Prospective Students

Prospective Graduate Program Student Information

Since opening its doors, the History Department at UC Santa Barbara has become recognized as one of the top 10 doctoral programs. We invite you to explore what the UCSB History Department has to offer and to discover first-hand:

  • The UCSB History Department has a strong reputation in research. All of our faculty are highly active in research and recognized as leaders in their field.
  • In 2013, US News and World Report ranked our graduate program in Women’s History #7 in the nation, above all other west coast schools.
  • The department is home to one of the original and best-known Public History programs in the country, and to the flagship journal The Public Historian.
  • Our doctoral program, has an outstanding reputation, both within the UC system and in the profession at large. Since 2000, two of our PhDs have won the Council of Graduate Schools/University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation Award for the best dissertation in the Humanities and Fine Arts.
  • Our graduate students regularly garner extra-mural fellowships for their dissertation research.
  • Recent academic job placements include Smith College, UC Irvine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Maryland, Colorado State, Loyola University of Chicago, and the University of San Diego. Many of our graduates have also pursued careers outside formal academia including museums, archives, publishing, and government.

Learn about M.A./Ph.D. program admissions information.

More Information

For more information, contact our Graduate Program Coordinator (Graduate Admissions).