Thank you for your interest in graduate study at the University of South Carolina. Electronic application forms and various materials outlining our programs in history can be found at the Graduate School's Home Page www.gradschool.sc.edu. This information will probably answer most of your questions about admission procedures and requirements for each degree. We also encourage you to visit the website for the Graduate program in History: http://www.cas.sc.edu/hist\Graduate Program\gradprogentrypage.htm

Our greatest strengths as a department lie in American history (particularly Southern and African American History), Public History, and modern European history. We also have fine scholars in other fields and we offer fields in several comparative areas, including "Culture, Identity and Economic Development," and "Civil Rights and Human Rights in Comparative Perspective." These strengths are reflected in the holdings of the various libraries of the University.

Starting in 2004, applicants with a BA degree (or its equivalent) may apply directly to the PhD track of programs for which we offer that degree. Applicants who are admitted into the PhD track must complete all the requirements for the Masters Degree as part of their course of study. These students will be eligible to receive stipends at the PhD level for History Department Assistantships.

The department awards a limited number of assistantships on a competitive basis. For students in the MA program, the standard stipend is $5,500/semester; for students in the PhD track, the standard stipend is $6,500/semester. (Our top advanced PhD students also have the opportunity to teach their own courses for $7,000/semester.) Most students in the Public History program get assistantships, which provide them with hands on experience at cultural agencies, archives, libraries, and historic sites. To apply for an assistantship, simply check the box on the application form; assistantships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, not need.

The History Department encourages graduate students in all of our programs to engage in professional activity by presenting papers at academic conferences, applying for external grants and fellowships, and publishing articles. In the last few years, an average of a dozen students a year has presented papers at national and international conferences and the History Department has helped subsidize these trips.

The department's Graduate Studies Committee makes admissions decisions once a year, in January. You should submit to the Graduate School your application, transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination General Test scores, by January 5th. By that same date, you should send directly to the History Department a statement of purpose explaining why you think the University of South Carolina is an appropriate place for you to pursue your particular interests in graduate school. (This statement of purpose may also be filled out at the Graduate School website and typed in or sent as attachment.) The Graduate Studies Committee would also like either a senior thesis or a graduate seminar paper that illustrates your writing style and use of historical sources. Our admissions decisions are made on the basis of the totality of the application (grades, GRE scores, letters of support, writing sample, and statement of purpose).

For procedural information please contact Mary Alice King at 803 777 4492 or MaryAlice@sc.edu

If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at 803-777-5195 or Glickman@gwm.sc.edu.

Sincerely yours,

Lawrence Glickman
Director of Graduate Studies