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Washington State University
History | Program Requirements

World History Program Requirements

The World History Program prepares graduates to consider local historical problems within the broader perspective of world historical contexts and processes. To complete the History graduate Degree Requirements, students select a Primary Field  of regional expertise and embed this study within the general field of World History.

Master of Arts Program

Checklist: MA in World History

Program Requirements

The M.A. in World History can be pursued with either a thesis or a non-thesis option. The program consists of at least 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, distributed as follows:

  • History 570: World History Theory and Methods – 3 credits (fall semester)
  • History 571: Topics in World History – 3 credits
  • History 580: Historiography – 3 credits
  • History 525 or 540: Research Seminar – 3 credits in the primary field
  • Field Courses – 6 credits (3 cr. in the primary field, and 3 cr. in an area outside the primary and world fields)
  • Electives – 12 credits (should be taken at the 400 or 500 level in the student’s primary and general fields)
  • History 700: Master’s Research, Thesis, and/or Examination – 6 credits

Students pursuing World History as a general field must pass a foreign language translation exam before graduation. Up to 6 related graduate credits can be taken outside history. Related courses are offered in anthropology (archaeology), architecture, critical theory, gender and race studies, economics, foreign languages, geography, English, environmental science, law, political science, and sociology.

Doctor of Philosophy Program

Checklist: PhD in World History

World History Program Requirements

The program consists of at least 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree (and may include M.A. credits), distributed as follows:

  • History 570: World History Theory and Methods – 3 credits (fall semester)
  • History 571: Topics in World History – 6 credits
  • History 580: Historiography – 3 credits
  • History 525 or 540: Research Seminar – 6 credits in the primary field
  • Field Course(s) in Primary Field – 6 cr.
  • Field Course(s) in the Comparative Field – 3 cr.
  • Electives – varies (400 or 500 level courses in the student’s primary, comparative and general fields; up to 9 hours may be taken outside the department)
  • History 595: Teaching History – 3credits
  • Foreign Language Exam (by 3rd semester)
  • Prelim Exam, written and oral (by 5th semester)
  • Dissertation Proposal (D-1) Meeting (within four months of the preliminary exam)
  • History 800: Doctorate Dissertation Exam – 21 credits

Comparative Field

All World History graduate students take World as their General Field. The Comparative Field, designed in coordination with their major professor, provides spatial and temporal context to complement the Primary and General Fields and provides research and teaching breadth.

List of Field of Study Faculty

World History students must take 9 credits, including one Field Course (509, 510, 560, 569, 578, 597 or 600) and a second 400-500-level course in their Comparative Field of study. They must pass all three Comparative Field courses with the minimum grade of B+. No preliminary examination is required for the Comparative Field.

Up to 9 related graduate credits can be taken outside history (see related courses above).

Advising Procedure

Students must have a major professor to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.

The major professor must be a member of the graduate history faculty who has fields and/or skills related to one or more of the following: the primary field, the comparative field, and the field of World History.

The advisory committee will comprise the major professor (chairperson) and a minimum of 2 other faculty members, one of whom may be from another department representing the student’s interdisciplinary concentration.