Graduate Program

Graduate work is offered in American, English, European, and Latin American history. Students applying for admission to graduate study in history must be approved by the majority of the history faculty. Students seeking graduate degrees in history must present recent GRE scores, an undergraduate transcript with at least a 3.00 average in all history courses and a 2.80 overall average that shows at least 12 credits earned in a foreign language.   

Degree Programs
Candidates must fulfill the requirements of the Graduate College and of the Department of History. Detailed information about requirements and procedures related to these programs is available in printed form from the head of the department.

Master of Arts
General M.A. requirements apply. A thesis degree and a non-thesis degree are offered. The thesis degree is offered in all fields of history for which faculty is currently available. The work toward an M.A. degree stresses preparation for research as well as a balanced course program.

Doctor of Philosophy in Historical Archaeology
This doctoral program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and entails coursework in both History and Anthropology and working with faculty in both departments.   The program includes comprehensive exams and completion of a dissertation based on original research.

Graduate Program Requirements
Undergraduate Preparation
    The ideal preparation for graduate study in History is a BA or BS in History from an accredited institution.
    The department, at its discretion, may accept applicants with a BA or BS in Humanities or Social Science field applicable to History(e.g., Political Science, Philosophy, English, Anthropology).

Standard Examinations for Admission (M.A. and Ph.D.)
    Graduate Record Exams (GRE):  Applicants must submit recent (within the last five years) scores for the General Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with their other application materials.  To be considered for admission, the applicants must have scores above the 50th percentile (the higher the better) in both the Analytical and Verbal sections of the test.
    Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):  Applicants whose native language is not English, must achieve a minimum score of 575 on the TOEFL to be considered for admission.