History
Web: as.nyu.edu/history
Email: history.admissions@nyu.edu
Degrees and Fields of Study
Ph.D.
- Africa
- African Diaspora
- Atlantic World
- Medieval European History
- Early Modern European History
- Modern European History
- East Asian History
- South Asian History
- Latin American and Caribbean History
- United States History
- French Studies/History (Joint Ph.D.)
- Hebrew and Judaic Studies/History (Joint Ph.D.)
- History/Middle Eastern Studies (Joint Ph.D.)
M.A.
- Archives and Public History
- History
Advanced Certificate
- Archives
- Public History
Our Ph.D. programs will not be accepting admissions applications in fall 2021. The department is instead devoting its resources to supporting continuing students whose research and academic progress have been impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will begin offering admission again in fall 2022. Our master's and advanced certificate programs are open and will be accepting applications for fall 2021. Please see the departmental website for more information.
Note: The field of study descriptions may not exactly match the actual program name on the degree that is conferred. Please refer to the GSAS Bulletin section Degree and Certificate Programs as Registered by the New York State Education Department for the actual program name and degree conferred.
Application Deadlines
Ph.D. Applications
- December 18, fall only admission
Joint Ph.D. Applications
For the application deadline date, please meet the deadline of the other department.
M.A. Applications
- March 2, fall only admission
- October 1, spring 2021 admission
Advanced Certificate Applications
- March 2, fall only admission
All application materials must be received by 5 p.m. eastern time on the deadline date. If an application deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal U.S. holiday, then the next business day will be the deadline date.
Application Requirements for History
All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit a complete application for admission. A complete application includes the online application, academic transcripts, test scores (if required), letters of recommendation, a résumé or curriculum vitae, a Statement of Academic Purpose, and an application fee. Applicants also have the option of providing a short Personal History essay. Please refer to the Instructions section of the online application. In addition, the department specifically requires the following:
GRE for applicants to all Ph.D. and master's programs EXCEPT the joint degree programs with Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies: GRE general test not required. Please do not send us GRE test scores. If you do, the scores will not be reviewed or considered by the department's Admissions Committee.
GRE for applicants to the joint degree program with Hebrew and Judaic Studies: The GRE general test requirement is suspended for fall 2021 due to COVID-19. Please do not send us GRE test scores. If you do, the scores will not be reviewed or considered by the department's Admissions Committee. In subsequent terms, the general test is required.
GRE for applicants to the joint degree program with Middle Eastern Studies: GRE general test optional. We will consider GRE test scores if they are submitted. Scoring well on the GRE may strengthen your application, especially if you perceive that you have weaknesses in your prior academic record. Not taking the GRE will not adversely affect your application and we will make no assumptions about why you did not take the test.
TOEFL or IELTS: Either the TOEFL or the IELTS is required of all applicants who are not native English speakers or who do not have a bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English. See test score FAQ.
Statement of Academic Purpose: In a concisely written statement, please describe your past and present work as it relates to your intended field of study, your educational objectives, and your career goals. In addition, please include your intellectual and professional reasons for choosing your field of study and why your studies/research can best be done at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU. The statement should not exceed two double-spaced pages.
Statement of Academic Purpose (Joint Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies/History): Applicants to any doctoral program in Hebrew and Judaic Studies are required to append to their Statement of Academic Purpose a one-page, double-spaced description of their proficiency in Hebrew and the sources from which it was acquired. Non-native speakers of Hebrew should indicate
- The institutions at which they studied Hebrew;
- The textbooks from which they studied;
- The extent to which their program of study incorporated Biblical, classical, and modern Hebrew; and
- The highest level achieved.
Native speakers should indicate the years completed in Israeli schools and universities.
Applicants may also, at their option, include an autobiographical statement in Hebrew, one page maximum. This statement should be hand-written personally by the applicant and should be saved as a pdf file and uploaded in the online application on one of the pages labeled "Additional Information." If it is not possible to save the autobiographical statement as a pdf, then please mail it to the Hebrew and Judaic Department at the address shown in their section of this document. Be sure to include your name, date of birth and Embark ID.
Writing Sample: An academic writing sample is required and should not exceed 35 pages double-spaced. Works cited are not included in the page limit. Choose a sample that shows writing skills relevant to the study of history, for example, the ability to draw on primary historical evidence to form and support an argument, or the ability to assess and connect with the interpretations of other historians. If you do not have training in history, choose a writing sample that demonstrates an ability to formulate arguments and mobilize evidence to support them.
Important Note for Applicants to the Advanced Certificate Programs: To enroll in the advanced certificate program, students must have completed a master’s or doctoral degree or be enrolled concurrently in a master’s or doctoral program in the humanities, social sciences or sciences.
The Graduate School of Arts and Science reserves the right to change this information at any time. This document supersedes all previous versions.
Last updated September 25, 2020.