowships featuring a Teaching Assistantship, full tuition remission, and an annual stipend. Like most programs, we do not offer fellowships at M.A. level.
Do I need an undergraduate History degree in order to apply?
Not necessarily. Having a B.A. in History helps, but it is not required. If your undergraduate degree is not in History or in a related field in the Humanities or Social Sciences, you will need to have taken some History courses and to demonstrate knowledge of the discipline in your statement of purpose.
Do I need an M.A. to enter the Ph.D. program?
No.
If I do have an M.A. from another university, will I receive credit for my past work when I enter the Ph.D. program at Boston College?
Probably not. You may petition to get credit for one or two courses, but it is usually best to follow the prescribed course of study toward the Ph.D. and take as many courses as you can.
Does the Ph.D. program accept applicants with M.A. degrees from Boston College itself? Yes, as part of the same general pool of Ph.D. applicants. Those with M.A. degrees from Boston College get no preferential treatment in admissions, but they may be able to transfer in some credit for past work where there is overlap in required courses.
Does the History Department offer dual degrees?
The Lynch School of Education at Boston College offers M.Ed. and M.A.T. degrees with a concentration in History. These degrees would prepare you for a career as a teacher of history at the secondary school level. For admissions information regarding these programs, you should contact the Lynch School at 617-552-4214. You can also visit the website.
Boston College does not currently offer joint J.D./M.A. or J.D../Ph.D. degrees.
What are the foreign language requirements? All M.A. candidates in History will need to pass one foreign language examination to get their degree, and all Ph.D. students will need to pass two (three for Medievalists), but prior competence in all of these languages is not necessarily required when you apply for admission.
Do I need to take the GRE, and if so is there a minimum score requirement? You need to take the GRE general test, but not the subject test in History. There is no required minimum score. The code for submitting your GREs to Boston College is 3083.
What should I include in my statement of purpose?
The statement should explain how you have arrived at the decision to apply to graduate school in History, what you want to study, and why you want to study it here at Boston College.
What sort of writing sample should I submit?
Submit the best piece of historical analysis you have written. Usually that will be a research or historiographical paper, or part of a senior or M.A. thesis, that has been evaluated and graded by your teachers. Do not submit more than 15 or at most 20 pages: in the case of theses, send a portion of the manuscript explaining how it fits into the manuscript as a whole.
How many students does the graduate program admit?
Our incoming class typically consists of 6 Ph.D. students and between 6 and 10 M.A. students.
How and when are admissions decisions made? Although you apply centrally to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, admissions are decided by the Department History. The departmental Graduate Committee seeks excellence in all aspects of the application: numerical scores, statement of purpose, writing sample, and letters of recommendation. The committee generally examines Ph.D. applications during the month of February and M.A. applications during the month of March.
What are the deadlines for application, admissions offers, and acceptance?
The application deadline for both programs is January 15. We try to make offers of admission to the Ph.D. program by early March. If you receive an offer, you must accept it no later than April 15. For the M.A. program, we make offers in late March, with an acceptance deadline of June 1.
How do I apply?
Requests for applications should be sent to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at gsasinfo@bc.edu. Or, you can write to the following address:
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Admissions Office
McGuinn Hall 221
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Is there a way to check if my application is complete? Yes and we recommend it! If you would like to check if your application is complete, you should email the History Graduate Programs Assistant, Rebecca Rea, at rebecca.rea.1@bc.edu
If I have further questions, who can answer them?
If you have general questions about admissions and graduate study at Boston College, contact the Graduate School at gsasinfo@bc.edu.
If you have particular questions about applying to the History Department, contact the Graduate Programs Assistant, Rebecca Rea by phone at 617-552-3781 or by email at rebecca.rea.1@bc.edu. If you have questions about the academic content of the History graduate programs, contact the Director of Graduate Studies in History, Professor Devin Pendas, at devin.pendas@bc.edu.
If you would like to talk to individual faculty members with whom you might work, contact them directly at the addresses listed at: http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/faculty/