Switching from English to History

[Minerva1917]

Hey all--I recently graduated with a master's in English and am trying to switch disciplines and apply for a PhD in history instead.

After graduating from my MA program, I audited 3 graduate history seminars and quickly realized that history is the right discipline for me. I really want to apply to a PhD program but I'm not sure I can really get anywhere because I have no history courses on my transcript. I double-majored in English as an undergrad, and then again as a master's student. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to strengthen my history PhD applications before december? Would you recommend paying to take some courses in a continuing education department? I saw Columbia offers this, but it is REALLY expensive, so I want to make sure it's worth it before doing it.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!

[TMP]

Use the search functions or go back to various threads on switching disciplines-- from one discipline to history.  There are many, many helpful suggestions!  There is nothing uniquely different about English than, say, biology or philosophy to history.

[Minerva1917]

1 hour ago, TMP said:

Use the search functions or go back to various threads on switching disciplines-- from one discipline to history.  There are many, many helpful suggestions!  There is nothing uniquely different about English than, say, biology or philosophy to history.

Hey thanks! I spent the las half hour looking through the different threads but couldn't seem to find anything particularly relevant. Is there a particular thread you found useful?

[psstein]

4 hours ago, Minerva1917 said:

Hey all--I recently graduated with a master's in English and am trying to switch disciplines and apply for a PhD in history instead.

After graduating from my MA program, I audited 3 graduate history seminars and quickly realized that history is the right discipline for me. I really want to apply to a PhD program but I'm not sure I can really get anywhere because I have no history courses on my transcript. I double-majored in English as an undergrad, and then again as a master's student. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to strengthen my history PhD applications before december? Would you recommend paying to take some courses in a continuing education department? I saw Columbia offers this, but it is REALLY expensive, so I want to make sure it's worth it before doing it.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!

Think about how you can position your English MA in a way that makes you a good history candidate. For example, if you wrote on Milton, discuss how your knowledge of Milton offers deeper insight into Commonwealth England's political economy.

[Sigaba]

On 4/27/2018 at 3:44 PM, Minerva1917 said:

Hey all--I recently graduated with a master's in English and am trying to switch disciplines and apply for a PhD in history instead.

After graduating from my MA program, I audited 3 graduate history seminars and quickly realized that history is the right discipline for me. I really want to apply to a PhD program but I'm not sure I can really get anywhere because I have no history courses on my transcript. I double-majored in English as an undergrad, and then again as a master's student. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to strengthen my history PhD applications before december? Would you recommend paying to take some courses in a continuing education department? I saw Columbia offers this, but it is REALLY expensive, so I want to make sure it's worth it before doing it.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!

Why history? What kind? For what purpose? (What do you think history provides that you can't find in English?)

On 4/27/2018 at 7:50 PM, Minerva1917 said:

Hey thanks! I spent the las half hour looking through the different threads but couldn't seem to find anything particularly relevant. Is there a particular thread you found useful?

Regrettably, this approach is going to have limited effectiveness in the House of Klio. In this forum alone, there are 118 threads with the word "switch," In at least one of those threads, the language requirements of a doctoral program in history is discussed