History M.A.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Degree Requirements — 30 Credits

See “History M.A.”.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses — 3 hours

HIST 600

Introduction to Graduate Historical Study

3

Elective Courses — 27 hours

Elective courses may be taken from any HIST 500-HIST  600 level course.

 

NOTE: Candidates for the M.A. in history should consult with the history director of graduate studies as soon as possible during the first semester of graduate work so that a major field advisor may be assigned. A plan of study will be approved by the advisor and the director of graduate studies. Candidates, in consultation with the major field advisor, will select two other program members who together will constitute the candidate's examining committee. For thesis candidates, one member of the committee must be from outside their concentration area. Candidates are urged to consult frequently with the faculty who compose their committee.

Thesis Option

Candidates opting to write a thesis will take at least fifteen hours of graduate coursework in one of the following concentration areas: American, European, or African/Asian/Latin American History. They shall also take six hours of graduate history coursework from outside their concentration area. In addition, students will take six hours of HIST 699: Thesis as they write a thesis on a subject that falls within their area of concentration. No comprehensive examination is required. However, an oral examination and thesis defense will be held after the student’s thesis committee chair has accepted the thesis for presentation to the candidate’s committee. Students will be responsible during the oral examination for a mastery of their field, including the reading list they have finalized with their committee.

Non-Thesis Option

Candidates opting for the non-thesis option will take at least fifteen hours of coursework in one of the following areas: American, European, or African/Asian/Latin American History. The area chosen will become the student's concentration. Twelve additional hours of graduate history courses must be completed from outside the student's concentration area

Students who elect this option are required to pass written and oral examinations in their concentration area. The written examination will be three hours in length and may be taken no earlier than the second semester of graduate study. Within two weeks of the written examination, candidates receiving a passing grade from each member of their examining committee on the comprehensive will be examined orally, usually for two hours, over the concentration area. Students will be responsible on the oral examination for a mastery of their field of study, including the reading list they have finalized with their committee.

Concentration Areas in History

NOTES: Candidates must obtain permission from the Department of History’s director of graduate studies allowing them to take their comprehensive or thesis oral examinations no later than the sixth week of the semester in which the examination will be taken. At this time a specific date will be set by the director of graduate studies with the advice of the candidate's committee.

A maximum of six hours may be earned in HIST 622, Directed Studies. Candidates must obtain prior approval and the signatures of their advisor, the director of graduate studies and the chair of History before enrolling.

The minimum/maximum credit that may be earned in HIST 699, “Thesis,” is six hours.

Please see "Variable Topic Courses".

All students will be examined orally by a committee after completing nine hours of coursework, typically in their second semester. However, students who plan to write a thesis must consult with their committee, who may delay this oral qualifying examination until they have completed a thesis prospectus. In this instance, the student’s committee chair shall notify the student in writing when the qualifying oral examination must be taken. A "pass" or "conditional pass" recommendation by the committee will permit a student to continue in the History M.A. program. A "fail" recommendation will mean the student will not continue in the History M.A. program. All students without exception must satisfy the thirty hour master’s degree requirement.

Comprehensive and Thesis Fields in History:

European	United States	Africa/Asia/Latin American
Ancient Medieval Early Modern Modern	Colonial Period to the Present	Comprehensive or thesis to be developed with candidate's graduate advisor and committee.