Master of Arts in History

Program Director

Brian Bonhomme
537 DeBartolo Hall
(330) 941-3453
bbonhomme@ysu.edu

Program Description

The Department of History offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Arts degree. Its curriculum combines American, European, and Transnational/Global areas. The program prepares stu­dents who seek any of the following:

• doctoral study in history or related fields,
• advancement in secondary and elementary education with a concentration in history and the social sciences,
• certification in applied history, and/or
• additional graduate study in a variety of professional areas.

The program also pro­vides the knowledge base for those pursuing history as an avocation. The program concentrates on research and primary materials, written analysis of research results, study of important mono­graphs in all fields of history, and training in a number of specialized fields, such as oral history and historic preservation. The department prides itself on its small classes and close personal atten­tion to all of its master’s candidates.

Admission Requirements

Regular admission will be granted to those students who:

1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
2. Have earned an undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
3. Have a minimum of 16 credit hours of study in the field of history
4. Have submitted a score on the Graduate Record Examination
5. Have submitted a satisfactory academic writing assignment from a class
6. The above will be compiled and a score of at least 350 points must be achieved from the following calculation:
   Undergraduate GPA multiplied by 100, plus percentile scores from the verbal and written-essay sections of the GRE.
   Thus, a student with an undergraduate GPA of 3.25, a verbal GRE at 50^th percentile, and written essay at 35^th percentile would score 325+50+35=410.
   (The score for the GRE quantitative section will not be assessed.)

Students not meeting these requirements may be considered for provisional admission or non-degree status instead.

The Department of History offers three options to candidates for a Master of Arts degree in history.

1. Option I is designed primarily for students who wish to continue studies toward a doc­torate.
2. Option II is designed primarily to meet the needs and improve the effectiveness of sec­ondary teachers.
3. Option III, the certificate in applied history, is designed to prepare students for career opportunities in that field.

Each candidate for the M.A. in history must pass a written and an oral examination in three fields of concentration. The examination will require factual and interpretative material, as well as bibliography and historiography. Students may only take their comprehensive exams if they are in Good Standing with the College of Graduate Studies.

Option I

• A total of 30 semester hours of graduate credit including thesis (six semester hours)
• Completion of HIST 6901 Historiography and HIST 6900 Introduction to Historical Research
• A required thesis
• Successful completion of general written and oral examinations

Students working in American or British history will not, in most instances, be required to pass a foreign language examination. In areas where a foreign language is essential for research, the student will have to meet the requirement set by the department, which will include reading knowledge only (no speaking required).

Before any student under option I is allowed to take the written and oral examinations, the ad­visor will designate to the chair of the Graduate Committee of the Department of History which foreign language, if any, the student is required to know and how this requirement has to be met.

Students under option I are reminded that the Department of History expects that the thesis shall display a capacity for research in a variety of historical sources and the ability to interpret fac­tual information and shall constitute a properly documented report of the completed research.

Option II

• A total of 33 semester hours of graduate credit
• Completion of HIST 6901 Historiography and HIST 6900 Introduction to Historical Research
• Two satisfactory (B or better) graduate seminar papers submitted to two different instructors. The papers will be deposited with the graduate program director to remain permanently on file. The overall course grade for each seminar must also be 'B' or better.
• Successful completion of general written and oral examinations
• Foreign language examination is not required

Option III (Certificate in Applied History)

The M.A. in history with certificate in applied history is designed both to give students a grounding in American history and historical research at the graduate level and to introduce them to ideas and techniques useful in applied history of the built environment. Students earning the certificate may find work with state or local preservation groups, museums, or government agen­cies. Students choose from among three possible tracks and then complete an additional 18 semes­ter hours as described below. Students completing the appropriate courses may also earn the certificate only, without the MA degree, if they so wish.

Learning Outcomes