Mar 29, 2024  
2011-2012 Graduate Catalogue 
    
2011-2012 Graduate Catalogue Archived Catalogue

History, M.A.


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Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Lisa Pollard

The Department of History offers a program of study leading to the Master of Arts degree in history. Specific goals of the program are: (1) to provide advanced research and educational opportunities in the study of history; (2) to prepare historians by training them in the latest research techniques, providing them with a knowledge of the most current research on historical problems; and (3) to direct students in historical research using historical documents and archives.

Admission Requirements


  1. Applicants are required to submit the following to the Graduate School:
  2. An application for graduate admission.
  3. Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate).
  4. Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination.
  5. Three recommendations by individuals in professionally relevant fields; at least two must be from academics.
  6. Research paper or suitable equivalent. Applications for non-degree status will not be accepted.
  7. Fill out history questionnaire.

The minimum requirements for admission to the graduate program in history include: satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative and analytical), a bachelor‘s degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent in a foreign institution based on a four–year program, and an overall academic record with a “B” average or better in the basic courses prerequisite to the area of proposed graduate study. The deadline for fall admission is February 15; for spring admission the deadline is October 15.

Degree Requirements


  1. The program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study, 24 of which must be in history. A maximum of six semester hours of credit may be transferred from another accredited institution. Grades on transfer work must be equivalent to “B” or better. At least 24 hours of graduate study must be completed in residence.
  2. All students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of course work. Students in US., European and global must complete, in addition, six hours of thesis; public history students three hours of internship and three hours of thesis. At least 18 hours of course work must be completed in courses open only to graduate students; for public history students at least 15 hours. Cross listed courses will have additional requirements and different grading for graduate students
  3. Students must complete HST 500 , 12 hours in the area of concentration and nine hours of electives. Six hours beyond HST 500  must be in graduate-level seminars. One graduate seminar must be in the area of concentration. No more than six hours of HST 591  may be counted toward the degree.
  4. Each student must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination that will be administered no earlier than during the final semester of enrollment in course work, and no later than the semester following the completion of course work.
  5. Each student in the U.S., European and Global areas will complete six hours of Thesis (HST 599 ), and defend the thesis to the satisfaction of the thesis committee, prior to graduation. Each student in public history will complete three hours of Internship in Public History (HST 598 ) and three hours (or more) of Thesis (HST 599 ) and present either a disciplinary content thesis, an original contribution to the literature of public history, or a work of interpretive scholarship acceptable to the thesis committee prior to graduation.
  6. Students must pass a competency examination demonstrating satisfactory reading knowledge of a foreign language.
  7. The program shall be completed within five years of the date of first registration for graduate study.

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