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DEGREES OFFERED THROUGH THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HISTORY
Prospective graduate students in history must choose one of the following options:
Master
of Arts, Plan A
Master of Science, Plan A
Master of Arts, Plan B
Master of Science, Plan B
Master of Social Science, Plan B
All five options require a minimum of 30 semester graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree.
Plan A -Thesis
The two Plan A programs require the research and writing of a full-scale thesis. Anyone intending to do research or enter another program for a doctoral degree should follow Plan A.
Of the 30 semester credit hours required beyond the bachelor's degree, six hours must be in thesis research. Students must take two 3-credit seminars: Hist 6000 Historical Methods and Research and either Hist 6010 History and Theory or Hist 6020 Approaches to History (or another theory-intensive course approved by the Director of Graduate Studies). Students interning in an archive, museum, scholarly journal, or working as a teaching intern in an upper-division undergraduate course may apply a maximum of four internship credits toward the degree.
The remainder of the 30 hours may be taken as electives in history or related graduate courses relevant to the student's program. Courses taken outside the department must be approved by the student's graduate committee.
Upon arrival at USU, students are urged to meet
with the Director of Graduate Studies for the department who will direct them
to one or more faculty members who have interests in the student's chosen field.
Through consultations with their graduate thesis advisor, first-year students
will form a thesis committee and draw up a course of study. By the end of the
first year, most students will have submitted to their committee a proposal
for the thesis, which they will write under the close supervision of the head
of their thesis committee. The oral defense of the thesis usually takes place
in the Spring semester of the second year. Following the defense, students must
submit their thesis to the School of Graduate Studies for approval by the thesis
coordinator.
Plan B - Non-Thesis
A non-thesis master's program can help a student attain employment in many areas, but is not recommended for students planning to secure a doctorate.
The Plan B program consists of 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. The course requirements are identical to those of the Plan A except that only three thesis credit hours are permitted.
Students completing the Plan B program do not
write a full-scale thesis. Instead, they produce a research paper of around
30 pages and submit a portfolio of their graduate writing that includes two
additional and distinct pieces of work. Students defend their Plan B research
paper and writing portfolio before their major professor and the members of
the supervisory committee. Final approval of the Plan B rests with the department
rather than the graduate school.
Master of Arts / Master of Science
To receive a Master of Arts (MA), students must successfully complete two years of foreign language study at the undergraduate level. If two years of undergraduate language already appear on the student's transcript, the student must demonstrate current competence through successful completion of a language exam or by taking and passing a language course at an appropriate level. It is recommended that students arrange for testing or initiate language study upon arriving at USU. In all cases, an individual assessment must be made of a student’s language status.
To receive a Master of Science (MS) in History, students may be required to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of their supervisory committee, the ability to incorporate computer science, statistics, or environmental or other applied science in their research.
The completion of undergraduate courses as prerequisites
for a graduate degree (or in languages for the MA) will not count toward the
30 credits required for the master’s.
Master of Social Science
Like the MA and MS in history, the MSS degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours including 15 credits in the major discipline of history, plus a minimum of 15 credits from one of the following two tracks. Track A: a minimum of 15 credits from two approved minor areas, with at least two courses in each minor area. Track B: a minimum of 15 credits from an approved minor and a liberal arts and sciences cluster, with at least two courses in the minor and two courses in the cluster. Accepted minor disciplines include instructional technology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology/anthropology. This degree is designed for secondary school teachers who need more training to certify in additional teaching fields or who simply wish to deepen their understanding of a related field.
Students in the MSS program are required to
take Hist 6000 and three credits of Hist 6970 for their Plan B. A supervisory
committee consists of a major professor in history and two committee members,
each representing one of the student’s minor fields. MSS students, like
other Plan B students in history, must write a research paper of approximately
30 pages and submit a portfolio of their graduate writing that consists of two
distinct pieces of work, one from each of their two minor fields. An oral defense
of the student’s Plan B paper and portfolio is held before the student’s
supervisory committee.
Click here for a complete list of graduate courses offered in the History Department.
Mark
Damen designed this web site and Diane Buist is the current web master.
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| Utah
State University |
Department
of History , Main 323 |
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