Prospective graduate students often find that a statement of intent is required to apply for a master’s degree program. Producing such a statement can sound like an intimidating task, but the more you understand about this admissions requirement, the more manageable it becomes. A statement of intent is also called a statement of purpose or a personal statement, depending on the school. Whatever term a graduate school program uses, its admissions team will look for this document to serve the purpose of demonstrating how you would be a good fit for the program. Your statement should include certain types of information about you.
What to Include in Your Statement of Intent
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The reason you write a statement of intent, other than because it is a required part of the application process, is exactly what it sounds like: to explain your intent in going to graduate school for history. More specifically, what do you intend to do in graduate school and, once you graduate, with your master’s degree in history?
Although pure intellectual curiosity is a valid reason to consider graduate school, master’s degree programs often prefer to recruit students who intend to use what they learn to advance the field of history in some way. You may contribute to the field in many different capacities. You might use your graduate education to work in academic research or as a history teacher.
Public history roles also advance the field of history by sharing it and its insights with children and adults outside the classroom and the realm of academia. Perhaps you want to form some sort of non-profit historical organization or a history-related company. Whatever the case, your purpose of intent should outline your goals and how you will use a master’s in history degree to reach those goals.
Although this document is generally referred to as a “statement,” it can help to think of it as an argument for admitting you into the program. Your future plans for using your graduate-level knowledge of history in a professional or scholarly capacity are only part of this argument.
You should also talk about your interests in the field of history, including what areas of historical study most interest you and what problems or questions you would like to work toward solving. If you have relevant experiences that you wish to highlight in your application, including work or internship experiences pertaining to the field of history, your personal statement is the place to include them.
The personal statement also offers you an opportunity to explain yourself if your background doesn’t show a clear relationship to the field of history or if one part of your application package isn’t as strong as you would like it to be.
Statements of Intent vs. Writing Samples
Don’t confuse a statement of intent with a writing sample. Although both the statement of intent and the writing sample are written documents that are commonly required in an application package for a graduate degree program in history, their purposes and content are different. The writing sample displays in action your skills in academic research and writing and your knowledge of history. Admissions personnel will judge these skills and knowledge bases from your statement of intent, too, but they are also looking for this statement to convey your goals, historical interests and suitability for the program.
A statement of intent is about you, while a writing sample is about historical events and periods. Your statement of intent is typically much shorter than your writing sample. Often, the statement of intent for a master’s in history degree program should be only one to two pages long, while graduate schools typically look for writing samples that are between 10 and 25 pages long.
Despite the difference in length, the statement of intent is no less important in your history graduate school application than the writing sample. In fact, although this document is short, you should plan to spend a lot of time perfecting it and to rewrite and revise it as needed to best make the point that you belong in the program.
The emphasis on your statement of intent as one of the most important parts of your application package can put a lot of pressure on applicants. You don’t have to do this alone. Consider speaking to an academic or career advisor for help writing your statement.
Additional Resources
What Is the Purpose of Submitting a Writing Sample for a Master’s in History Degree Program?