The M.A. program offers all students intermediate training preparatory to doctoral  programs, advanced training leading to teaching and other careers, and disciplined  advanced work. The department offers study in European history, United States  history, East Asian history, Latin American history, African history, and Middle Eastern history. Within these areas of study, students may specialize in the following fields:

Europe to 1715
Europe since 1715
Latin America
United States to 1865
United States since 1865
China and Japan since 1800
Africa and the Middle East
Africa and African American

Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet several departmental admission requirements in addition to the general criteria of the Graduate School. The applicant's undergraduate studies need not have been in history, but they must demonstrate high academic potential. Normally, only students with a 3.2 grade point average in their undergraduate major are admitted; most successful applicants have higher grades.

Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, preferably from former  teachers, and a sample of their written work. The sample may or may not be academic  work, and length is not a consideration. Applicants for graduate teaching assistantships  must take the GRE Aptitude Test; the Advanced Test is optional. The departmental  Graduate Committee bases its admission decisions upon the undergraduate transcript,  the letters of recommendation, and the sample of written work.

Core
All candidates for the M.A. degree in history must complete a core of 26 hours of course work (excluding thesis credit), with no more than nine hours of history and related fields at the 300 level (except History 393(4004). This 26-hour core must include seven courses at 3 credit hours each (21 hours in all), and one 5-credit-hour writing seminar consisting of a 2-credit-hour research paper supplement to a 3-credit-hour, 400-level history readings course.

To earn the 26-hour core, candidates select three fields of study, the first with a minimum of four courses (each at 3 credit hours or more), the second and third with a minimum of two courses each (at 3 credit hours or more). Each field must include at least one 400-level course.

In addition to this core, each candidate must select one of the two following degree options:

1) Thesis Option--32 hours total
In addition to the core, the candidate choosing this option must enroll for 6 hours of thesis credit and submit an acceptable thesis. The thesis is based on original research in primary sources. Normally, theses do not exceed 100 pages of text. Candidates receive a grade for the thesis upon its approval by an advisory committee. The committee consists of professors selected by the candidate after consultation with the major professor. One member of the committee must be outside the candidate's general area of study, and one may be outside the history department.

The advisory committee conducts an oral examination on the thesis during the  candidate's last semester of residence. The committee decides whether the candidate  shall pass, fail, or fail with the option to repeat the oral examination at a later date. Students may not take the oral examination more than twice. The second examination must be held no less than one and no more than two semesters following the date of the first examination. Summer session may be counted as a semester under this procedure, but students should be aware of the difficulties involved in assembling faculty committees during the summer.

Thesis candidates must demonstrate competence in one foreign language or in  quantitative methods as applied to historical study. Candidates shall demonstrate  foreign language competence by translating, with the use of a dictionary, 500 words in one hour. A member of the history faculty will conduct this examination. That faculty member will choose the test for translation. Candidates shall demonstrate quantitative methods competence by satisfactory completion of either Psychological Statistics 201(2201) or Sociological Statistics 220(3220), or their equivalent.

2) Research Paper Option--36 hours total
To complete this option, the candidate must complete two 5-credit-hour seminars  (each consisting of a 400-level reading seminar plus 2 credit hours of supplementary  work on a substantial research paper), in addition to the core. The candidate may choose a fourth field in addition to the three already represented in the core to complete this option.

For most students this will be a terminal master of arts degree, fully preparing  graduates for immediate entry into museum careers in a variety of positions.  While the core requirement focuses on history studies, the museological training  is applicable to employment in any type of museum.

Admission Requirements
Applicants wishing to enter the Museum Studies concentration must apply specifically  for that concentration; successful application for the general M.A. program in history does not automatically provide access to the museum studies program. Applications for the museum studies concentration will be accepted only for the fall semester. Because of the prescribed sequence of course work, no midyear entry into the program will be allowed.

In addition to the general criteria of the Graduate School, applicants for the Museum Studies concentration must meet several additional criteria of the Department of History and the museum studies program. Applicants' undergraduate studies need not have been in history, but they must demonstrate high academic potential. Normally, the history department admits only students with a 3.2 grade point average in their undergraduate major; most successful applicants have higher grades. Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, preferably from former teachers and/or employers, and a sample of their written work. The sample may or may not be academic work, and length is not a consideration.  Besides these departmental requirements, applicants must submit the Museum Studies Supplemental Application. The supplemental application includes a statement of intent for pursuit of a museum career.

The departmental Graduate Committee and the director of the museum studies program will base their admissions decisions upon the undergraduate transcript, the letters of recommendation, the sample of written work, and the GRE scores as evidence of ability to meet the academic demands of the training program, and the supplemental application as evidence of the will and ability to pursue a successful career in museums.

Applications for the museum studies program must be received by the university no later than March 1.

Museum Studies Curriculum--39 hours total
All candidates for the M. A. in History with a Concentration in Museum Studies must complete History 434(6134), 435(6135), 436(6136), and 437(6137). (These courses are cross listed under the same numbers in the Anthropology Department and the Art and Art History Department. Students may enroll through the department of their choice.) All candidates must also complete Art and Art History 488(5588)  (Museum Education and Visitor Research) and Anthropology 439(6139) (Practicum in Exhibit and Program Development). Together, these courses provide a solid foundation in the theory and history of museology and in practical skills for museum work. As a final requirement, candidates must complete History (or Anthropology or Art and Art History) 438(6138). This exit project will be the capstone demonstration of competence in museum studies. The specific nature of this demonstration will be customized to the interests and career aspirations of each student. It may take the form of a traditional thesis, an exhibit project, or some other appropriate form, as approved in advance by the candidate's advisory committee.

In addition to these requirements, all candidates must complete 15 hours of elective history course work, with no more than 6 hours of history at the 300 level (except History 393(4004). Museum Studies students will take courses distributed in any proportion between the fields of "United States to 1865" and "United States Since 1865." Exceptions to this requirement (e.g., selections of courses from another field, such as European or African history) must be approved in advance by both the director of the Museum Studies Program and the graduate coordinator of the History Department.