Department of History >> Graduate Program >> Information for Prospective Graduate Students >> FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why should I consider the graduate program in history at FSU?

A. The Department of History at Florida State University offers students a rich intellectual environment, a dedicated and gifted faculty, unique local research resources, and numerous opportunities for professional development outside the classroom. A Carnegie I Research Institution, we provide training leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in a wide variety of historical fields. The faculty includes many highly acclaimed senior scholars as well as a luminous group of junior faculty. Members of the department are regularly recognized for their work with national awards and prizes including fellowships from the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. The faculty is active in national and international organizations, including the American Historical Association, the American Society of Church History, and the Congress of Latin American Historians. The history department faculty have also been the recipients of over 25 distinguished university teaching awards over the past 40 years.

Also, prospective graduates have a variety of program choices outside of the traditional Master's and PhD programs. The department's Historical Administration and Public History program (HAPH) provides excellent professional training opportunities to students due to FSU's central location in Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida. Several state museums, archives, and libraries are located in Tallahassee and they have provided FSU HAPH students with excellent professional training opportunities and internships. Some of these internships have given students the opportunity to jump start their careers through temporary and fulltime advanced job placement.

The department has an enviable record of job placements for graduate students, and there are several resources available to students which provide them with professional networking opportunities. One of those resources is the Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFF), a program sponsored by the department which provides graduate students the opportunity to learn about the history profession through a series of workshops which are led by faculty members. These workshops provide students with extremely valuable practical and professional skills which are not necessarily learned within the college classroom. Depending on their interests, our graduates obtain positions in public history, in secondary teaching, in community colleges, and in four-year institutions.

For additional information, refer to the General Information section of the Graduate Handbook.

Q. How do I apply to the graduate program in history?

A. In order to apply to the graduate program in history you must also be accepted as a graduate student by the university. The FSU Office of Graduate Studies has all of this information online, including university admissions and readmissions deadlines. If you are interested in submitting a graduate application, then go to the FSU Admissions Office online graduate student application to begin this process.

In addition to the University application, you must include: 1) a statement of purpose (200-500 words); 2) your publications (if appropriate); 3) your honors (scholarships, fellowships, academic honors); 4) a writing sample of at least 1200 words in length, preferably one representing historical research; 5) faculty members you have been in contact with or would like to work with; 6) foreign language you have studied; 7) professional experience and whether you would like to be considered for a fellowship or assistantship; 8) 3 letters of recommendation, preferably from professors who are familiar with your academic work. The deadline for Fall semester is January 10. The deadline for Spring semester is October 1.

Contact Chris Pignatiello at 850-644-2610 or Anne Kozar at 850-644-4494 for additional information or refer to the Graduate Handbook.

Q. What are some of the program options available for a Master's degree or PhD?

A. The Department of History offers graduate students several program options for the master's program. A minimum of 18 semester hours of undergraduate work in history is normally required as a prerequisite for the Master of Arts program. Information about the general requirements, fields of graduate study, foreign language requirements, the MA supervisory committee, MA comprehensive exams, thesis requirements, and procedures for the thesis can all be found within the section of the Graduate Handbook entitled Master of Arts in History.

The FSU Department of History also offers special concentrations for the master's degree. Prospective students who are interested in pursuing careers in public history as archivists, oral historians, museum managers or staff, historic preservationists, or national and state park rangers are encouraged to consider the Master of Arts in History with a Concentration in Historical Administration and Public History. Those who are considering specialized topics pertinent to military subjects or the socio-cultural impacts of war should consider the program options for the Master in Arts in History with a Concentration in War & Society. There is also a Master of Science non-thesis degree option for students who do not plan to pursue doctoral studies at Florida State University.

Students who are interested in pursuing doctoral studies should consult the section entitled Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Handbook.