History
This is an archived copy of the 2018-19 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.
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.
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.
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
Master of Arts
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:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 702 | Historiography | 3 |
| HIST 705 | Directed Research (taken during second year) | 1 |
| HIST 710 | Research Seminar in North American History | 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 | ||
| History course work at 600 level or above | 6-9 | |
| Course work in approved outside field, at 600 level or above | 3 | |
| HIST 798 | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Master of Science Degree
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 702 | Historiography | 3 |
| HIST 710 | Research Seminar in North American History | 3 |
| Select 9 credits of the following (one to be declared the student's major area and the other the minor area): | 9 | |
| HIST 730 | Readings in North American History | 3 |
| HIST 760 | Readings in European History | 3 |
| HIST 780 | Readings in World History | 3 |
| 6xx-level or above courses (Up to 3 credits may be taken from outside of the history department.) | 12 | |
| HIST 797 | 3 | |
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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 702 | Historiography | 3 |
| HIST 705 | Directed Research | 1 |
| HIST 710 | Research Seminar in North American History (May be repeated for credit, provided the topics are different.) | 3 |
| Readings courses (Any of them may be repeated for credit, provided the topics are different.) | 6 | |
| Readings in North American History | ||
| Readings in European History | ||
| Readings in World History | ||
| 6xx - level or higher courses (At least 3 and no more than 6 of these credits must come from non-HIST courses) | 15 | |
| HIST 899 | 29 | |
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
Ashley Baggett, Ph. D.
Louisiana State University, 2014
Field: Women’s History/Gender Studies, 19th century U.S., Southern 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
Thomas D. Isern, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 1977
Field: History and Folklore of the North American Plains, History of Agriculture
Don Johnson, Ph.D.
Northwestern University, 2015
Field: Colonial and Revolutionary America History
Marcela Perett, Ph.D.
The Medieval Institute, University of Notre Dame, 2009
Field: Late Antiquity, Medieval Europe, Renaissance & Reformation
Angela Smith, Ph.D.
Middle Tennessee State University, 2011
Field: Public History, 20th Century American History, Cultural History, Digital History