Program Description

The program is designed is to provide qualified students with the opportunity to pursue graduate-level training in American history. Students in this program may be teachers seeking an advanced degree, or others whose primary interest is in receiving a master’s degree with a concentration in history. The academic goal of the program is three-fold:

1. to increase the students’ knowledge of the facts of American history,
2. to provide the students with a familiarity with questions of interpretation of major aspects of American history,
3. to help students develop expertise in historical research and evaluation.

This program does not lead to teaching licensure.

Admission Requirements

Admission decisions are made by the department’s graduate committee, consisting of three specialists in American history, and one other elected member of the department with the approval of the Graduate Dean.

Prerequisites:

1. Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
2.  at least 24 semester credit hours in history or their equivalent as assessed by graduate advisors
3. an overall cumulative average of 2.6, or 3.0 for the last two years of undergraduate work
4. a cumulative average of 3.0 in history
5. an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test, as determined by the graduate committee.

Program Requirements

1. Completion of a total of 36 credits, of which 30 must be in history and six in education;
2. Six graduate credits reflecting coursework appropriate to the degree may be transferred from other graduate-level institutions, at the discretion of the department’s graduate committee;
3. Satisfactory completion of a master’s thesis, approved by the thesis director and with a thesis defense before the department’s graduate committee (and other members of the department who may choose to attend). Only members of the graduate committee may participate in the actual vote to determine whether a student has passed the thesis defense.

Specific Requirements

a) History - 18 Credits

Completion of 18 graduate credits in history, which must include the following three-credit courses, or their equivalent in transfer credits:

• HIST 0600   - Readings: America, 1600-1815 Credits: 3
• HIST 0605   - Readings: America, 1815-1914 Credits: 3
• HIST 0610   - Readings: America, 1914 to the Present Credits: 3
• HIST 0615   - Readings: Modern Europe 1500-1789 Credits: 3
• HIST 0620   - Readings: Modern Europe, 1789 to the Present Credits: 3
• HIST 0640   - Readings: Topics in World History Credits: 3

b) Independent Research - 6 Credits

Completion of 6 credits of independent research, selected from the following:

• HIST 0625   - Research: United States Before 1815 Credits: 3
• HIST 0630   - Research: United States 1815-1914 Credits: 3
• HIST 0635   - Research: United States 1914 to Present Credits: 3
• HIST 0645   - Research: European History Credits: 3
• HIST 0655   - Research: World History Credits: 3

  c) Research and Evaluation - 6 Credits

  Research and evaluation, as evidenced by completion of six graduate credits as follows:

• HIST 0698   - Thesis Research I Credits: 3
• HIST 0699   - Thesis Research II Credits: 3

• d) Education - 6 Credits

  Completion of six graduate credits in Education, which must include: EDUC 0633   - Social Cultural Theories: Foundations of Education  and any graduate 600 level course offered by the Department of Education, taken with the approval of the Graduate Program Advisor.

  Note: With the exception of the courses listed below, which will be directed study under the supervision of a thesis director, no directed study will be allowed as part of this program, and neither the department chairperson nor the graduate committee shall accept any courses as equivalent to any degree requirements.

• HIST 0625   - Research: United States Before 1815 Credits: 3
• HIST 0630   - Research: United States 1815-1914 Credits: 3
• HIST 0635   - Research: United States 1914 to Present Credits: 3
• HIST 0645   - Research: European History Credits: 3
• HIST 0655   - Research: World History Credits: 3
• HIST 0698   - Thesis Research I Credits: 3
• HIST 0699   - Thesis Research II Credits: 3