Master of Arts in History

Requirements for the General Master of Arts in History

For curious, budding scholars, Iowa State University's Department of History offers a graduate program leading to a master's degree in history. Because of the diversity of students and interests at ISU, the department has constructed an M.A. program flexible enough to service varied needs while maintaining rigorous expectations across the program.

For students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree with the intent of becoming teachers and researchers at the college level, the department offers two different plans designed to facilitate transfer to Ph.D. programs in history. The department also offers a separate plan for students more concerned with upgrading their knowledge or with advancing their position as educators. Although these plans and options vary, the department holds all students to the same exacting standards of knowledge and proficiency.

PREREQUISITES

• Admission to the Graduate College
• Completion of the general test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• 21 semester credits or equivalent in history OR approval of the Department.
• For international students, a TOFEL score of 600 is required at the time of admission.

PRELIMINARIES

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Maximum course load: 15 credits per semester; graduate assistants must take a lighter load
  
• Grades: A student must maintain a 'B' average in all work at the graduate level in order to remain in good standing. Grades lower than a 'B' will be cause for departmental review of the student's status.
  
• Coursework: At least 30 credits of acceptable work, at least 21 of which must be in history. (All history credits included in the 30 credit minimum must be at the graduate level [400, 500, and 600].) A history graduate student may take any 400-level course except 490 and 495 for major graduate credit; however, no more than 12 credits of 400-level history courses may be used toward the minimum credits required for the degree as listed on the Program of Study. No more than 6 credits of History 590, Special Topics, may be included in the minimum 30 credits submitted for the degree.
  
• Proficiency with research tools: A student shall demonstrate proficiency in the use of a research tool as prescribed by the student's POS committee. This can be a foreign language, statistics, computer programming, some other methodological social science courses, or the like. The student should fulfill this requirement by the end of the third semester of residence.
  
• Proof of proficiency with a foreign language
   Graduate students who seek to fulfill their research requirement in a modern European language can satisfy the requirement by
  1. passing the Graduate School Foreign Language Tests with a score of 500 or higher; or
  2. enrolling in, and passing with a grade of B or higher while a graduate student, the equivalent of at least two semesters of an intensive foreign language course; or
  3. translating, with the use of a dictionary, in a reading examination set by a Department of History faculty member, enough material from a text in the language, with sufficient accuracy, to show adequate command of the language for purposes of research in it. Students desiring to fulfill the requirements in other languages will consult with their committee.

• Proof of proficiency with a quantification discipline
  The research tool in quantification will be completed by taking the following: History 583B, Statistics 401 or its equivalent, AND completion of a research project supervised by the student's committee.

DEGREE TRACKS
There are three plans for meeting requirements for the M.A. degree. Plan I and Plan II are suggested for students hoping to apply in the future to Ph.D. programs. The Ph.D.-track degrees emphasize field readings and original research. Plan III is for students desiring a terminal master's degree, and emphasizes field readings, with some research.
 
Please note: students wishing to pursue a terminal master's are also allowed to pursue either Plan I or Plan II if they desire.
 
Plan I - Ph.D. Track

This option requires students to complete at least 24 credits of course work and 6 credits of research (HIST 699) leading to a master's thesis. As part of the course work, students must complete at least 6 credits in graduate seminars, 3 credits of which must be in a research seminar.

Plan II - Ph.D. Track

This option requires students to complete at least 27 credits of course work and 3 credits of research credits (HIST 699) in order to extend one seminar paper into the equivalent of a publishable article. As part of the course work, students must complete at least 12 credits in graduate seminars, 6 credits of which must be in research seminars.

Plan III - Terminal Master's Degree

This Plan emphasizes field readings, with some research. This option requires students to complete at least 36 credits of course work. As part of the course work, students must complete at least 3 credits in a graduate research seminar.

Graduate Seminars

Graduate seminars are defined as 500-level courses which fall into one of two categories: 1) readings courses and proseminars; and 2) research seminars.

EXANINATIONS
Oral exam
 
Following completion of the research component, the student shall schedule an oral defense before the advisory committee following rules and timelines defined by the Graduate College. This will consist of a two-hour exam, and the committee will award a "no pass," "weak pass," "pass," or "pass with distinction." Students who fail the exam can retake it in the following semester, but a second failure will result in dismissal from the program.
 
MINOR FIELD

A student may take a minor field, which will usually consist of 9 credits of 400- and 500-level courses in a complementary discipline or combination of disciplines. If all credits are taken in history, the student, in consultation with the major professor, should select a distribution of courses outside the major emphasis.
 
IMPORTANT DEADLINES

1. During the registration period of the first semester in residence, students will confer with the Chairman of the Department and then with the Graduate Student Coordinator.
    
2. Early in the second semester of residence, students must select a major professor and, in consultation with the major professor, a Program of Study (POS) Committee
    
3. Early in the second semester of residence, in consultation with the POS Committee, the student must submit a Program of Study (POS)
    
4. Early in the second semester of residence, students must select topics for the seminars they expect to take, or their thesis topic, depending on the program they pursue.
    
5. By the end of the third semester in residence, the research tool requirement should be fulfilled.
    
6. By the middle of the semester preceding the semester of graduation, a student must submit a diploma slip.
    
7. Students in residence who submit applications for assistantships shall do so by February 15.

DISMISSAL POLICY

Graduate students in the History Department's Master's Degree Program may be dismissed for the following reasons:

1. Failure to identify a major professor and committee of study within twelve months of admission.
    
2. Failure to file a Program of Study form within twelve months of admission.
    
3. Failure to maintain a B average.
    
4. Inability to meet program requirements in a timely manner.
    
5. Failure to complete the degree requirements in three years or five summer sessions.
    
6. The Master's Program Director of Graduate Education will notify the student in writing of his or her deficiencies and meet to decide the disposition of the case. The student will be notified in writing of the outcome.
    
7. Dismissals may be appealed to the Chair of the History Department, who will notify the student in writing of the outcome.
    
8. The dismissal of part-time students will be determined by the program director in consultation with the program committee.