About PhD Program,
The Department of History offers Ph.D. study in four major fields: the United States, Europe, Latin America, and the medieval world. We also encourage prospective students to explore other fields such as Atlantic and global history that cross and connect these fields.
United States History
European History
Latin American History
Medieval History
Joint Program in History and Peace Studies
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Prospective applicants must hold at least a Bachelor degree from an accredited institution. Undergraduate work should include a focus on the Humanities, but no specific major is required. Some language preparation is highly desirable. The Department of History recruits and admits all students to the Ph.D. track; the Department does not grant stand-alone or terminal Master degrees.
Admission requirements and deadlines vary from program to program. Applicants should review the websites for the programs to which they are applying via the Departments and Programs page for additional information.
Many requirements, however, are consistent across programs, depending on whether the applicant is degree-or non-degree-seeking (visit the Application Categories page to understand the difference.)
These requirements include a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, as well as an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale. The rest of the general requirements are listed below.
Please note that all required application materials must be attached to the online application, and that test scores should be ordered and sent by the testing service to the University of Notre Dame (institution code: 1841).
PhD Funding Coverage,
All graduate students admitted to the Ph.D. program are offered a full tuition scholarship, a generous stipend, and additional support for research travel, conference presentations, and other professional development. Detailed financial arrangements are included in the formal offer letter from the Graduate School.
The University offers three types of primary educational funding to graduate students: tuition scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships. For the policy governing funding, please see the posted financial support policy. The University additionally supports students’ pursuit of external and internal awards through the Office of Grants and Fellowships.
Please note: the Graduate School has separate and distinct funding models for doctoral programs, master’s programs, and professional master’s programs. Students should consult their individual program’s funding structures, as well as resources offered by the Office of Financial Aid, for more information.
The Graduate School gives out annual awards during commencement for students, alumni, faculty and staff. Visit the award pages for descriptions and past winners.
Application Requirement,
- Online Application Form: to be foundhere, and completed and submitted electronically
- Statement of Intent: to be attached to your Online Application Form
- Curriculum Vitae or Résumé: to be attached to your Online Application Form
- Three Letters of Recommendation: to be submitted by the recommender via the online recommendation system associated with the online application
- Application Fee: to be submitted via credit card, check, or money order using the payment system associated with the Online Application Form. The Graduate School may grant application fee waivers for a variety of reasons. For information about requesting a fee waiver, visit our application fee and waiver page.
- Transcripts: An unofficial transcript for each post-secondary institution must be uploaded and submitted through the Online Application Form. Any transcripts received either by mail or electronically will be discarded. An official transcript — including at least one showing the conferral of a bachelor’s degree — will be required only if the student accepts an offer of admission to Notre Dame.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Test Scores: Some graduate programs require the GRE; for more details, please see the Degree Programspage or the program’s website. Applicants who hold a PhD, JD, MD or other doctoral degree are not required to submit GRE scores.
- GRE Subject Test Scores (if required): (from within the last five years) to be submitted from the official testing service, if required by the program (consult individual program’swebsite)
- TOEFL or IELTS: applicants whose native language or language of college instruction is not English must arrange for the submission of official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate language proficiency. Applicants from Mainland China who are unable to take the standard TOEFL iBT test due to testing suspensions may submit TOEFL ITP Plus for China Solution This solution combines the existing paper-delivered TOEFL ITP Level 1 test with a short, unscored video interview provided by Vericant. The scores reported must result from a test taken within the last two years. To expedite the review process, you may also upload preliminary (unofficial) scores, if available.
Application Deadline,
Jan 06, 2025
Application Fee,
There is a $75 application fee for each application. Applicants to Graduate School-administered degree programs [1] are eligible for an application fee waiver.
