Master of Arts in History (HSTM)

Director of Graduate Studies: Eli Rubin
Room 4352, Friedmann Hall
hist-grad@wmich.edu

The Master of Arts in History serves both as preparation for doctoral study and as a professional degree in many fields of research, teaching. For further details see the History Department’s Graduate Handbook.

Admission Requirements

Substantial undergraduate course work in history and closely related disciplines is typically required for admission to the Master of Arts program.
Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic work.
A brief essay concerning applicant’s academic and professional objectives, and a writing sample.
Students whose native language is other than English must achieve a TOEFL score of 600 or above, or otherwise demonstrate a command of English judged adequate by the department to pursue graduate study in the discipline.
The GRE exam results are optional.

Program Requirements

There are two options for pursuing a Master’s of Arts in History (HSTM): the Thesis and General Options.

Thesis Option (30 hours)

Program Requirements:

1. Required courses (21-24 hours):

Students must take at least 9-12 hours in their major field; at least 6 of these must be in seminar format
Students must take History 6010 (Historiography)
Students must take at one course (3 hours) that focuses on theory or methodology (not including History 6010)
Students will take 6 hours of Thesis credits while writing their MA Thesis

2. Additional courses (6-9 hours):

In addition to satisfying the above requirements, students will take an additional 6-9 hours of course work.
Up to 6 hours may be taken outside the History Dept.
Up to 6 hours may be at the 4000 level (with Departmental and Graduate College permission)

3. Language Requirement:

Students must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English
They may do so by completing a 2010- or 5010-level non-English language course with a grade of B or better; or by passing a language proficiency exam administered by the appropriate Language department
The non-English language must be appropriate for the subject matter of the student’s thesis; this should be determined in conjunction with the Supervising Professor
The language requirement must be met before the student registers for thesis credit hours.
Language courses typically do NOT count towards the overall 30 credit hours needed. LAT 5600 is an exception to this rule.

4. Thesis:

A thesis is a major piece of original scholarship which will be archived and available to download for scholars around the world. It should be a novel and important contribution to the field.
MA theses in history are typically around 50-100 pages long, and should be based on original research, including primary historical sources.
The thesis must be defended before the student’s thesis committee; typically this happens at the end of a student’s second year, before they graduate.
If a student fails to produce or defend a thesis, their coursework may count towards an MA on the General Option track.

General Option (30 hours)

Program Requirements:

1. Required courses (15-18 hours):

Students must take at least 9-12 hours in their major field; at least 6 of these must be in seminar format
Students must take History 6010 (Historiography)
Students must take at one course (3 hours) that focuses on theory or methodology (not including History 6010)

2. Additional courses (12-15 hours):

In addition to satisfying the above requirements, students will take an additional 12-15 hours of course work.
Up to 6 hours may be taken outside the History Dept.
Up to 6 hours may be at the 4000 level (with Departmental and Graduate College permission)

3. Language Requirement:

Students studying Medieval History are required to be proficient in Latin, even if they are in the General Option track.
Students studying Ancient History are required to be proficient in Latin and Greek.
Students not studying Medieval or Ancient history are not typically required to be proficient in a non-English language; however if their Supervising Professor and committee deem it necessary, they can be required to demonstrate proficiency in a non-English language.
They may do so by completing a 2010- or 5010-level non-English language course with a grade of B or better; or by passing a language proficiency exam administered by the appropriate Language department
Language courses typically do NOT count towards the overall 30 credit hours needed. LAT 5600 is an exception to this rule.

4. MA Examinations:

Students in the MA General Option track take examinations at the end of their second year in the program, rather than write and defend a thesis.
Each member of the student’s committee furnishes the student with an exam question, typically based on coursework the student has done in that examiner’s class or classes.
The exam can be taken after a minimum of 21 hours of coursework has been completed (i.e. in the fourth semester).
The examination committee may require an oral exam subsequent to the written examination.