Graduate Study at Kansas State University
Admissions Information
Who Is Eligible?
M.A. program : To be considered for admission to the M.A. program, you must have received a bachelor’s degree. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in history may be required to take some of our undergraduate courses as a condition of admission.
Many of our master’s students, though not nearly all, move on to the Ph.D. program at Kansas State or at another institution after receiving the M.A.
Ph.D. program : To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, you should have a master’s degree (preferably in History or a related humanities or social science discipline). If your advanced degree is in a very different field (such as engineering), you are not necessarily eliminated from consideration from the doctoral program. Depending upon a wide variety of factors, including your undergraduate background in history, the department may require you to take several undergraduate courses as a condition of admission, or may suggest that you begin at the master’s level.
How to Apply?
We ask for the following admissions materials from all applicants to our graduate degree programs. Please keep in mind that the Committee will assess your file as a whole. We set no absolute limits for GPA or for GRE scores; rather, we attempt to balance any particular aspect of your application with all other aspects. The following is included in a complete application:
1. Application and information form. Available in paper format from the department office or online from the KSU Graduate School. (See the Graduate School’s applications webpage: click here
2. The Statement of Objectives form.
3.Three letters of recommendation. Please provide each person who will be sending a recommendation letter with a copy of this form which you have signed (to waive your right to see the letter – although you can choose not to waive that right, less weight is given to recommendations that do not include waivers). For admissions purposes, letters from those who have taught you in an academic context are usually more effective than recommendations from work supervisors or military superiors. (In the case of Ft. Leavenworth Partnership applicants, we expect that one of the three letters will be an endorsement from the Combat Studies Institute).
4. Official report of the Graduate Record of Examination (GRE). The test scores should not be more than five years old. GRE scores are required of all applicants – including those who already have a masters.
To schedule a time to take the GRE at a location in your area, see the website http://www.gre.org or call 1-800-473-2255.
5. One official copy of your transcript from each college or university you have attended (including Kansas State, if you have studied here before).
6. A writing sample, required for Ph.D. applicants and strongly recommended for M.A. applicants. This should be between ten and thirty pages, and be representative of your best scholarly work. Term papers, thesis chapters, and copies of published articles are all acceptable.
7. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official report of their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). These requirements may be waived for applicants who have earned a degree from a college or university in the United States not more than two years before the time of applications.
8. A check or money order for payment of the application fee:
The fee for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. is $30.
The fee for international applicants (individuals who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S.) is $60. The fees for international applicants must paid by international cashier’s check or money order, even if the applicant is residing in the U.S.
In either case, the check or money order should be made payable to the Kansas State University Graduate School.
Please be advised that all materials submitted become the property of the History Department of Kansas State University and will not be returned or forwarded.
Admissions Timetable.
Deadline for admissions:
December 1st of the preceding year for fall admissions (e.g., December 1, 2008 for fall 2009) for applicants who wish to be considered for assistantships. Graduate Teaching Assistantships are the principal form of financial aid available from the department. They are typically awarded for fall admissions. Announcements of the awards will be made in April.
March 15th For applicants for fall admissions who do not wish to be considered for an assistantship.
October 15th For applicants for spring admissions. Assistantships are not typically available for spring.
Applicants who cannot make those deadlines because of exigent circumstances (for example, spring arrival at Ft. Riley or Ft. Leavenworth) should contact the Chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee.
Most deadlines for international applicants not currently living in the United States, because of the time needed for obtaining visas, are earlier: February 1st for fall admission and August 1st for spring; the deadline for fall admission and consideration for an assistantship is December 1st of the preceding year.
For More Information
For more information about our admissions process and procedures, or to arrange a campus visit, please contact
Dr. David Stone
Chair, Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of History
208 Eisenhower Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
785 532-2978
stone@ksu.edu
For more information about the structure and requirements of our graduate degree programs, please contact
Dr. Don Mrozek
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of History
208 Eisenhower Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
785 532-6730
mrozek@ksu.edu
To check on the status of a pending application, please contact the department office at 785-532-6730 or hoffice@ksu.edu.
APPLICATION CHECKLISTS:
Domestic students applying for MA program
International students applying for MA program
Domestic students applying for PhD program
International students applying for PhD program