Candidate Statement

A candidate statement should discuss your academic and career objectives in a concise, sharply-focused, and well-crafted essay. Within the online application you will find specific instructions for what should be included in your essay; these are listed below as well. Generally speaking, this should include what you plan to research, how you plan to research it, how your work fits within the department or program, and how you have prepared for further graduate study. MA programs are also interested to know how the MA program fits with your future academic or professional goals.

Typically, a statement is 2 to 4 pages in length, depending on spacing and formatting.

A candidate statement is required to be entirely your own work and should be written in your own voice. Use of generative AI in the production of a candidate statement is considered plagiarism and should not be used.

Candidate Statement Prompts

PhD Programs

Anthropology: The Department of Anthropology has two required statements:

Candidate Statement: In evaluating candidates, faculty are interested in a statement of purpose that clearly and specifically describes: (1) the candidate’s plan for future research (as pertains to an original dissertation project), and (2) what has brought you to your specific research interests and/or engagement with your area of study (e.g., intellectually, personally, etc.). The statement of purpose should be limited to 1,000 words.
Statement of Fit: Applicants are required to prepare a supplemental statement that describes why the University of Chicago’s Department of Anthropology is an ideal fit for you to pursue your dissertation work. This statement should include a detailed discussion of current faculty research interests and their relevance to your proposed course of study. In this statement, you may also refer to relevant university committees, centers, and institutes, and/or departmental and divisional workshops. The statement of fit should be limited to 500 words.

Comparative Human Development: The Department of Comparative Human Development has two required statements:

Candidate Statement: The admissions committee is interested in candidate statements which clearly and specifically address: 1) Your specific research interests, questions, and academic objectives. 2) The personal and educational trajectory in terms of your scholarly and intellectual training and development. What led you to your current research interests, and why do you want to pursue them at the doctoral level? 3) Why the Department of Comparative Human Development’s PhD program is a particularly good fit for you to pursue your interests.
Research Proposal: Please provide a one-page document in which you provide a research proposal or set of research interests that motivate you to pursue doctoral training. You do not need to have a perfectly formed research question. You can tell us about methodological and topical training you would like to receive and why this particular training would be useful. In this statement, please also tell us about how your research will contribute to the advancement of social science knowledge and society

Please limit your statement to 1500 words.

Economics: Please provide a concise essay discussing your current and anticipated research interests. Students also requesting consideration for the joint program in Financial Economics are required to also supply a secondary statement that addresses your prospective research interests and why the joint structure of the program might fit your interests.

History: The candidate statement provides us with vital insight into the intersection of your intellectual goals and personal trajectory. It should communicate: 1) the ambitions you wish to pursue through doctoral work in history; 2) the specific questions and themes that will shape your dissertation research; 3) the personal and intellectual trajectory that has brought you to those themes and questions and prepared you to pursue them; and 4) the reasons that the University of Chicago and its faculty are well-matched to your doctoral plans.

Political Economy: Faculty on the admissions committee are interested in a candidate statement that clearly describes 1) your research interests and academic objectives, 2) relevant educational and professional experience, and 3) why Chicago’s PhD Program in Political Economy is a good fit for you. The statement should be between one and three pages, single-spaced.

Political Science: The statement should address relevant aspects of your educational experience, the focus of your academic interests, and reasons for applying to our program. Please be as specific as possible in discussing your academic objectives and research interests. The statement should be a concise, sharply focused and well-crafted essay. Applicants are encouraged to include a description of a challenge you have overcome that highlights skills and strategies that you can use to be successful during graduate school.

Psychology: In evaluating candidates, faculty are interested in a candidate statement that clearly and specifically describes: (1) your research experiences that have contributed to your intellectual goals and skills, (2) your topics of research interest, (3) why the University of Chicago’s Department of Psychology is a good fit for you to pursue your research interests.

Social Thought: The candidate statement required by the University application should take the form of a letter to the Committee which addresses the following questions: What intellectual interests, concerns, and aspirations lead you to undertake further study and why do you want to pursue them with the Committee? What kind of work do you propose to do here? If you can, include your intentions for the Fundamentals requirement, further language study, and dissertation research. How has your education to date prepared you? The candidate statement must be limited to 2,500 words.

Sociology: The Department of Sociology has two required statements:

Candidate statements that clearly and specifically address the following are of interest to the admissions committee: 1) your specific research interests, questions, and academic objectives; 2) the personal and educational trajectory that led you to these interests and equipped you to address them; and 3) the reasons why the University of Chicago's doctoral program in Sociology is a particularly good fit for you to pursue your interests. Approximately 500–1,000 words (2-4 pages), 12-point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced.
Provide a concise summary of any research conducted outside of coursework. If collaborating within a research team, please clearly indicate your precise contributions. Additionally, you should highlight the scholarship outcomes and explain how this preparation supports your graduate goals. Please avoid copying text verbatim or heavily duplicating detailed summaries from this section into your candidate statement; use your candidate statement instead to explain how these experiences fit into your broader academic trajectory. Maximum of 1,000 words (or up to 4 pages), 12-point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced.

MA Programs

Computational Social Science (General): Please provide a 2-4 page candidate statement, outlining your research interest, your relevant training, your prior academic accomplishments, as well as your career plans and why you think MACSS is the program that will best help you advance those plans.

Computational Social Science (Economics): Please provide a 2-3 page candidate statement that discusses your post-graduation plans and how the resources that MACSS-Econ will make available to you will help you achieve them. You may want to discuss the coursework you would like to complete in the context of your career goals and your prior background.

Your statement should also discuss the research plan you wish to develop while a student in the MACSS-Econ program:

Provide a description of 1 or 2 research topics that you would like to pursue and explain how your prior research background supports them.
Place the research questions in context of the coursework that you plan to complete during your MAPSS-Econ year.
Provide the name of a member of the research faculty who you believe will be the ideal advisor and explain why.

International Relations: 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. Be specific: What do you want to study? What are the central questions driving your interest?
The academic preparation and training you need to undertake this research. What kinds of methods, theories, or regional or thematic expertise will you need to gain through the program?
Potential faculty members you hope to work with and how their expertise aligns with your research goals. You do not need to secure a supervisor in advance, but you should demonstrate how your interests fit with the program’s strengths.
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.

Candidate statement should be limited to 1500 words.

Master of Arts in Economics (MAE): See Advanced Scholars website.

Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS): You must submit a 2-4 page candidate statement that clearly and specifically describes: 1) your topics of research interest (as pertains to a potential MA research project), 2) what has brought you to those specific research interests, and 3) why MAPSS in particular and the University of Chicago broadly are a good fit for your research interests and goals.

Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) Psychology: You must submit a 2-4 page candidate statement that clearly and specifically describes: 1) your research experiences and how they have contributed to your intellectual goals and skills, 2) your topics of research interest, and 3) why MAPSS-Psychology in particular and the University of Chicago broadly are a good fit for your research interests and goals.

Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) QMSA: You must submit a 2-4 page candidate statement that clearly and specifically describes: 1) your topics of research interest (as pertains to a potential MA research project), 2) what has brought you to those specific research interests, and 3) why MAPSS in particular and the University of Chicago broadly are a good fit for your research interests and goals.

Applicants to Quantitative Methods and Social Analysis should indicate a strong interest in rigorous quantitative training, identify a domain of substantive interest in the social or behavioral sciences, outline their intended research, and name two QMSA faculty members they most hope to work with.