History, M.A.
Admissions
- Official Transcripts
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Writing Sample
- Personal Statement
- No GRE scores required
Degree Requirements (30 hours)
The M.A. in History is offered in the following fields:
- Global, Comparative and Connective
- History of Science, Technology, and Environment
- Latin America
- U.S. to 1877
- U.S. since 1789
Note that coursework is also offered in the following areas: Ancient World, Medieval World, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, Middle East, East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
M.A. candidates choose two fields of specialization: a major and minor field.
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Introductory Course | 3 |
| Major Field | 12 |
| Minor Fields | 9 |
| 800 level Research Prospectus | 3 |
| Thesis Preparation | 3-9 |
| Foreign Language Competency or Methodological Equivalent | |
| Four Qualifying Exams |
Course Work (30 hours)
Credit hours shall be distributed as follows:
Introductory Course (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 720 | Introduction to the Study of History | 3 |
Major Field (12 hours)
Students must take 12 credit hours in the selected major field.
U.S. to 1877
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All students must take HIST 701 and 702 | ||
| HIST 701 | Reading Seminar in Colonial American History | 3 |
| HIST 702 | Reading Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | 3 |
| For the remaining credits, students may select from the following: | 6 | |
| Topics in History | ||
| Readings in American Colonial History | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| American Historiography | ||
U.S. Since 1789
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All students must take HIST 702 and HIST 703 | ||
| HIST 702 | Reading Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | 3 |
| HIST 703 | Reading Seminar in American History since 1876 | 3 |
| For remaining credit requirements, students may select from the following: | 6 | |
| South Carolina History | ||
| Topics in History | ||
| Contemporary United States | ||
| African American Women in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| American Historiography | ||
| History of American Women | ||
Latin America
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 773 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 774 | Atlantic World History, 15th to 19th Century | 3 |
| HIST 775 | Comparative History of Slavery in the Americas from the 15th to the 19th Century | 3 |
| HIST 776 | History of Brazil | 3 |
| HIST 785 | Comparative History of Time | 3 |
History of Science, Technology, and Environment
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All students must take HIST 601 | ||
| HIST 601 | Science, Technology, and Environment: A Historical Introduction | 3 |
| The remaining hours requirement may be selected from the following: | ||
| HIST 599 | Topics in History | 3 |
| HIST 712 | Reading Seminar in Special Fields | 3 |
| HIST 787 | Material Culture Studies | 3 |
| HIST 777 | Theory and Methodology of Religious History | 3 |
Global, Comparative, and Connective
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All students must take HIST 600 | ||
| HIST 600 | Approaches to Global History | 3 |
| The remaining required hours may be selected from the following: | ||
| HIST 741 | Readings in the Social History of Sport | 3 |
| HIST 777 | Theory and Methodology of Religious History | 3 |
| HIST 778 | Global History of Capitalism: Approaches and Issues | 3 |
| HIST 774 | Atlantic World History, 15th to 19th Century | 3 |
| HIST 775 | Comparative History of Slavery in the Americas from the 15th to the 19th Century | 3 |
| HIST 785 | Comparative History of Time | 3 |
| With advisor permission, select up to 3 credits of Independent Study in the Regional and Area Studies Courses listed in the Academic Bulletin. | ||
Minor Fields (9 hours)
Each student must identify a minor field composed of 9 credit hours. The minor field must come from the major fields listed above. In consultation with their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, students may explore focus areas within these fields, including but not limited to, African American History, Histories of Gender and Sexuality, Public, Digital & Interdisciplinary History (PDI), History of Religion, Atlantic History, History of Magic and Occult Sciences, and Histories of Urbanization and Sustainability. MA students may also take a secondary field in Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary history.
In order for graduate students to be trained broadly in the discipline of history, the secondary or tertiary field should not both be a subset of the primary field, and clearly distinguishable as a separate field of study.
Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary History
Take 9 credits from the areas listed below. Credits may come from a single topic or draw from both topics as deemed necessary by the advisor. Normally, students may apply up to 6 hours non-HIST courses to their degree.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Public and Digital History (up to 9 hours) | ||
| HIST 504 | Spatial Approaches to Historical Research | 3 |
| HIST 692 | Historic Preservation Field Experience--Charleston, S.C. | 3 |
| HIST 781 | History and Theory of Museums | 3 |
| HIST 786 | Comparative Applied History, U.S. and U.K. | 3 |
| HIST 787 | Material Culture Studies | 3 |
| HIST 788 | Memory, History, and Space | 3 |
| HIST 789 | Historic Site Interpretation | 3 |
| ANTH 745 | Seminar in Historical Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 782 | Language Ideology: The Political Economy of Language Beliefs and Practices | 3 |
| ARTH 542 | History of American Architecture | 3 |
| ISCI 560 | Data Visualization | 3 |
| ISCI 782 | Social Justice Storytelling and Advocacy | 3 |
| MUSM 700 | Administration and Management of Museums | 3 |
| MUSM 701 | Exhibition Development | 3 |
| MUSM 704 | Collecting, Collections Management, and Curatorial Practice | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary History and Methods (up to 12 hours) | ||
| HIST 504 | Spatial Approaches to Historical Research | 3 |
| HIST 601 | Science, Technology, and Environment: A Historical Introduction | 3 |
| HIST 816 | Historical Research Methods | 3 |
| ENGL 566 | Special Topics in U.S. Film and Media | 3 |
| ENGL 741 | Special Topics in African American Literature and Culture | 3 |
| WGST 701 | Feminist Theories and Epistemologies | 3 |
| WGST 797 | Seminar in Women's Studies | 3 |
800-Level Research Seminar (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | ||
| HIST 800 | Topics in History Research | 3 |
| HIST 802 | Research Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | 3 |
| HIST 803 | Research Seminar in American History, 1876-Present | 3 |
| HIST 811 | Research Seminar in Latin American History | 3 |
Thesis Preparation (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 799 | Thesis Preparation | 3-9 |
Additional Information
The M.A. thesis will be an expanded version of the student’s 800-level research seminar paper, revised to the standard of a potentially publishable article-length essay. Normally, students will submit the thesis in the semester after completion of the 800-level research seminar paper, but students who complete their 800-level seminar in their first year may petition the Graduate Committee to submit their thesis during their final semester in the M.A. program. The thesis must be submitted in accordance with the regulations of The Graduate School.
Following successful completion of an 800-level research seminar, students will take an oral comprehensive examination on their thesis. In this examination, students will be asked to place their thesis in historiographic perspective. Normally, students will take the comprehensive examination in the semester after they complete an 800-level seminar. However, students who complete an 800-level seminar in their first year may petition the Graduate Committee to take their M.A. examination during their final semester in the program.
Candidates for the M.A. degree shall file a program of study during their first semester of study and in no case later than 12 months after entering the program. Candidates for the M.A. in History take a minimum of 30 semester hours, of which not more than 6 hours are for the thesis. Course selection must take into account the Graduate School regulation for the M.A. that “at least half of the credit hours on the Program of Study, exclusive of thesis preparation (799), must be earned in courses numbered 700 and above.
Normally, master’s students will be allowed to take 3 credits of independent study. In most cases, independent studies will be limited to secondary fields and/or less commonly taught areas within the approved bulletin fields. Normally, students will be allowed to apply up to 3 credits of non-HIST courses to their MA coursework.
Every M.A. student shall prove competency in at least one foreign language or appropriate methodology. Additional languages and/or methodological requirements will be determined by the student’s program advisory committee when the chosen fields or research interests demand more