Doctoral Application Support

For those interested in pursuing higher education beyond master’s degree, the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) is dedicated to supporting students as they prepare for further graduate study. Because MAPH is fast-paced, this support begins at the start of the program. 

During the MAPH year, we offer the following programs for students interested in continuing their studies in PhD or professional programs: 

• Monthly panels that demystify aspects of academic work or the application process. Past academic panels include: advice from MAPH alums in PhD programs, how to present a conference paper, transitioning from an MA to a PhD, and more 
• A day-long academic conference that allows selected students to present their thesis work 
• MAPH students can also meet one-on-one with the MAPH Director, Preceptors, Mentors, and Staff to discuss their applications for further graduate study
• MAPH students may apply to MAPH and the Graduate Student Counsel for funding to help pay for expenses associated with presenting at academic conference such as, conference fees, lodging, or travel 

After the MAPH year, this support continues in the form of Doctoral Application Support (DAS) workshops. Any MAPH alum or MAPH student in the second year of the Two-Year Language Option may join the MAPH DAS workshops held every autumn quarter. MAPH DAS is a set of targeted webinars on the PhD application materials. This includes panels on:

• Crafting the statement of purpose 
• Writing a diversity statement  
• Expectations of the writing sample in different disciplines 

These sessions are led by MAPH instructional faculty and the MAPH Faculty Director. Participants also participate in small group workshops on their application materials with other alumni and faculty as they prepare to apply for PhD Programs. 

Reach out to ma-humanities@uchicago.edu if you are an alumni who wants to join a MAPH DAS group. 

In addition to this support, UChicago Grad also offers an array of opportunities for support including: 

• Feedback on application materials 
• Feedback and support for the Fulbright fellowship and other competitive fellowships 
• Practice interviews 
• Panels and programming throughout the year