Admission Requirements
Overview
All applicants meeting the admission requirements for the Department of History must
also meet the university requirements for graduate study. Applicants to the Master's
program in History must have completed a Bachelor's degree in History or allied field
from an accredited university with at least four upper-division courses in History.
In addition, applicants must have completed HIST 301 - Historical Methods and Writing (or the equivalent History methods course at another institution) before beginning
graduate work.
Application Materials
Additional requirements for admission to the program are as follows:
- Admission to the University for graduate studies.
- Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the undergraduate major.
- TOEFL, if appropriate, with a minimum score of 550.
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended with official verification
of graduation.
- Three letters of recommendation that assess academic accomplishments and potential
for graduate study.
- A 750-word statement of research intent describing historical fields of study, including
mention of interest and/or experience in media and technology, relevant educational
background, and post-graduate career/educational objectives.
- One formal academic writing sample, as recent as possible. Preferably this should
be a paper from previous college or university coursework and should not be written
simply for the purpose of admission.
- Completed application.
Please mail the following application materials directly to the Admissions Office
(Office of Admission, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley
Road, San Marcos, CA 92906):
- Official transcripts that include all work done at all colleges and universities.
- If applicable, TOEFL score report.
Please note that these are minimum requirements for the program admission. Admission
is competitive and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the
program.
Deadlines
- Applications for Fall admission are due February 1 for early consideration, but the department will continue to accept applications
until March 15.
- Applications for Spring admission are due no later than October 30, but applications may be accepted for review for as long as space is available in
the program.