History Program Information and Admission Requirements

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• History - Master of Arts Degree
• HIST Courses
• Department of History

Master of Arts Degree

• Option A: Thesis Option
• Option B: Non-Thesis Option

Master of Arts in History Admission Criteria

Admission to the History MA program is based on undergraduate GPA, letter of intent, letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. An applicant interested in pursuing a MA in History should*:

1. Meet the requirements for admission set forth by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research,
2. Have completed an undergraduate program containing at least 18 semester hours of history,
3. Have a 3.25 undergraduate GPA or submit GRE scores,
4. Submit to the Graduate Chair a letter of intent that describes the applicant's interests and goals in obtaining a graduate degree,
5. Submit to the Graduate Chair evidence of the writing and analytical skills necessary for graduate level course work,
6. Submit to the Graduate Chair at least two letters of recommendation.

*In the absence of any of the above, admission may be granted on a conditional basis.

Program Requirements

• At least half of the course work in each program (excluding thesis hours) must be completed in non-P courses.
• At least 9 hours of course work for the thesis option; at least 15 hours of course work for the non-thesis option.
• At least 3 hours of work in colloquia or seminars must be in U.S. History and at least 3 hours of work in colloquia or seminars must be in non U.S. History.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all graduate hours to graduate.

Comprehensive Examinations

All students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination to be administered within nine months following the completion of course work. This will include both written and oral examinations over the major and minor fields. Thesis students will define their thesis proposal in the written component, and defend their completed thesis as the oral component.

The thesis committee will be the examining committee for thesis students. The committee for non-thesis students will be composed of graduate faculty with the Department Graduate Committee Chair serving as moderator. A majority vote by the student's examining committee will determine whether the student has successfully passed the examinations.

Although unsuccessful students may take the exams a second time, they must apply for a waiver should the time limit have expired. The decision to waive this time requirement will be granted at the discretion of the majority of the Department's Graduate Committee.

Thesis and Thesis Committee

Students interested in pursuing the thesis option must do the following:

1. Complete at least 12 hours of course work with a 3.5 GPA
2. Obtain a Letter of Agreement from a history faculty member who agrees to serve as thesis advisor.
3. Submit to the graduate chair a Thesis Prospectus that outlines the proposed thesis topic.
4. Submit "Proposed Supervisory Committee for Thesis" form.

A completed thesis must be submitted for the approval of the thesis committee within two years from the completion of the course work. This time requirement may be waived at the discretion of the majority of the Department's Graduate Committee. The thesis committee shall consist of a minimum of three members: The candidate's thesis professor who will serve as chair; a member representing the candidate's major discipline (generally from the degree granting institution); and a third member representing a related field selected at large from the University of Nebraska Graduate Faculty. (This member cannot be a member of the candidate's department.) Students in the thesis-option are encouraged to present their research at the annual Missouri Valley History Conference (or another venue approved by thesis advisor).