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HISTORY

COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

LEADING TO THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.)

 

Purposes

The purposes of the Department of History and Political Science are to:

  1. Increase the students' knowledge, train them in proper scholarly methods of research and writing, and prepare them for more effective teaching and for further graduate study.
  2. Instruct students in the study of the past.

The purposes of the Master of Arts (M.A.) in History program are to:

  1. Train students for careers in school teaching, government service, and business.
  2. Prepare students for doctoral study in History.

 

Requirements for Admission

To be accepted for admission into the M.A. in History program, a student must:

  1. Meet all University admission requirements.
  2. Have satisfactorily completed at least 30 undergraduate hours of History.
  3. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 (4.0 scale) for all undergraduate course work attempted or a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on all upper division undergraduate course work attempted.
  4. Score a minimum of 290 (combined verbal and quantitative scores) on the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Applicants for admission and for graduate assistantships should submit completed application forms, transcripts, and GRE scores by April 1. Applicants received after that date will be accepted, but priority in awarding assistantships and in scheduling graduate classes will be given to those who meet the April 1 deadline.

 

Degree Plan/Candidate Status/Application for Graduation

To remain in good standing in the M.A. in History program, all students must:

  1. Obtain the Graduate Coordinator's approval for an individual degree plan prior to registering for their first semester of graduate course work. Changes in the degree plan may be made only with the Graduate Coordinator's approval.
  2. Apply for status as a Candidate for the M.A. in History degree prior to completing 12 hours of graduate course work.
  3. Apply for graduation by the appropriate deadline for the semester in which they will graduate.

 

Requirements for Registering for Courses

To register for courses in the M.A. in History curriculum, students must:

  1. Have an approved up-to-date degree plan on file with the Department of History and Political Science.
  2. Obtain the Graduate Coordinator's written authorization prior to registration each semester. Advising for all graduate courses is mandatory. After receiving authorization, students will then be registered in the department office.
  3. Register during the early registration period for each semester. All 600-level courses in the M.A. in History curriculum have waiting lists. Students who do not register during the early registration period will have their names removed from the waiting lists for these courses.

 

Requirements for the History Degree

To receive the Master of Arts (M.A.) in History degree, students in the Thesis Option must:

  1. Satisfactorily complete 36 hours of graduate course work in one of the following Options with course work as specified under Course Requirements.
      1. Thesis Option
      2. Non-Thesis Option
      3. Public History Option1
      4. Secondary Teaching Option2
  2. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all course work.
  3. Satisfactorily complete the Comprehensive Exam.
  4. Satisfactorily complete an Internship if in the Public History Option.
  5. Satisfactorily complete a Master's Thesis if in the Thesis Option.
  6. Be recommended for the degree by the graduate faculty.
  7. Meet all requirements within 6 years of enrolling in the M.A. in History program.

 

Required for All M.A. Candidates

HIST 600: Historical Research 3 hours

 

American History (9-18 hours)

HIST 605: America to 1800 3 hours
HIST 606: America 1800-1900 3 hours
HIST 607: America since 1900 3 hours
HIST 610: Southern History 3 hours
HIST 611: Louisiana History 3 hours
HIST 612: American Military History 3 hours

 

European History (9-21 hours)

HIST 630: Western Thought 3 hours
HIST 641: Britain to 1485 3 hours
HIST 642: Britain since 1485 3 hours
HIST 643: Europe to 500 3 hours
HIST 644: Europe 500-1500 3 hours
HIST 645: Europe 1500-1815 3 hours
HIST 646: Europe since 1815 3 hours

 

Elective (0-15 hours)

HIST 602: Readings 3 hours
HIST 621: Independent Study 3 hours
HIST 698: Special Topics 3 hours
POLI 600: Seminar: Special Topics in American Politics 3 hours
POLI 610: Seminar: Special Topics in International Politics 3 hours

 

Required for Thesis Option

HIST 770: Thesis 6 hours

 

Required for Public HIstory Option1

HIST 637: Pubic History Internship 6 hours

 

Required for Secondary Teaching Option2

EPSY 603: Classroom Management and Motivation 3 hours
MAT 660: Specialty Area Learning Methods I: Secondary Education 3 hours
MAT 661: Specialty Area Learning Methods II: Secondary Education 3 hours
   
Total 36 hours

 

1Students in the Public History Option may also elect to do a Master’s Thesis in addition to the required Internship.

 

2Students in Secondary Teaching Option may elect to simultaneously pursue Alternate Certification in Social Studies Education, counting Educational Psychology 603 (3 hours), MAT 660 (3 hours), and MAT 661 (3 hours) toward the 36 hours required for the M.A. in History. Candidates must be admitted separately to both the Alternate Certification and the M.A. in History program. Alternate Certification also requires 12-21 additional undergraduate hours: EDUC 212 (3 hours), EDUC 307 or 407 (3 hours), EDUC 472 (3 hours) EPSY 301 or 311 (3 hours), and EDUC 429 (6 hours) or EDUC 486 (9 hours) or a State Department of Education Waiver (0 hours). Students employed as Social Studies teachers may apply to have 6 hours (2 semesters) of Education 429: Practicum for Alternate Certification Program substitute for 9 hours (1 semester) of Education 486: Student Teaching in Secondary Schools. Students with 3 years of teaching experience in Social Studies may apply to the State Department of Education for a student teaching waiver. Candidates for Alternate Certification must pass the Praxis I and II and attain a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA before being admitted into the program. If a student scores at least 22 on the ACT or a 1030 on the SAT or has a Master's degree in any discipline, the Praxis I is not required for admission into the Alternate Certification program. Note that the Practitioner's Licensee allowing students to teach while pursuing Alternate Certification is limited to 3 years. There is not limit for students who are not teaching while pursuing Alternate Certification; however, the M.A. in History must be completed within 6 years, and it is possible to complete both Alternate Certification and the M.A. in History in 3 years.

 

Comprehensive Exam

During or after their last semester of course work, students must satisfactorily complete a Comprehensive Examination on three historical fields determined in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator and each consisting of questions from two faculty members with whom the student has completed course work. Possible fields include Europe to 1500 (since Britain), Europe since 1500 (including Britain), America to 1877, America since 1877, and Political Science. A student who passes all three fields will have completed the process. A student who fails one field will take an oral exam on that field within ten working days of the written examination. A student who fails the oral exam must retake and pass the exam on that field within one year of the original exam or be dismissed from the program.

 

Master's Thesis

Students in the Thesis Option must defend their theses and receive approval from the Thesis Committee, Graduate Coordinator, Department Head, and the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Theses must conform to the style prescribed by the Graduate Council. Students must submit at least 2 copies of the final approved version to the Graduate Coordinator for binding by the Sims Memorial Library.

 

Graduate Faculty

All faculty in the Department of History and Political Science who are members of the University Graduate Faculty are members of the department’s graduate faculty and are eligible to teach graduate courses, supervise Master’s Theses, serve on Thesis Committees, and participate in Comprehensive Examinations. The University Graduate Council must renew member status for graduate faculty every six years. Temporary graduate faculty status must be renewed annually; adjunct faculty must be renewed each semester.

 

Graduate Coordinator

The Graduate Coordinator serves as academic advisor for all graduate students, supervises their progress toward the M.A. degree, approves all graduate degree plans, authorizes all students for registration in courses in the M.A. curriculum. The Graduate Coordinator supervises the work of all departmental graduate assistants, appoints the Major Professor, and Thesis Committee for students in the Thesis Option, and approved Internship sponsors for students in the Pubic History Option.