Policies – Applications for admission are reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies, who consults with the Department’s Graduate Committee and with professors in the applicant’s field of study.  The criteria for admission and the materials evaluated in making admission decisions are listed below.  Applicants should note, however, that many of these are minimal requirements.  Meeting these requirements does not ensure admittance.  Applicants are evaluated individually and in terms of the overall quality of the pool of applications.

• Completion of the undergraduate degree.  (Transcripts should be sent to the Graduate School.)  Applicants need not have been a History major, but they should have a substantial amount of history coursework.
• An overall minimum undergraduate grade point of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and at least a 3.25 in the major.
• Completion of the verbal, quantitative, and written sections of the Graduate Record Exam.  All applicants must take the exam. The Department pays particular attention to the verbal and analytical scores.
• A two-page Statement of Scholarly Interest indicating the reasons for the applicant’s interest in graduate study at the University of Kentucky, what degree(s) the applicant hopes to obtain, what field(s) the applicant hopes to concentrate on as a graduate student, and, if possible, with whom the applicant wishes to work.  We encourage applicants to make their intellectual and scholarly interests the focal point of their applications.  The statement should be mailed directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History.
• A sample of the applicant’s written work.  Ideally this should be a substantial research paper in History that demonstrates the student’s analytical abilities and skill in working with primary sources.  Applicants engaged in writing a senior thesis or an M.A. thesis should send the entire thesis or a draft version.  The writing sample should be mailed directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History.
• Three letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s qualifications for graduate work.  Preferably these should come from former or current teachers who have had the applicant in class.  Applicants will collect the letters in envelopes sealed and signed along the back and send them along with the other applications materials to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History. There is no additional form to accompany the letters of recommendation.
• In fields such as the history of the ancient world, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America that require extensive language preparation, the Department prefers to admit students who have at least begun language training as an undergraduate.
• Students enrolled in the University of Kentucky’s post-baccalaureate program who wish to transfer to a degree program will also be evaluated on their grades and the opinions of their instructors in their courses taken as post-bacs.  This necessarily means waiting until the end of the semester in which such students are enrolled.

Procedures – Application forms may be obtained from The Graduate School, University of Kentucky, Gillis Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0033, or on-line at http://www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/gsapplication.html.  Completed applications, official transcripts, and scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) should be sent to the same address.  The Statement of Scholarly Interest, the writing sample, and the letters of recommendation should be sent to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History.

The applicant is responsible for seeing to it that all applications and supporting materials are submitted early enough to receive full consideration.  The Department’s final deadline for admission is March 31, although applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships and assistantships must apply by January 15th.  Admission into the Department’s Graduate Programs is limited to the Fall Semester.  The Admissions Officer of the Graduate School will inform the applicant of the department’s decision.

The GRE examination should be taken early enough so that the results may be considered by the Director of Graduate Studies.  For information about test dates and places, as well as applications for admission to the examination, consult the appropriate administrative officers of the school you are attending, or Testing Services, Frazee Hall, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 (http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling/) or write to:  GRADUATE RECORD EXAM, Educational Testing Service, Box 6000, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (http://www.ets.org/).

Re-Admission to a Graduate Degree Program – If for some reason a student must suspend his or her pursuit of a degree, the Graduate School will automatically grant readmission to a student in good academic standing up to one year after leaving full-time status.  After that time, however, the Graduate Committee of the History Department and the Graduate School may require another formal application for re-admission to a degree program.