Program Description

Established in 1938, the history graduate program is one of the oldest at Marshall University. Since the program began, more than 300 Master of Arts degrees in history have been awarded. Although many students have concentrated on U. S. and European history, the department also offers courses in Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African American, and Women’s history. In all fields of study students receive personal attention and direction that is often not available in larger graduate programs. It is recommended that students earn credit hours in a wide distribution of historical areas and periods from a diversity of instructors. Students may pursue either the thesis option or non-thesis option, but are encouraged to write a Master’s thesis.

Admission Requirements

Students who have not completed an undergraduate major in history must have at least 15 hours of undergraduate courses in history, including 12 hours in the World and American history surveys. Students with deficiencies may be accepted provisionally and may be asked to take undergraduate courses suggested by the Director of Graduate Studies before full admission to the program.

Deadlines

Applications to the program are due by March 1st for the fall semester and by October 1st for the spring semester. Applications submitted after the due dates will be considered, but no later than August 1st for the Fall semester and December 1st for the spring semester. Applicants should follow the admissions process described in the Graduate Catalog, or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission.

All materials should be submitted to the Graduate Admissions office.

Applicants must also submit to the Graduate Admissions office:

• two letters of recommendation;
• a writing sample drawn from work in a college course;
• a personal statement identifying the applicant’s reasons for pursuing an M.A. and how the degree will contribute to the applicant’s broader plans (1-2 pages);
• satisfactory scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.

Program Requirements

Plan of Study

Students must submit to the department’s Director of Graduate Studies a Plan of Study in the semester prior to registering for the 12th semester hour. The Plan of Study is a student’s blueprint for graduation.

Students must earn a quality point average of at least 3.0 (B) on all graduate work applicable to the degree. A student who receives a second grade of C or below at any time while pursuing the Master of Arts degree in History will be withdrawn from the program. In addition, M.A. students in History must earn at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average in all History courses as a requirement for graduation.

Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate coursework. At least fifty percent of these hours must be completed at the 600 level. All students are required to complete HST 600 Methodology, Seminar in Historical Methods.

Thesis Option

Students who choose the thesis option must complete HST 681 Thesis for three to six credit hours.

Good Standing

In addition to the requirements listed in the Marshall University’s standards for good standing, a student pursuing a M.A. in History will:

1. Maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 (B) on all graduate work applicable to the degree, and
2. earn no more than one grade of C or below while pursuing the degree.