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. http://www.unk.edu/s.

Program Requirements

• At least half of the course work in each program (excluding thesis hours) must be completed in non-P courses.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all graduate hours to graduate.

Comprehensive Examinations for Non-Thesis Students

Students pursuing the non-thesis option must do the following:

1. Complete all coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
2. Successfully complete a comprehensive written examination over the major and minor fields. Students will be eligible to take the exam the term following the completion of coursework.
   The exam must be successfully passed within nine months following the completion of course work.

To successfuly pass the examination, students must pass all essay questions. Students who do not pass an exam essay question or questions may retake the questions they failed. If the time limit has expired, the students must apply for a waiver.

Thesis and Thesis Committee for Thesis Students

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 including History 801 and History 803.
2. Complete History 894 (Introduction to Thesis) with a grade of B or better, and maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 or better.
3. Obtain a Letter of Agreement from a history faculty member who agrees to serve as thesis advisor.
4. Submit to the graduate chair and receive approval of a Thesis Prospectus that outlines the proposed thesis topic.
5. Submit "Proposed Supervisory Committee for Thesis" form.
6. Successfully defend their completed thesis in an oral defense to be conducted by the student's thesis committee.

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 Department's Graduate Committee.
The thesis committee shall consist of a minimum of three members: The candidate's thesis advisor 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. 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).