Admission Requirements

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at The University of Western Ontario coordinates the admission process with each of the graduate programs selecting and admitting prospective students to graduate study. Please review this information to ensure you are prepared with the knowledge necessary to succeed in your educational pursuits.

Master's Program

Minimum Requirements

For admission to Master's programs at Western applicants must possess a four-year degree from an accredited university.  The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requires at least a 70% average across courses taken in the last two full-time years of the undergraduate degree.  Equivalent qualifications may be considered based on the standards of the discipline or profession.

The degree must have a major or specialization in History.  The department cutoff for admission to the M.A. program is normally a B+ average (Western: 78%) in the last two years of undergraduate courses.  For international students an admission average of A- (Western: 80%) is required.

Doctoral Program

Minimum Requirements

For admission to Doctoral programs at Western, applicants must possess a Master's degree or equivalent from a university, college or institute, and provide evidence of research potential. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requires at least a 70% average in the Master's degree, as determined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

The Graduate Committee is very selective in Ph.D. admission. It requires first class (A) standing in a large part of the applicant's advanced academic work, though such standing does not in itself guarantee admission. It admits only applicants who hold an M.A. degree, or have completed all requirements of an M.A. degree. It may conditionally accept applicants completing M.A. theses. In such cases, the applicant must defend the thesis successfully before admission to the program.

Applications should include sufficient information about research plans to enable the program to identify possible supervisors. Students should consider a tentative thesis supervisor in consultation with the Graduate Chair. Joint supervision with another member of the department or another scholar from a different discipline may be considered if appropriate.

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