Humanities Institute > Student Opportunities > PhD Program > Admissions

Eligibility

To apply, students must be currently enrolled in the first or second year of a doctoral degree program in the humanities or humanistic social sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Alternatively, students on the second pathway—coming from outside JHU—should follow the instructions on our homepage for non-affiliate applicants.

Application Requirements

Please see pages 3–6 of the revised Graduate Student Handbook for specific information that the materials must include.

Internal Applicants

Internal applicants must email the following materials to the AGHI inbox, at [email protected] with “IHS Program Application” as the subject by January 15, 2025.

  1. A detailed proposal of the intended project and how it would be enhanced by drawing from the opportunities of two academic departments. The applicant and both faculty advisers must sign the proposal.
  2. A joint letter from two faculty advisers who represent two different Ph.D. programs and the funding commitment from both departments can be submitted by February 15th at the latest.

External Applicants

External applicants for IHS must apply here with the following materials by January 15, 2025.

  1. A detailed proposal of an individualized program of study and research (which will require input and co-signatures of two advising faculty members).
  2. A joint letter from the two advising faculty members and the funding commitment from both departments can be submitted by February 15th at the latest.
  3. Transcripts.
  4. Resume/CV.
  5. Language Proficiency for International applicants per the common practice for other KSAS programs.
  6. Personal Statement (optional).
  7. Three recommendation letters.

Application Deadline

For Fall 2025 admission, the application deadline will be Jan. 15th, 2025. Spring admission is not offered.

Procedure and Timeline

  1. Completed proposals are sent to the vice dean for graduate education by the application deadline.
  2. The vice-dean distributes proposals to the Governance Board.
  3. The board selects a short list of proposals deemed most competitive for acceptance.
  4. The short-listed proposals are sent to the directors of graduate studies of the two Ph.D. programs upon which the proposal draws to gain further insight into whether the “custom selection” of elements from each discipline is appropriate to support the research proposed.
  5. The directors of graduate studies provide feedback to the Governance Board, which may ask applicants and their advisers to revise their proposals.
  6. The revised proposals are re-evaluated to determine the successful applicants who will be invited to join the program the following fall.
  7. Applicants are notified of the decision on or around April 1st.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact:

William Egginton
Director, The Alexander Grass Humanities Institute
Decker Professor in the Humanities
[email protected]