History, M.A.
Admissions
- Official Transcripts
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Writing Sample
- Personal Statement
- No GRE scores required
Degree Requirements (30 hours)
Students pursuing an M.A. in History can focus on a variety of fields. These include U.S. History, European History, Latin American History and the Ancient World. Students can also pursue thematic areas such as Science, Technology, and the Environment (STE), Global, Comparative, and Connective History (GCC), Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary History (PDI). The requirements to earn the M.A. in History are:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 720 | Introduction to the Study of History | 3 |
| Major Disciplinary Area - Select 12 hours of coursework from one of the following disciplinary areas: | 12 | |
| US History | ||
| Reading Seminar in Colonial American History | ||
| Reading Seminar in American History, 1789-1876 | ||
| Reading Seminar in American History since 1876 | ||
| Contemporary United States | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| European History | ||
| Reading Seminar in Early Modern European History | ||
| European Intellectual History, 1815-1900 | ||
| French Revolution and Napoleonic Era | ||
| Research Seminar in Early Modern European History | ||
| Latin American History | ||
| Latin American History | ||
| Atlantic World History, 15th to 19th Century | ||
| Comparative History of Slavery in the Americas from the 15th to the 19th Century | ||
| History of Brazil | ||
| Research Seminar in Latin American History | ||
| Ancient World | ||
| Reading Seminar in Ancient History | ||
| The Age of the Antonines | ||
| Readings in Pre-Modern Chinese History | ||
| European Historiography | ||
| Research Seminar in Ancient History | ||
| Science, Technology and the Environment (STE) | ||
| Science, Technology, and Environment: A Historical Introduction | ||
| Rise of Industrialism | ||
| Exploring Ethnohistory | ||
| Comparative History of Time | ||
| Memory, History, and Space | ||
| Global, Comparative and Connective (GSS) | ||
| Approaches to Global History | ||
| China and the West, 1840-1949 | ||
| Theory and Methodology of Religious History | ||
| Global History of Capitalism: Approaches and Issues | ||
| Readings in Modern Military Thought | ||
| Public, Digital, and Interdisciplinary History | ||
| Spatial Approaches to Historical Research | ||
| Historic Preservation Field Experience--Charleston, S.C. | ||
| Capital City Field School: Theory and Practice of Historic Preservation | ||
| History and Theory of Museums | ||
| Material Culture Studies | ||
| Minor Disciplinary Area - Select 9 hours of coursework from one of the above listed areas not chosen for the major area | 9 | |
| HIST 800 | Topics in History Research | 3 |
| HIST 799 | Thesis Preparation | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Additional Information
The M.A. thesis consists of a potentially publishable article-length essay based on original research. While this research can stem from work done in a variety of classes, the thesis is customarily revised from an 800-level research seminar paper. Normally, students will submit the thesis in the semester after completion of an 800-level research seminar paper, although other thesis research can be approved by the History Department Graduate Committee. The thesis must be submitted in accordance with the regulations of The Graduate School.
After submitting the thesis to committee members, students will take an oral comprehensive examination on their thesis. In this examination, students will be asked to place their thesis in historiographic perspective as well as to justify the research methodologies employed.
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. 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.