History PhD Admissions

juillet
Fri, 23 Sep 2016 21:58:09 +0000

The short answer to your question is the way most undergrads demonstrate this is by assisting a history professor in their own research, and/or doing independent study project(s) and/or a thesis. If you’re currently in college, I’d talk to a history professor about your interest and ask them how you can get involved in research.

The long answer:

How far out are you from applying?

Generally speaking, you should not pursue a PhD in a discipline unless you are virtually absolutely sure that you want to pursue a career in research in that field. I know you might still just be exploring, and that’s totally fine! But the PhD isn’t necessary for the vast majority of careers out there, and the academic job market in history (and philosophy) are both abysmal. (It’s also not great for psychology, either, but there are more non-academic things you can do with a PhD in psychology - especially if it’s clinical).

First of all, what’s your undergraduate major? If you didn’t major in history, you’ll find it a hard sell to get into a good history PhD program. You’d likely need to get an MA in history first to be competitive, or at least take a lot of undergrad history courses. (Ditto on philosophy and psychology.) Note that many history programs require reading proficiency in 1-2 languages, and since you have to demonstrate that by the end of your second or third year in the program most PhD programs in history like for you to come in with proficiency in one already and ideally having begun the second.