PhD History at University of Virginia

Programme overview

Doctoral programme in history with a small, selective annual cohort, close faculty mentorship and extensive research resources. PhD students receive up to six years of fellowship support.

Faculty: Graduate School of Arts & Sciences | Department: Corcoran Department of History | Study mode: full-time | Location: Charlottesville, VA, United States

What you will study

Coursework, language study, comprehensive exams, teaching assistantships and original dissertation research. Fields span world regions (Africa, East Asia, Latin America, US & Canada), periods from antiquity to the 20th century, and themes such as legal, environmental, labor and digital humanities history.

Career pathways

University or college professor, public historian, legal or government historian, researcher or writer, archivist or digital humanities specialist.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (all programmes): online application with a 500-1,000 word statement of purpose, unofficial transcripts of all postsecondary work, minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0, two letters of recommendation (programmes may require more), and an $85 non-refundable application fee. International applicants whose undergraduate degree was not earned entirely in English submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test scores: TOEFL iBT 90 overall (22 speaking, 22 writing, 23 reading, 23 listening) for tests taken before 1/21/26, IELTS 7.0 in each section, Duolingo 130 overall; committees may still consider scores below these minimums. GRE is not required for this programme. A writing sample is required for History. PhD application deadline: December 15.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Application fees (2026-27): undergraduate $75; Graduate School of Arts & Sciences $85; Architecture $80; Batten graduate $75; Darden non-PhD $250, Darden PhD $100; Data Science $85; Education and Human Development $65; Law $85; McIntire graduate $85; Medicine $80; Nursing $88; SCPS $70; Graduate Engineering no fee.

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