Master of Arts in History – Non-Thesis Option

A non-thesis MA degree is normally understood to be a terminal degree.

Foreign Language

Knowledge of a foreign language is not required for admission to the master’s program, although all applicants are asked to give evidence of experience in at least one (1) foreign language. A student’s major professor may require a departmentally administered written translation examination in one (1) or more languages for completion of the MA degree. The stipulated language requirement must be fulfilled prior to registration for the Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination (History 702). If a student has English as a second language and if it is appropriate to his or her program, the student may count the native language as the foreign language. Students are encouraged to satisfy this requirement as soon as possible.

Program Requirements

The program consists of 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree; at least 26 credit hours must be in course and seminar work at the 400 and 500 level, taken for traditional letter grades (A–F). Of these 26 hours of course work, up to 9 credits of non-graduate (300- or 400-level) courses may be used. Six (6) of these credit hours may be taken outside the Department of History from courses listed in the Graduate School Bulletin. At least 21 credit hours must be taken in the Department of History and must include Historiography (History 580), at least 2 field courses from 2 different fields of study and at least 2 seminars in which research papers are prepared. Four (4) credit hours of Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination (History 702) must be taken and should be devoted to the preparation of scholarly work approved and directed by the student’s major professor and by an advisory committee made up of professors from the student’s 2 fields of study. The major professor will preside as chair. If required courses are not available during the student’s tenure in the program, appropriate substitutes may be taken (History 597, independent readings, etc.) with the approval of the major professor and the director of graduate studies.

The student must file a program of study with the Chair of the Department of History by the end of the second semester of enrollment in the masters program. The program establishes the student’s committee and outlines a course of study.

Oral Examination

A final oral examination will be scheduled and conducted in accordance with the Policies and Procedures of the Graduate School. The examination will concern the areas and periods covered in the seminars and field courses taken in the master’s program. The student must submit to each member of the advisory committee, at least 2 weeks prior to the date of the examination, a copy of the work prepared in History 702, as well as polished copies of the research papers prepared in the 2 seminars. (If more than 2 seminars were taken, the student and the major professor shall stipulate which 2 papers shall be submitted.) After gaining the approval of the advisory committee for each of the seminar papers, the student must pass the final oral examination. The papers must be deposited in the student’s departmental file for permanent retention.

Academic Standards

The academic standards set forth in the Policies and Procedures of the Graduate School will be strictly observed. MA students who fall below a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in any 2 semesters will be permanently barred from further enrollment. The director of graduate studies will send a letter informing the dean of the Graduate School that the student will be barred from further enrollment in graduate study in history and stating the reasons for the decision. A copy will be sent to the student. Only grades of B or better will be accepted for program credit.