Regrettably, the Department of the History Medicine will not be admitting PhD graduate students for the academic year starting in Fall of 2026.
We anticipate accepting new students for the Fall 2027 cycle with an application period from September 2026 to December 15, 2026. Open houses, both general and faculty specific, will resume in the Fall of 2026. Please check back here for further updates.
Program Admissions Details:
The PhD program in the History of Medicine (HOM) prepares students for scholarly careers in teaching, research, and policy. Students in this program work on the East Baltimore campus and the Homewood campus.
Students in this program are paid a stipend to support their living expenses (the 2024-2025 stipend is $47,000). Tuition costs for SOM courses are covered by the School for students in this Program (i.e., not paid by the student). Standard medical benefits for the student are covered. Benefits for the student’s immediate family are available at additional cost to the student. Student stipends are subject to taxes. Students from Maryland with student loans may receive State tax benefits. More information is available here on our Financial Aid page. The University does not provide housing, though the housing office will provide advice.
Program Details:
In the time before the application is open, applicants may log in and begin their applications. The application can only be submitted in the period when the application is open.
Academic History:
Applicants will need to list all colleges and universities they attended. A transcript will need to be uploaded from each school attended.
Admissions requirements:
- Applicants are NOT required to take the GRE for this program.
- Applicants must submit a one page personal statement indicating the basis of their interest in graduate study and their career objectives. Applicants should include a discussion of any research experience they have had.
- The History of Medicine program requires a writing sample from applicants. This can be a thesis paper, publication, blog post, or term paper. Samples should be uploaded as PDFs.
- The application asks about competency in foreign languages.
- Applicants must identify three people who are familiar with the applicant’s work and provide contact info for these references. The contact info will be entered into the application, and SOM will contact the references and ask them to submit letters of recommendation on behalf of the applicant.
International Students:
- The University will sponsor visas for accepted students.
- International students whose native language is not English are required to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). When taking the exam, applicants should request official scores be reported to Institution Code 5316 (the Department Code is not necessary). To report official IELTS test scores, please include the Test Report Form (TRF) verification number on the application. Scores must be received before the application deadline.
- The TOEFL requirement will be waived if the applicant has completed their degree in a U.S. institution, or is currently enrolled and will receive a degree from a university within the U.S. prior to matriculation at JHU-SOM.
- All transcripts, letters of recommendation, and parts of the Admissions application must be in English. The approved transcript service for use by international students is WES.
- International students are not eligible for waivers of the Admissions Application fees.
Getting to know you:
- Parts of the Admissions application collect information for mandatory reporting. These parts may ask applicants to select a pre-set category for gender, race or ethnicity. Other sections of the application allow applicants to share more details about how they choose to describe themselves.
- Application Fee waivers may be given to applicants based on family income (U.S. citizens only). The term family is determined by your definition. Families may involve adoptions, separations, and many other variations.
Admissions fees:
- An admissions fee of $115 dollars is required and must be submitted using a credit card. In some cases, this fee will cover applications to more than one program.
- For a complete description of the fee waiver process, please see the Application Fees and Fee Waiver Instructions on the On-Campus Admission website. Fee waivers are only available for U.S. citizens.
Application status website:
- Once their application is submitted, applicant may follow its progress on the Application Status page. This page can be accessed upon completion of the application. The status page has the most current information.
Admission timeline:
- Review of applications will begin immediately after the application deadline.
- Letters describing acceptance, wait list status, or rejection will be sent by email. This information will also be available on the Application status website. Applicants selected for acceptance must choose to accept or reject the offer by April 15. On April 15, all accepted offers become binding.
- Orientation will be held on the third week of August. Students will begin their training at this time. The HOM program only accepts students for fall matriculation.
Applicant survey:
- Applicants will receive a survey during the third week of April (after April 15) where they can provide feedback about their experience with the Admissions process. The survey will also ask questions about disability status of applicants.
Upon acceptance:
- Accepted students will undergo a criminal background check.
- Accepted students must submit official transcripts to the School of Medicine Registrar. This may be in the form of a digital transcript, which is submitted through a transcript service approved by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Registrar. The approved transcript service for international students is WES. Transcripts may also be mailed directly from the Accepted student’s school to the School of Medicine Registrar. Detailed instructions will be provided upon acceptance.
Communicating with the program:
