Admissions
MAPH students share in an intensive and densely collaborative intellectual project that is an undertaking of the entire Humanities Division of the University of Chicago
MAPH Admissions decisions are made by the Co-Directors working with a small committee of Divisional graduate faculty in consultation with the Humanities Division's specialized doctoral admissions committees. The most important aspects of a MAPH application are the applicant's writing sample and statement of purpose. The statement should give us a clear idea of what the applicant hopes to gain from a year of rigorous humanistic graduate work. We use the writing sample in order to ensure that an applicant will be ready to enter graduate courses at the University of Chicago immediately upon arriving. We read letters of recommendation in order to get faculty assessments of an applicant's promise. We study academic transcripts in order to assess an applicant's preparation in humanistic coursework. We also pay some attention to GREs.
Each year, we consider 700-800 applications with an eye toward composing an entering cohort of 110-120 students. MAPH cannot accommodate all admissible students. We admit with an eye toward building a strong community of MA students with widely varying academic and professional interests, an unusual mix of life experience, seriousness, and significant academic promise, dedication, and talent. The community is important. MAPH is fast-paced and difficult. But MAPH students share in an intensive and densely collaborative intellectual project that is an undertaking of the entire Humanities Division of the University of Chicago.
An Application to MAPH must include:
- A completed University application form , available online.
- Statement of purpose, one to two pages in length
- Sample of critical writing, ten to fifteen pages in length
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the verbal, quantitative and analytic writing sections
- One official transcript from each educational institution beyond high school
- Three letters of recommendation in signed, sealed envelopes by the recommenders
- Applicants to the Writing Option must submit two copies of a creative writing sample relevant to the proposed focus of study, in addition to the critical writing sample
- Applicants to the Classics Option must submit a list of all Greek and Latin texts that they have read in the original, as well as all such texts they plan to read before matriculation
- TOEFL scores, where applicable
- Application fee of $55 for all students (this fee is waived for University of Chicago alumni)
The University of Chicago GRE & TOEFL institution code is 1832.
The GRE & TOEFL department code is 2999.
Applicants who wish to be considered for admission and university-sponsored fellowships should fill out the online admission application and submit supplemental materials to be received no later than the deadline (December 15, unless the 15th is a weekend, in which case the deadline is the immediately-following Monday) to:
The University of Chicago
Office of Graduate Admissions
Division of Humanities
Walker 111
1115 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Admissions decisions are mailed in mid-March.
Applicants who are not seeking financial aid are also encouraged to submit complete applications by the deadline. Late applicants will be put on a waiting list and considered only if slots are still available after timely applicants have been reviewed, and will be contacted only if they are admitted into the program.
Financial assistance:
A limited number of merit-based half-tuition fellowships are offered to MAPH students. As a matter of general University policy, no first-year graduate students are permitted to serve as teaching assistants. Most of our students finance themselves with loans, savings, and part-time work. MAPH students are eligible to apply for student loans and work-study; for more information please consult the Student Loan Office website.
International Students:
International students may have a more difficult time funding their studies in MAPH because of their ineligibility for federal loans. For more information about requirements for international students, please contact the Office of International Affairs at 773-702-7752 (fax 773-702-3058) or visit their web site.
