Admission
Admission to the MA program in history requires completion of an undergraduate major in history, or a minimum of 18 credit hours of history; a grade point average of 2.750 or better, including all undergraduate credit hours; and a 3.000 grade point average in history. Under unusual circumstances applicants with less than a 3.000 average in history may be granted a probationary admission. Applicants must submit a one page Statement of Purpose, and a writing sample of no more than 20 pages to the graduate coordinator. International students are required to have a minimum TOEFL score of 600 paper-based, or 100 internet-based, or an overall band score of 7.5 on the IELTS, or a score of 73 on the PTE-Academic. The application deadline for domestic and U.S. resident students for fall admission is March 15 if they would like to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) position, August 1 for non-GTA fall admission, and December 1 for spring admission. For international students, the deadlines are April 1 and August 1, respectively.
Program Requirements
Students may follow one of three plans for a graduate degree in history: a thesis program, a nonthesis program and a program in local and community history.
Thesis Program
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 725 | Advanced Historical Methods | 3 |
| HIST 727 | Readings In History | 3 |
| Select 9 credit hours of the following | 9 | |
| Seminar American History | ||
| Seminar European History | ||
| Select 12 credit hours of HIST 500- and 600-level courses | 12 | |
| HIST 802 | Thesis | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 31 | |
At least one seminar and one lecture-based course must be taken outside of the student’s primary comprehensive field.
Students must pass a world language competency examination, pass a written examination in one comprehensive field, and pass an oral examination in defense of the thesis. The written examination must precede the oral examination.
Nonthesis Program
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 725 | Advanced Historical Methods | 3 |
| Select 6 credit hours of the following | 6 | |
| Readings In History | ||
| Select 12 credit hours of the following | 12 | |
| Seminar American History | ||
| Seminar European History | ||
| Select 12 credit hours of HIST 500- and 600-level courses | 12 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 33 | |
Students must pass written examinations in two comprehensive fields.
Comprehensive Fields
Students may select from the following areas for their comprehensive examinations:
- U.S. history
- The ancient and medieval worlds
- Modern Europe
- Local and community history
Written examinations will be scheduled to take place during a two week period following the spring and fall breaks.
Applied Learning
Students in the MA in history program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from this program.
For students choosing the thesis option, the requirement can be met by completing HIST 725 and HIST 802.
For students choosing the nonthesis option, the requirement can be met by completing HIST 725.