To Apply

1. To be eligible to apply, students must be in good academic standing, and must be currently enrolled in a degree program at California State University, East Bay. Applicants cannot be graduating in Spring 2025. 

2. Students only need to submit one application to be considered for all applicable scholarships. Please review the various "Spring only" scholarships available to our majors here. Some have unique areas of focus (see the section "Other," under "Requirements") that may speak to your own interests. You can tailor statements to those areas if you would like. 

3. Scholarship applications must be complete, and must include a thoughtful and detailed application statement, strong faculty reference(s), and a completed application form. 

4. At least one, but no more than two, references from History Department faculty are required with each application. Please provide timely notice to faculty from whom you are requesting a reference. For History Department scholarships, one week’s notice is appropriate. Faculty will already have a reference form to use for this specific purpose, provided by the Scholarship Committee. You only need to request the reference and confirm its submission with the faculty member. 

5. Your application must be received between March 1 and March 19, 2025, at 11:59 PM, via the form provided on this scholarship page. Late applications will not be considered. 

6. If you have any questions about the application process or technical issues, please write to the History Department Chair, Dr. Bridget Ford, at bridget.ford@csueastbay.edu. 

Your statement should reflect your individual experiences, interests, and goals related to your degree work. Please carefully proofread and edit your statement for both clarity and organization, so that we have the best opportunity to evaluate your application. In format, your statement should be no more than 750 words, and it should be double-spaced. 

In your application statement, please provide thoughtful and detailed responses to each of the following four prompts:

1. Introduce yourself to us. Explain why you chose to major in History (BA or MA) or History-Social Science, in light of previous educational experiences, and relevant personal experiences or background. 

2. Tell us what excites you about the study of the past. You can describe an inspiring individual, experience, class, or reading that motivates your work. What questions do you hope to research or explore, as you progress through your degree program? 

3. Describe ways you try to apply or practice your history education in community activities, whether those are connected to Cal State East Bay, or elsewhere. This might include participation in more formal Department of History activities, such as Phi Alpha Theta, East Bay Historia, or our annual student history conference, but we also encourage discussion of any family or community activities or creative expression or activity (for example, visiting museums or watching documentaries).

4. Tell us about your educational and professional goals. How might your history education inform your professional or post-graduation goals? We are excited to read about professional goals outside of fields traditionally associated with History BA and MA degrees, as well as familiar career goals in public history or education.