History
Master's Degree
Master of Arts
The department offers both the Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in history. The Master of Arts requires proficiency in at least one foreign language and the successful defense of a thesis. Those planning to continue graduate study in history at the doctoral level are strongly encouraged to pursue the M.A. The Master of Science is designed for in-service professionals and has no language or thesis requirement; students pursuing the M.S. are generally not awarded assistantships or tuition waivers. Both degrees require a minimum of 30 credit hours with a minimum of 24 hours in history.
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 six credits of the following (one to be in 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 coursework numbered 601 or higher | 6-9 | |
HIST 798 | Master's Thesis | 8 |
Total Credits | 30-33 |
Master of Science Degree
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
HIST 702 | Historiography | 3 |
HIST 710 | Research Seminar in North American History | 3 |
HIST 730 | Readings in North American History | 3 |
HIST 760 | Readings in European History | 3 |
HIST 780 | Readings in World History | 3 |
601 or above courses (Up to 3 credits may be taken from outside of the history department.) | 12 | |
HIST 797 | Master's Paper | 3 |
Total Credits | 39 |
Ph.D. Degree
The department offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in History. The Ph.D. in History is a research degree. It requires the successful defense of a dissertation based on primary sources that makes an original contribution to knowledge. We only admit students who already hold an M.A. in History or another very closely related field.
Foreign language requirements vary from field to field. One foreign language is required for students in the U.S. field. At least two foreign languages are required for all others, depending on the languages needed to conduct research and access the secondary literature. The language requirement can be met by completing college coursework in that language through the second year (e.g., SPAN 202) or by passing a language exam administered by the faculty.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Course Requirements | 60-90 | |
Historiography | ||
Directed Research | ||
Research Seminar in North American History | ||
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 | |
Doctoral Dissertation |
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