Program Overview
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
General Master's Degree Admission Requirements
View delivery options, start terms and admission requirements.
Location: Ross Hall 3270
Email: HSS@unco.edu
Website: unco.edu/hss/history/
The master's degree in history has been designed with several options in mind. It may be taken as a foundation for further advanced graduate work; as part of an individualized program that prepares students for a secondary teaching career; or as a terminal degree. Whichever option a student selects, faculty will stress the development of research techniques, analysis of historical data and expository writing skills.
Students receiving a master's degree in history will be competent in research methodology, writing skills and content in selected areas of history. Opportunities include advanced work in history, teaching at the secondary level (with licensure) or in junior and community colleges. Additionally, graduates may apply for professional schools, e.g., in law, library science, theology, museum curatorship and archival work.
Degree Requirements — 30 Credits
Required Courses — 9 credits
Students will take 6 credits of HIST 690.
Elective Courses — 21 credits
Elective courses may be taken from any HIST 500-level and 600-level courses.
Final Project
All students are responsible for completing two pieces of original historical writing of the length and quality of journal articles. Students will write the essays under the guidance of history faculty while taking two semesters of HIST 690 (one essay completed in each class). Combined, the two essays serve as the final project for the M.A. degree. Students must earn at least a B (B- is not acceptable) on the papers themselves, regardless of the grade earned for the course overall. Students who do not earn a B on either of their papers must take HIST 690 a third time; in this case, they may count the previous HIST 690 as an elective.
In order to complete the master's degree, students will also take 21 credits (7 classes) of electives covering any region or period of history. Please see "Variable Topics Courses."
Accelerated History M.A.
Motivated students may seek to complete the requirements for the B.A. and M.A. in History in five years. To obtain both degrees, students must complete all the requirements for the B.A. in History, either with a Liberal Arts Concentration or a Licensure Social Studies concentration, described in the Undergraduate Catalog (120 for Liberal Arts/121 credit hours for Secondary Teaching) and all of the requirements for the M.A. described above (30 credit hours). However, the accelerated B.A./M.A. program involves shared credit hours shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs, so the total number of credit hours to complete the accelerated Master’s program is 141 for students with a Liberal Arts concentration and 148 for those with a Secondary Teaching concentration. Completing the requirements for both degrees is made possible by taking double-counted B.A./M.A. credits during the Senior year (paid for at the undergraduate tuition rate) and graduate-level credits (online – graduate-level tuition rate) in the summer following the Senior year and completion of the undergraduate program. While this is the most efficient route, students may also elect to complete the program at a slower pace. Students remain eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate; any Graduate School aid is not available until students are admitted to the Graduate Program.
Accelerated M.A. Admission
Due to its necessarily streamlined path of progression, admission to the Accelerated B.A. and M.A. in History occurs in the Fall semester only. Students interested in transferring into the accelerated program must:
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to take graduate-level courses as a Senior.
- Meet with the History M.A. Director of Graduate Studies in the fall semester of the Junior year and apply during the spring semester of the Junior year (following the same procedure and meeting the same requirements as other M.A. applicants). Full admission is dependent on completing the B.A. requirements in the Senior year while maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA. The program application will be signed and forwarded to the Graduate School with signatures of the program advisor indicating the approval of graduate course transfer.
- For students whose B.A. has a Liberal Arts concentration, complete HIST 500 (Historiography) in the fall semester of their Senior year followed by HIST 480/580 (Senior Seminar) and another 500-level graduate course in the spring. These are the nine credits double counted within the accelerated program.
- For students whose B.A. has a Secondary Teaching concentration, complete HIST 480/580 (Senior Seminar) and HIST 500 (Historiography) in the fall semester of their Senior year. These are the six credits double counted within the accelerated program.
- Students must apply for completion of their B.A. degree the semester before completing the degree (e.g., in the fall semester of their Senior Year). To apply, students must be registered for all remaining courses in their final undergraduate semester.
Accelerated M.A. Timeline (B.A. with Liberal Arts Concentration) — 30 Credits
Outline for degree completion of the Accelerated B.A. with a Liberal Arts Concentration and M.A. in History
Fall Semester, Junior year
Meet with faculty advisor or Director of Graduate Studies and apply for the program
Fall Semester, Senior year
HIST 500 Historiography (3 credits, double-counted)
Spring Semester, Senior year
HIST 580 Senior Seminar (3 credits, double-counted)
A Second 500-level Graduate Course in History (3 credits, double-counted)
Summer after Senior year
One online 6-week 500-level courses (3 credits)
Notes:
- Only two of these courses will be offered each summer.
- Because students are required to register for their three 500-level summer credits while they are still undergraduates, they must call the Office of the Registrar no later than the drop period for the summer semester to change their registration to graduate level
Fall Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)
Spring Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)
Accelerated M.A. Timeline (B.A. with Secondary Teaching Concentration) — 30 Credits
Outline for degree completion of the Accelerated B.A. with a Secondary Teaching Concentration and M.A. in History
Fall Semester, Junior year
Meet with faculty advisor or Director of Graduate Studies and apply for the program
Fall Semester, Senior year
HIST 500 Historiography (3 credits, double-counted)
HIST 580 Senior Seminar (3 credits, double-counted)
Spring Semester, Senior year
Student Teaching
Summer after Senior year
Two online 6-week 500-level courses (6 credits)
Notes:
- Only two of these courses will be offered each summer.
- Because students are required to register for their six 500-level summer credits while they are still undergraduates, they must call the Office of the Registrar no later than the drop period for the summer semester to change their registration to graduate level
Fall Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST-coded courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)
Spring Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST-coded courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)