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The Graduate History Association (GHA) serves as the official representative body for graduate students in Vanderbilt's History Department. Membership is automatically granted to all enrolled graduate students. GHA's responsibilities include facilitating communication between faculty, graduate students, and the broader Vanderbilt graduate community, organizing student events, and promoting an inclusive environment within the department.
A key GHA program involves hosting academic roundtables during the school year. These specialized sessions aim to strengthen mentorship connections between graduate students and faculty. Typically, roundtables feature discussions of unpublished research drafts along with several related scholarly articles. These intimate gatherings provide focused feedback on faculty works-in-progress, such as book chapters or journal articles. Beyond roundtables, GHA organizes various social and academic activities throughout the year, including networking events, year-end parties, professional development sessions, student-led discussions, exam preparation support, and career guidance workshops. The association welcomes new event proposals and is eager to support student-led initiatives.
Qualified applicants with bachelor’s or comparable non-U.S. degrees are eligible for admission to the Graduate School. Applications from international students with three-year bachelor’s degrees will also be considered.
The minimum acceptable score on the paper-based TOEFL is 570, and for the Internet-based test, 88. Many programs, however, require a considerably higher level of proficiency.
For IELTS, the minimum acceptable score will vary by program. In many cases, a score of at least 7.0 is desirable.