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History

Program and Application Information
Department Head:Dr. John K. Cox
Graduate Coordinator:Dr. Thomas Isern
Department Location:422 Minard
Department Phone:(701) 231-8654
Department Email:ndsu.history@ndsu.edu
Department Web Site:ndsuhprs.org/
Application Deadline:April 1, for assistantship consideration
Degrees Offered:Ph.D., M.A., M.S.
Test Requirement:GRE
English Proficiency Requirements:TOEFL ibT 100; IELTS 7

Program Description

The graduate program in history at North Dakota State University has offered a master's degree program since the Graduate School was founded in 1954. In 2002, a joint program for a Ph.D. in History was instituted between NDSU and the University of North Dakota. A complete program description follows the M.S./M.A. requirements. The graduate faculty also provides instruction to non-history majors in other departments as well as the region's secondary education instructors who require continuing education credits for certification.

The department offers both the Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees in the areas of United States history, modern European history, or world history. Candidates with two years of foreign language study at the baccalaureate level or who have passed a standard foreign language examination meet the requirements for the Master of Arts. Students taking either degree may choose either the thesis or comprehensive study option.

The history graduate program provides a rigorous and highly personalized graduate experience. This experience produces confident people with a sense of achievement. They are ready to contribute as scholars and teachers.

Admissions Requirements

Master's Degree

The Department of History graduate program is open to qualified graduates of universities and colleges of recognized standing. In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, the applicant must also

  • provide a statement of intent that clearly outlines the applicant's interest and purpose for seeking a master's degree in history. The department uses this statement to assess the applicant's ability to organize thoughts, to formulate a plan of academic study, and to complete the graduate program. This statement also enables the department to determine whether North Dakota State University's graduate history program suits the applicant's needs and objectives.
  • Submit a substantial paper submitted for an upper-division history class or for a class in the humanities and social sciences. The paper should provide evidence of an applicant's ability to synthesize information, to organize his/her thoughts logically, and to communicate clearly and effectively.
  • Take the general Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and submit these scores before admission to the program. Students admitted to the program generally score an average of 500 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE's. Students scores on the new analytic writing section should be comparable, i.e. 3.5-4.0. The department requires students whose native language is not English to have a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper test) or 247 (computer test).

Ph.D.

The Ph.D. program is jointly conducted by the History Departments of North Dakota State University (Fargo) and the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks). Students should contact the Graduate School on the campus of their choice for application materials.

For more information on this program, please contact at NDSU:

  • Dr. Mark Harvey,                                                At UND:  Dr. Ty Reese,
  • Professor and Graduate Coordinator                                 Associate Professor and Graduate Director
  • (701) 231-8828                                                              (701) 777-2593
  • mark.harvey@ndsu.edu                                                   ty_reese@und.edu

Admissions Requirements

Preference for admission into the Ph.D. program with full graduate standing will be given to applicants who have a GPA of at least 3.5 in history courses in an earned bachelor's or master's degree.

Applicants shall submit a statement of intent clearly outlining their research interests, potential major adviser, career goals, and purpose for seeking a Ph.D. in History.

Applicants will submit a substantial paper submitted for a class in History to provide evidence of ability to research thoroughly, to interpret and analyze primary and secondary sources, to synthesize information, to organize thoughts logically, and to communicate clearly and effectively.

The GRE examination is required, and preference for admission into the Ph.D. program with full graduate standing will be given to applicants who score a combined total of 1,000 points on the verbal and analytical sections of the GRE aptitude test.

The program requires a student for whom English is not a native language to have a minimum TOEFL score of 600.

Residency Requirements

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are required to complete at least one academic year (18 credits minimum) in residence at one campus.

Resident students may qualify for teaching assistantships. Students who have completed an M.A. degree may be assigned full responsibility for undergraduate courses or may be assigned to assist a faculty member in teaching courses.

Students will be required to take some courses from faculty at both campuses but will register at only one university. Some courses will be offered by interactive video network; some will be offered through Internet online systems; some courses will require students to travel to the other campus. Students not residing on one of the cooperating campuses will have to have access to a satisfactory research library for various courses and for dissertation research.

Financial Assistance

The graduate department has graduate assistantships for qualified students. Assistantships are 10-20 hours/week with graduate tuition waiver. Students wishing to apply for a teaching assistantship should express this in writing to the chair of the department. The deadline for assistantship applications is April 1.

The department awards and renews assistantships based on maintenance of good standing in the program and full-time registration during the appointment, demonstration of historical knowledge and good communication skills, progress towards completion of a degree, interest and potential in teaching as a career, financial need, and minority status in cases of equally qualified candidates.

The department awards assistantships for a one-year (10 month) contract period. It renews these assistantships for one additional year pending the availability of funds, progress toward the completion of a degree, and satisfactory job performance.

