History
By any measure one might choose, the History Department at the University of Missouri is an outstanding one. Our faculty has compiled a distinguished record of scholarship, receiving major awards to support their research from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and many other sponsors of cutting edge scholarship. Their books have won prizes from the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians and other national and regional scholarly organizations.
The department’s teaching record is every bit as distinguished as its record of scholarly accomplishment. Graduate students work closely with professors in advanced seminars and write theses and dissertations on a wide variety of topics. The teaching opportunities the department offers graduate students prepare them well for dealing with the difficult job market for new history PhDs. Over the last ten years, University of Missouri history PhDs have found positions at more than forty different colleges and universities across the United States.
Degrees Offered
History, Doctor of Philosophy
On Campus
Admission criteria
Fall deadline: mid-January (consult department website for exact date)
- MA in history strongly preferred
- Quality of master’s thesis or research seminar paper submission
Minimum English Proficiency Requirements
| Test Type | Total Score | Reading | Listening | Speaking | Writing |
| TOEFL Internet-based | 80 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| TOEFL Paper-based | 550 | 52 | 52 | N/A | 52 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Students who do not meet one or more of these criteria may enroll as non-degree graduate students. Contact the director of graduate school for further details. All admissions of doctoral candidates who did not receive the MA degree from the department are provisional. These students must pass a qualifying examination. See below for information about the qualifying examination.
Required Application Materials
For the Graduate School
- Completed Graduate School online application
- Unofficial Transcripts- As part of the application submission process, all applicants are required to upload unofficial copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the online application. Official transcripts are only required if accepted by the academic program.
- Official Results of English Proficiency Exams (International applicants only)
For the History Program
- Copy of each college transcript where a degree was earned or is pending (uploaded to the online application). Applicants accepted by the History program will be required to provide official transcripts to the Graduate Admissions office to be formally admitted to the University.
- Short essay explaining goals and expectations in graduate study, including the fields in which the student plans to specialize (upload to the online application)
- Substantial writing sample, such as a final research paper from a course (upload to the online application)
- 3 letters of recommendation (submission through the online application system)
- Official GRE score report (Optional)
- Official TOEFL score for international students
Incomplete applications will not be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been received by the mid-January deadline.
History, Master of Arts
On Campus
Admission criteria
Fall deadline: mid-January (consult department website for exact date)
- Minimum GPA: 3.0 in last 60 hours
- BA or BS degree
- GPA of 3.3 in undergraduate history courses, and at least 18 hours in history
Minimum English Proficiency Requirements
| Test Type | Total Score | Reading | Listening | Speaking | Writing |
| TOEFL Internet-based | 80 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| TOEFL Paper-based | 550 | 52 | 52 | N/A | 52 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Candidates who lack the necessary undergraduate hours in history must take graduate-level classes in history to remedy that deficiency before they can be considered for admission. They should consult with the director of graduate school about appropriate classes.
Graduate School regulations prohibit a non-degree student from taking more than twelve hours of course work.
Candidates must achieve a grade point average in these classes of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale to be considered for admission. A 3.3 GPA or higher does not guarantee admission. Course work taken as a non-degree student to remedy a deficiency in prerequisites ordinarily will not count toward the MA degree.
Required Application Materials
For the Graduate School
- Completed Graduate School online application
- Unofficial Transcripts- As part of the application submission process, all applicants are required to upload unofficial copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the online application. Official transcripts are only required if accepted by the academic program.
- Official Results of English Proficiency Exams (International applicants only)
For the History Program
- Copy of each college transcript where a degree was earned or is pending (uploaded to the online application). Applicants accepted by the History program will be required to provide official transcripts to the Graduate Admissions office to be formally admitted to the University.
- Short essay explaining goals and expectations in graduate study, including the fields in which the student plans to specialize (upload to the online application)
- Substantial writing sample, such as a final research paper from a course (upload to the online application)
- 3 letters of recommendation (submission through the online application system)
- Official GRE score report (Optional)
- Official TOEFL score for international students
Note: Incomplete applications will not be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been received by the mid-January deadline.