fool

I was wondering how common it was to get a Ph.D in something you didn't major in as an undergrad.

For example, I've heard it's possible to study Computer Science in graduate school having done mathematics, physics or electrical/computer engineering as an undergrad.

I've also read some articles that say that any of the above could be rotated. (Example: Undergrad Math > Grad Physics, Undergrad ECE > Grad Math).

WilliamC

It all depends on the graduate program and your major. Some will be relatively easy to accomodate as in your example. Other grad programs require a fairly huge amount of undergrad preparation, e.g. Classics (my field) where you need to have covered both Latin and Greek, at least one of them to a fairly advanced level, plus the obvious history, literature, and cultural surveys.

The websites of the various graduate departments will give you a good idea of what's required for admission.

huskem55

a lot of programs dont care what your actual major was, but you may need to meet certain requirements before they will consider your application

sakky

It depends on the PhD you're talking about.

In certain doctoral programs, almost everybody majored in something else in undergrad for the simple reason that certain disciplines are not universally taught at the undergrad level. Perhaps the best example is doctorate in business (management). The vast majority of business doctoral students did not major in business for undergrad simply because many undergrad schools do not even offer a business undergrad major, and of those that do, the vast majority of them are not particularly strong. There are only a few schools with highly respected undergrad business programs - Penn, MIT, Berkeley, Michigan, and a few more. To give you an example, to my knowledge, I don't think there is a single business doctoral student at Stanford who actually majored in business for undergrad. At HBS, there is only a handful.

Drew00

What about Lit and Philosophy for undergrad and then a History PhD program?

LAGator

I think it would be relatively easy to go from Lit/Phil to History. If you have a particular school in mind you should check w/them, though.
It basically comes down to the number of relevant courses completed and perfomance in those courses rather than the specific field listed on the diploma.
Lots of good advice in this thread.

DespSeekPhd

Every history grad program I have ever seen requires either a history major or a significant number of history credit hours. The requirements should be listed in their requirements for admissions section of the webpage; if not, contact the program directly.

sakky

I don't believe that the history grad program at Harvard formally requires a history major or a specific number of history credit hours.

Now, obviously, it is extremely difficult for anybody to get admitted into their program, and especially so if you don't have a strong background in history. Nevertheless, I don't believe that the program has any specific admissions requirements. I believe that, in theory, you could get admitted to the program without having taken a single course in history, although that would obviously be extremely rare.

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~history/GRpros_admis.cgi

I believe the same is true for Yale in having no formal requirements.

http://www.yale.edu/history/gradprogram.html#admissions

tenisghs

If you want a history PhD, make sure you have enough credits to equal at least a minor in history. That will increase your chances of getting admitted into history programs.