Dalhousie University offers MA/MS in History, a master's degree in History programme in Halifax, Canada. The programme runs for 16 months, delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 18,024 per year (CAD 9,945 per year for local students).
The Master of Arts in History at Dalhousie University is a thesis-based graduate program offered by the Department of History within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in Halifax. Students complete graduate coursework before undertaking independent research, guided by a faculty supervisor, that leads to a written thesis and defence. The program can be taken full-time or part-time and is delivered in person, with a standard length of 16 months or longer. Because the department's faculty work across a range of geographical periods and thematic fields, students can shape a program of study around a specific historical question or region rather than following a fixed track, while still meeting the admission standards set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the department. The degree is built around close engagement with primary sources and historiography, developing research, writing, and argumentation skills that carry into a variety of fields. Graduates pursue further doctoral study in history or related disciplines, and others move into work as archivists, consultants, journalists, researchers, teachers, professors, foreign service officers, or legal assistants. The program suits students with an undergraduate background in history who want focused, supervised research experience, whether as preparation for a PhD or as a credential supporting careers in archives, public service, law-adjacent work, or education.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.00 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Candidates need a four-year BA, or a general BA in history; an Honours degree is preferred but not required. Applicants must submit a statement of interest, transcripts (unofficial accepted initially, official required upon admission), a writing sample of approximately 15 pages, and three references. Applicants whose prior instruction was not in English must submit an English competency score. The deadline to be considered for funding is January 15, 2026; the deadline for Canadian applicants is June 1, 2026.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Dalhousie's live Dates and Deadlines page still shows the September 2026 entry cycle as of mid-September 2026, not the 2027 cycle. For that cycle, Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Science (Medical Sciences) and Bachelor of Social Work close February 15, 2026; the Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (Architecture) closes March 1, 2026; and the Health Sciences post-diploma option closes June 15, 2026. All other undergraduate programmes are considered on a rolling, space-available basis for both domestic and international applicants, with no separate international closing date published; May 15, 2026 is only the deposit and English-proficiency deadline, not an application deadline. Dalhousie has not yet published September 2027 entry dates. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