Master's Degree

Thesis Option

A student selecting the thesis option must complete at least 30 semester credits of graduate work with a minimum of 21 credits in history. Most graduate students in history choose this option. The thesis should reflect original thought and research using primary materials. The department recommends that students intending to continue to a Ph.D. program select this option. Students selecting this track must meet the following requirements:

HIST 701Methods of Historical Research (taken first semester)3
Select 6 credits of the following (one to be declared the student's major area and the other the minor area):6
Readings in North American History
Readings in European History
Readings in World History
HIST 705Directed Research (taken during second year)1
History course work at 600 level or above9-12
Course work in approved outside field, at 600 level or above6-9
1 written comprehensive exam in student's major area
HIST 798Master's Thesis6-10
Final oral defense

Non-Thesis Option

Comprehensive Study Option

A student choosing the comprehensive study option must complete at least 30 semester credits of graduate work with at least 21 credits in history. The student must present three comprehensive study papers. Students write one comprehensive study paper for their major and each of their minor areas of program study. These papers involve substantial research and synthesis in secondary materials. The department does not expect these papers to be original contributions to the world of scholarship, but rather syntheses that demonstrate mastery of particular topics. Students selecting this track must meet the following requirements:


Lesson Plan Option

This option is designed for graduate students who are teachers at the K-12 level, or who plan to be. The number of credit hours and the course requirements are identical to those of the Comprehensive Plan Option. In the Lesson Plan Option, the student prepares three lesson plans in a parallel fashion to the comprehensive study papers (See Comprehensive Study Option above). In addition to the lesson plan, the student needs to reflect on these teaching units and provide an intellectual and pedagogical context for them. This reflection should demonstrate scholarly thinking and effort.

HIST 701Methods of Historical Research (taken first semester)3
9 credits, all of the following (one to be declared the student's major area, the others are minor areas):
HIST 730Readings in North American History3
HIST 760Readings in European History3
HIST 780Readings in World History3
History course work at 600 level or above6-9
Course work in approved outside field, at 600 level or above6-9
1 written comprehensive exam in student's major area
HIST 797Master's Paper (2-4 credits)1-3
3 comprehensive study papers
1 final oral defense

Suggested Curricula

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
HIST 7013HIST 7603
HIST 7303HIST 7803
HIST 600 or 700 level history elective HIST 600 or 700 level history electives 
 HIST 600 or 700 level approved outside field elective 
 6 6
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
HIST 600 or 700 level history elective HIST 760 or 780 (both required in comprehensive study option)3
HIST 600 or 700 level history elective HIST 797 or 7981-10
HIST 600 or 700 level approved outside field elective  
HIST 705 (thesis option)1-4 
 1-4 4-13
Total Credits: 17-29

Ph.D. Degree

Students must satisfactorily complete 90 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Students entering with an M.A. degree must complete at least 60 additional semester graduate credits. Core course requirements must be met, which include Methods of Historical Research, Historiography, Seminar in the Teaching of History, at least 2 research seminars, and at least 2 readings courses. Students must complete 36 credits with at least 27 credits in History. Students will earn at least 12 credits in one major field. Students must have at least nine hours each in two minor fields; one minor field must be in History.

Students must have a proficiency in two languages other than their native language, or one foreign language and one special research skill such as statistics or computer science.

The program will require at least one academic year in residence at either campus. Students will register at one of the universities that will be the student's academic "home". The student's adviser must be employed at the home university. At least one member of the student's committee must be employed at the other (not home) university. Students will have to take courses at both universities. Students will write three comprehensive examinations in their major and minor fields. The exams will be read and graded by the supervisory committee. Students will complete an oral examination based on the written exams. The oral examination is to be conducted by the supervisory committee.

Students will write a dissertation (up to 24 credits) on an approved topic in consultation with the faculty adviser and the supervisory committee of five faculty. The dissertation must be based on extensive research in primary and secondary sources, must argue an original thesis, and must be defended before the supervisory committee.

The committee will be composed of the faculty adviser who represents the student's field of study and will direct the research and writing of the dissertation. A second member of the committee (second reader) also represents the student's major field of study. A third member of the committee will represent the student's first minor field of study. The fourth member of the committee represents either the student's major field or second minor field. At least one of the four History faculty must be from the cooperating (non-home) university. The Graduate School will appoint the fifth member of the committee.

Major Fields

Students will be required to write three comprehensive exams in their major and minor (or outside) fields. The exams will be read and graded by the student's supervisory committee. Students will complete an oral examination based on the written exams. The oral examination is to be conducted by the supervisory committee.

Major Fields:

  • Great Plains History
  • Rural History
  • North American History
  • Western European History

Minor Fields:

  • Public History
  • World History

Tracy Barrett, Ph.D.
Cornell University, 2007
Field: East and Southeast Asia, Overseas Chinese

Bradley Benton, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles, 2012
Field: Latin American History, Colonial Mexico; Nahua (Aztec) politics, society, and culture; the early modern Atlantic world; cross-cultural contact and exchange.

John K. Cox, Ph.D.
Indiana University, 1995
Field: Eastern Europe, Russia, Germany, Ottoman Empire

Mark Harvey, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming, 1986
Field: American West, Environmental History, Public History

John A. Helgeland, Ph.D.
University of Chicago, 1973
Field: History of Christianity, History of Culture, Roman Empire, Philosophy of History

Thomas D. Isern, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 1977
Field: History and Folklore of the North American Plains, History of Agriculture

Gerritdina Justitz, Ph.D.
University of California--San Diego, 1996
Field: Early Modern Europe, Social and Cultural History of the Reformation

Angela Smith, Ph.D.
Middle Tennessee State University, 2011
Field: Public History, 20th Century American History, Cultural History, Digital History