University of Chicago, Committee on International Relations (MA)

Deadlines

Essays

1. Statement of purpose · limited to 1500 words · required

   In evaluating candidates, faculty are eager to read a candidate statement that specifically describes a focused proposal for your intended research during the MA program. A strong candidate statement will include: A clear research question or area of inquiry you intend to pursue in the program. The academic preparation and training you need to undertake this research. Potential faculty members you hope to work with and how their expertise aligns with your research goals. A concise account of your intellectual trajectory, such as how your academic, professional, or personal experiences have led you to this project. Avoid vague language or approaching the candidate statement as a personal statement. We want to see how you articulate a research direction and the kinds of questions you want to answer.

   Get a read on this essay

Unusual for a master's: Chicago asks International Relations applicants for a research proposal, not a career essay, and says outright not to approach it as a personal statement. Deadlines are the division's four master's rounds, from its Deadlines and Decisions page labelled Autumn 2027 enrollment, 11:59 p.m. U.S. Central Time; that page prints month and day only, so the years here are inferred from the label. Decisions come about four to six weeks after each round. The page bans generative AI in the candidate statement outright.

Checked against socialsciences.uchicago.edu/admissions/application-materials/candidate-statement on September 11, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.