History

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John Ashbrook
Chair, History Department

Tiffany Ziegler
Graduate Coordinator

Mission Statement

In the discipline of history the primary purpose of the M.A. degree is to serve as an intermediate step between the B.A. and Ph.D. levels. However, many people seek the M.A. degree for reasons of their own. Some are teachers who seek salary advancement, some are preparing for law school, some plan to go into business, library work, or archival work, and some simply enjoy studying history. With these facts in mind it is impossible to devise a specific, narrowly based mission statement for this degree. However, the goal of the history M.A. program at Midwestern State University is to provide a thorough grounding in the literature, research methods, writing, and analytical skills attendant to the discipline so as to enable each student to approach his/her next level of endeavor with confidence.

Pathways for Completion

The Master of Arts in History has three pathways for completion:

1. Five-year path leading to a combined Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts with a major in History. This path allows academically focused students to earn both the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts with a major in History in 5 years of full-time study. Students who are admitted to the combined degree path may opt in their third year and receive the Bachelor of Arts degree provided that all requirements in the History major have been satisfactorily completed.
2. A two-year, traditional Master of Arts with a major in History with thesis option.
3. A two-year, traditional Master of Arts with a major in History without thesis option.

Graduate Admissions and Requirements

An application for admission to the Midwestern State University Graduate Program is available on the web site at https://msutexas.edu/academics/graduate-school/how-to-apply.php.

Unconditional Admission may be granted to an applicant who has:

1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. The Office of the Graduate School must receive an official transcript, including one on which a bachelor’s degree is posted, directly from each institution the applicant has attended.
2. A GPA of at least 3.0 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.
3. Writing sample and three letters of recommendation.

Conditional Admission. See “Admission to the Graduate School .”

Admission by Review. See “Admission to the Graduate School .”

Degree Completion Requirements

For students pursuing the Five-Year path:

1. Satisfactory completion of all History major requirements.
2. Satisfactory completion of thirty (30) hours of approved graduate History course work.
3. Satisfactory completion of a reading knowledge examination of an approved foreign language. This examination is administered by the World Languages and Cultures Department in cooperation with the History Department, OR, satisfactory completion of two (2) years of study of one (1) foreign language.
4. Satisfactory completion of two (2) History seminars.
5. Admission to candidacy. This step occurs automatically upon satisfactory completion of all course work.
6. Approved original paper of publication quality.
7. Satisfactory completion of the oral examination covering all course work and the original paper.

For students pursuing the Thesis Option:

1. Satisfactory completion of twenty-four (24) hours of approved graduate History course work.
2. Satisfactory completion of four (4) History seminars.
3. Admission to candidacy. This step occurs automatically upon satisfactory completion of all course work.
4. Approved thesis. Thesis carries six (6) hours of credit.
5. Satisfactory completion of the oral examination covering all course work and the thesis.

For students pursuing the Non-Thesis Option:

1. Satisfactory completion of thirty-six (36) hours of approved graduate History course work.
2. Satisfactory completion of four (4) History seminars. 
3. Admission to candidacy. This step occurs automatically upon satisfactory completion of all course work.
4. Acceptance by the department of an approved research paper.  This paper will be completed by the student under the direction of any member of the history graduate faculty.
5. Satisfactory completion of the oral examination covering all graduate course work and the research paper.

For students pursuing the Non-Thesis Option with an Outside Course Sequence:

1. Satisfactory completion of thirty-six (36) hours of approved graduate course work.
   i. Twenty-four to thirty (24-30) hours of approved graduate History course work.
   ii. Six to twelve (6-12) hours of approved graduate course work outside of the History Department.  (Six hours may or may not constitute an official minor).
2. Satisfactory completion of four (4) History seminars.
3. Admission to candidacy. This step occurs automatically upon satisfactory completion of all course work.
4. Acceptance by the department of an approved research paper.  This paper will be completed by the student under the direction of any member of the history graduate faculty.
5. Satisfactory completion of the oral examination covering all graduate course work and the research paper.

