Admission
Standards
In compliance with HB 1641, the UTA History Department hereby makes public that it does not use unwritten criteria, it does not assign a specific weight to any one factor being considered, and it does not use standardized tests (i.e. the GRE) in the admissions or competitive fellowship or scholarship process as the sole criterion for consideration or as the primary criterion to end consideration of an applicant to either the M.A. or Ph.D. program. However, the GRE is required and it is used as a criterion, without specific weight, in the Department's evaluation of candidates for admission to programs at each of three levels: Unconditional, Provisional, and Probationary Admission.
The Department wishes to be as thorough and fair as possible in evaluating applicants for admission. It recognizes that some applicants may appear to be stronger according to some criteria than according to other criteria. When an applicant does not completely meet the minimum expectations for Unconditional Admission, the Department considers the applicant for possible Provisional or Probationary Admission. When the applicant is not granted any of the three levels of admission, the decision may be deferred or the application is denied. We do not wish to exclude a qualified and potentially successful candidate who perhaps has approached but not met all the criteria completely. However, we do not wish to admit candidates who, based on the criteria, are deemed to have a poor chance of successfully completing the graduate program.
M.A. Program
Unconditional
Admission
The criteria for admission below are used, without specific weights, as positive indicators of potential success in the program. All four criteria for unconditional admission must be met in order to receive unconditional admission.
· Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (as calculated by the Graduate School) in the last 60 credit hours in the course of completing a B.A. degree in History (or an appropriate other field) from an accredited institution (verified by official transcripts from each college or university previously attended sent directly from the registrar of that institution to Graduate Admissions).
· A written statement (500 words) explaining the applicant’s reasons for graduate studies in History.
· Three letters of recommendation (from faculty if possible) mailed directly from the recommenders to the History Graduate Advisor.
· A minimum score of 500 on the verbal section and a minimum score of 4 on the analytical writing section of the GRE aptitude test (verified by official GRE scores sent to Graduate Admissions).
Provisional Admission
An applicant unable to supply all required documentation (e.g. official transcripts or GRE scores have not yet arrived) prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission. Provisionally admitted students must adequately satisfy any incomplete documentation by the end of the semester in which they are admitted. If the applicant fails to do so, the Department may then reclassify the applicant as Probationary, defer the decision, or ask the candidate to leave the program.
Probationary
Admission
An applicant whose performance, according to the criteria, approximates but does not meet minimum admission standards may be granted Probationary Admission subject to one or both of the following conditions:
a) The candidate must earn no grade lower than a B in his/her first 12 semester hours of graduate work taken at UTA.
b) Candidates without adequate appropriate preparation in the discipline of History may be required to complete a certain number of "leveling" courses (i.e. make-up coursework) while in the program.
Deferral or Denial
If two or more of the criteria have not been met satisfactorily, the applicant will not be admitted on any of the three levels above but will receive deferral or denial. A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.
M.A. Fellowship
Standards
Fellowships, when available, will be awarded on a competitive basis. Nominees for the Graduate School Master’s Fellowship in History will be selected based on the following criteria:
Ph.D. Degree Program
Unconditional
Admission
The criteria for admission below are used, without specific weights, as positive indicators of potential success in the program. All four criteria for unconditional admission must be met in order to receive unconditional admission.
A prior academic degree (either B.A. or M.A.)
in History from an accredited
institution (verified by transcripts from each college or
university previously
attended sent directly from the registrar of that institution to
Graduate
Admissions). If the prospective candidate has no prior degree in
History, the
doctoral advisor will refer the applicant to the advisor of U.T.
Arlington's
M.A. program in History.
·
Graduate GPA of 3.5 (as calculated by the Graduate School) in the course of
completing an M.A. degree in History (or an appropriate other field) from an
accredited institution (verified by official transcripts from each college or
university previously attended sent directly from the registrar of that
institution
to Graduate Admissions).
·
An academic writing sample (e.g. research essay, thesis chapter) from a
previous course assignment.
·
Three letters of recommendation (from faculty if possible) mailed directly
from
the recommenders to the History Graduate Advisor.
·
A minimum score of 550 on the verbal section and minimum score of 5 on the
analytical
writing section of the
GRE aptitude test (verified by official GRE
scores sent to Graduate
Admissions).
Provisional
Admission
An applicant unable to supply all required documentation (e.g. official transcripts or GRE scores have not yet arrived) prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission. Provisionally admitted students must adequately satisfy any incomplete documentation by the end of the semester in which they are admitted. If the applicant fails to do so, the Department may then reclassify the applicant as Probationary, defer the decision, or ask the candidate to leave the program.
Probationary
Admission
An applicant whose performance, according to the criteria, approximates but does not meet minimum admission standards may be granted Probationary Admission subject to the condition that the candidate must earn no grade lower than a B in his/her first 12 semester hours of graduate work taken at UTA.
Deferral or Denial
If two or more of the criteria have not been met satisfactorily, the applicant will not be admitted on any of the three levels above but will receive deferral or denial. A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.
Ph.D. Fellowship
Standards
Fellowships, when available, will be awarded on a competitive basis. The criteria for Liberal Arts Special (Transatlantic) Doctoral Fellowships in History are:
· Candidates must be new students entering in the fall semester, with a minimum of 6 hours of enrollment in both long semesters to retain their fellowships.
· Graduate GPA of 3.5 (as calculated by the Graduate School) in the course of completing an M.A. degree in History (or an appropriate other field) from an accredited institution, plus a GPA of 3.0 in any additional graduate hours.
· Three letters of recommendation (from faculty if possible).
· An academic writing sample (e.g. research essay, thesis chapter) from a previous course assignment.