Admissions into on-campus graduate programs are conducted once a year and only for the Fall semester. The fully online MA has admissions in both Fall and Spring semesters. Applicants seeking entrance should prepare all application materials in time for the Department of History and the Office of Graduate Admissions to receive them.
For information regarding the application process not covered here, Request Information.
Application deadlines
PhD in Atlantic History | January 1 |
MA in History | February 1 |
MA in History Online (Fall) | February 1 |
MA in History Online (Spring) | September 1 |
Note that these dates are different from other university graduate school deadlines.
Entrance requirements
- Minimum GPA of 3.25 in upper-division work (UG 60) coursework.
- At least 12 credit hours (on the basis of 3-hour courses) in upper-division undergraduate courses in the field of history.
- Applicants who do not fulfill this requirement should consult the Graduate Program Director about the possibility of taking at least 2 graduate history courses at FIU prior to acceptance into the master's program. These courses, approved in advance by the Graduate Program Director, should be taken by registering as a non-degree seeking student and the student must obtain a minimum grade of B+ in each of these before applying to the History graduate program.
Required documents
All applications must be submitted to the university graduate school through the online application. To apply for the fully-online option, select “History-MA Online” under the “Concentration” menu in the online application. To apply for the on-campus MA, leave this option blank by making no selection under “Concentration.” For more information, visit the Admissions website.
Students who are offered admission to the master's or the doctorate program must accept the department's offer in writing to secure their place in the program. At the time of notification of admission, students will be provided with an acceptance-of-admission form, which will include an explicit reply-by date. This form must be signed and returned to the department's Graduate Secretary.
Students must apply directly to the university graduate school completing the formal application form (paying the application fee) and providing copies of ALL the following supporting documentation:
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Statement of purpose (2-4 pages): This statement should provide information about your areas of historical interest, your background in history, and any other details that will help evaluate your suitability for our program. We assume that you love history—we want to know why you want to pursue a master's or doctorate and what you want to do during and after your degree.
- Writing sample
- PhD applicants - a single, article-length (30 pages or fewer) piece of academic writing, preferably demonstrating the use of primary sources and/or analysis of historiography
- MA applicants - a single piece of academic writing, preferably in history, of 5-10 pages
- Two letters of recommendation with waivers: Letters should specifically address the applicant's preparation in the study of history and the chances for success in a history graduate program. Letters should come from university faculty members who can endorse the applicant's academic preparation. Please note that recommendation letters that do not indicate a selection regarding the waiver will not be considered.
- Official post-secondary transcripts (with translations if required): Learn how to submit transcripts to FIU.
- GRE scores: We no longer require GRE scores for admission. Applicants who believe their applications would be strengthened by high GRE scores may submit them.
- Please note that while there is no GRE threshold for admission, students with exceptional GRE scores may be considered for a Presidential Fellowship, which requires, among other qualifications, that one of the two section scores, verbal and quantitative, meets or exceeds the 80th percentile, and the other score meets or exceeds the 60th percentile. More info on percentiles and conversions.
University-wide Doctoral Fellowships
FIU offers several university-wide PhD fellowships (Presidential Fellowships, UGS Veteran’s Fellowships, and FIU Inclusion Fellowships) on a competitive basis. If you would like to be considered for one of these fellowships, please submit application materials no later than January 1. (Note that the History Department also strives to offer teaching and graduate assistantships to as many incoming PhD students as possible; applicants do not need to submit materials early to be considered for teaching and graduate assistantships.)
Graduate assistantship
This is a separate application
Graduate assistantship application: If you would like to be considered for one of a limited number of competitive doctoral graduate assistantships, please complete the application in full and submit via email directly to our Graduate Secretary at delpinol@fiu.edu. Please see the University Graduate School's website for more information about the formal elements of a graduate assistantship.