For students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in History:

1. Satisfactory completion of twelve (12) hours of approved graduate History course work.

Application requirements for certificate students:

1. Application as a post-baccalaureate student.
2. Official transcripts (submit to graduate school).
3. Bachelor’s degree (submit evidence to graduate school on transcript).
4. Letter of interest/essay (500 words) explaining how the certificate will benefit the student (submit to graduate school).
5. Signed post-baccalaureate statement (submit to graduate school).
6. GRE not required.
7. Letters of recommendation not required.

Note: Candidates applying for a certificate program are not applying for admission to the Graduate School.  Please consult the MSU graduate catalog for details.  Students may upon approval by the History Graduate Coordinator apply graduate course work completed at MSU towards an M.A. in History.  However, the student must first formally apply to and be accepted into the graduate school and the History program.

Graduate Advisory Committee

Students pursuing the M.A. in History must assemble a Graduate Advisory Committee.  The student and the graduate advisor will select a committee consisting of three (3) members of the graduate faculty. This committee will approve the thesis and/or the research paper and administer the oral examination. The thesis director will chair the committee.

Distinguished Professorship

Hardin Distinguished Professorship of American History

For many years, the Hardin Foundation for Wichita County has supported Midwestern State University through grants and awards. These programs include the Hardin Scholar and the Hardin Professor Awards given each year respectively to the outstanding rising junior student and an outstanding member of the faculty. Additionally, the Foundation has supported the development of a truly outstanding American History Collection in Moffett Library. In 1987, the Foundation created the Hardin Distinguished Professorship of American History.

Programs and Courses

Programs

• History, M.A.

• History Graduate Minor

• History Graduate Certificate

Courses

• HIST 5003 - Independent Graduate Study in History
• HIST 5013 - Survey of Texas History
• HIST 5033 - Natives and Newcomers: Colonial North America
• HIST 5043 - The Old South
• HIST 5053 - Civil War and Reconstruction
• HIST 5083 - Revolutionary America
• HIST 5093 - The Jacksonian Era
• HIST 5113 - American Indian History
• HIST 5123 - Early Modern England
• HIST 5133 - Interwar America, 1918-1939
• HIST 5143 - The New South
• HIST 5163 - U.S. History since 1945
• HIST 5173 - History of Mexico
• HIST 5183 - Latin America: Nationalism in the Twentieth Century
• HIST 5193 - Vietnam Wars: A Vietnamese Story
• HIST 5203 - Caribbean History
• HIST 5213 - Europe in the Middle Ages
• HIST 5233 - Greece, Rome, and the Mediterranean World
• HIST 5253 - Renaissance and Reformation
• HIST 5263 - Modern France
• HIST 5373 - Modern Germany
• HIST 5433 - Twentieth Century Europe
• HIST 5503 - Early Russia and Tsardom
• HIST 5513 - The Modern Russian State and Empire
• HIST 5523 - Topics in Eastern European and Balkan History
• HIST 5543 - History of the Middle East
• HIST 5553 - The Age of the Vikings
• HIST 5563 - The Crusades
• HIST 5573 - Imperialism in Asia
• HIST 5613 - The American West, 1803-1890
• HIST 5643 - United States-Latin American Relations
• HIST 5673 - History of Women in the United States and Great Britain
• HIST 5683 - Special Graduate Topics in Military History
• HIST 5833 - Colonial Latin America
• HIST 5843 - Latin American History, Republican Period-Nineteenth Century
• HIST 5933 - Special Graduate Topics
• HIST 6003 - Graduate Seminar
• HIST 6013 - History Practicum
• HIST 6103 - Methods and Historiography
• HIST 6203 - History Internship
• HIST 6503 - Preparing Historians
• HIST 6983 - Thesis I
• HIST 6993 - Thesis II

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