History

This is an archived copy of the 2023-24 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.ndsu.edu.

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.

HIST 702Historiography3
HIST 705Directed Research (taken during second year)1
HIST 710Research Seminar in North American History3
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 higher6-9
HIST 798Master's Thesis8
Total Credits30-33

Master of Science Degree

HIST 702Historiography3
HIST 710Research Seminar in North American History3
HIST 730Readings in North American History3
HIST 760Readings in European History3
HIST 780Readings in World History3
601 or above courses (Up to 3 credits may be taken from outside of the history department.)12
HIST 797Master's Paper3
Total Credits39
 
 
 

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.

Course Requirements60-90
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