History Graduate Programs (HIST)
Offered through the Department of History
in the College of Social Sciences
283 Stewart Hall
Phone: 320.308.3165
Fax: 320.308.1516
E-mail: history@stcloudstate.edu
Web: www.stcloudstate.edu/history
Department Chairperson: Dr. Peter Nayenga
Department Secretary: Ms. Janice Schlangen
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Maureen O'Brien
Specific Track Advisers
Public History Track, M.A.: Dr. Mary Wingerd
History Track, M.A.: Dr. Maureen O'Brien
History Track/Teaching, M.S.: Dr. Maureen O'Brien
Graduate Faculty: Eden, Galler, Glade, Harvey, Hofsommer, Jaede,
Kim, Lewis, Mullins, Nayenga, Ness, O'Brien, Wingerd.
Employers
- Majoring in public history with a master of art degree prepares graduates for employment with historical societies, museums, archives, and private, county, state and federal interpretative centers and other historical sites.
- A Master of Science in History degree provides professional training to students specifically interested in pursuing careers in the field of education.
- A Master of Art in History prepares professional historians who wish to pursue advanced work in a specific area or areas of history.
- Many graduates with a M.A. or M.S. degree in history enjoy employment as history instructors in K-12 education, two-year and four-year colleges.
- Majoring in history provides a wide variety of employment opportunities such as marketing analysis, advertising, banking, public relations, media, historical societies, and law.
Admission Requirements Specific to the Program
- Admission decisions are made as completed application files are received.
- Undergraduate GPA is closely reviewed. A large emphasis is placed on scholarship within the undergraduate education core and the GPA in the major.
- An applicant who has at least a 3.0 GPA in undergraduate courses in history and a 2.8 GPA overall may be admitted without conditions.
- An applicant may be considered for conditional admissions if his/her GPA in history courses was between 2.6 and 2.99, and he/she had at least a 2.6 GPA in the last two years of the undergraduate program or a minimum score of 1000 on the GRE.
- An applicant with serious gap(s) in his/her history background may be required to take additional undergraduate courses before admission is granted.
Length of Program — Measured by Semesters
- The program is designed for both full and part-time students.
- Part-time student: six semesters taking six credits per semester.
- Full-time student: three semesters taking 12 credits per semester or four semesters taking nine credits per semester.
- Students must expect to complete their course loads by enrolling mainly in daytime courses.
- Some classes are available to be completed during evening and summer session classes.
Graduate Assistantship Overview
- Between five and seven graduate assistantship positions are sponsored each year, and are available both fall and spring semesters.
- History graduate assistants will have the opportunity to work with students in the classroom, assist the faculty with research, and perform other duties.
Degrees and Plans Offered
- Master of Arts in History, Plan A (Thesis): 30 credits with a final oral exam based on the thesis.
- Master of Arts in History, Plan B (Starred Paper): 33 credits with a final oral exam based on the starred paper.
- Master of Arts in History: Public History Track, Plan A (Thesis): 30 credits with a final oral exam based on the thesis.
- Master of Science in History (Teaching), Plan B (Written Comprehensive): 33 credits with a written comprehensive examination.
NOTE: Department policy statements on evaluation procedures, starred papers, and reading lists are available in the history office.
Master of Arts — History Track
An applicant for admission to this program must have earned a minimum of 16 credits in history beyond general education requirements, and the undergraduate grade point average should be 2.8 or above. Others may be admitted conditionally. In some cases, the applicant may be required to complete additional undergraduate work even though a major or minor may have been completed.
- Reading knowledge of a foreign language is not required but strongly recommended.
- Students contemplating a doctoral program should write a thesis (Plan A).
- Students pursuing a Master of Arts degree must earn a minimum of 15 graduate-only credits in the program.
Plan A, 30 credit minimum (Thesis)
Research courses
9 credits
- HIST 610. Historiography and Research Methods, 3 credits
- HIST 699. Thesis, 6 credits
Core courses
- 15-18 credits in history course work (6 credits must be 600 level, in-class seminars).
Cognate courses
- 3-6 credits in courses approved by the adviser.
A student completing the Plan A (Thesis) program will be required to pass a final oral examination based on the thesis submitted to the final evaluation committee.
Plan B, 33 credit minimum (Starred Paper)
Research courses
4-6 credits
- HIST 610. Historiography and Research Methods, 3 credits
- HIST 697. Starred Papers, 1-3 credits
Core courses
- 23-26 credits in history course work (6 credits must be 600 level, in-class seminars).
Cognate courses
- 3-6 credits in courses approved by the adviser.
A student completing the Plan B program will be required to pass a final oral examination based on the three starred papers submitted to the final evaluation committee. At the option of the department, candidates also may be required to complete a final written examination.
Master of Arts — History: Public History Track
It is expected that an applicant for admission to this program will have completed a major in history (or its equivalence) at the undergraduate level of at least 32 credits with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher overall and 3.25 or higher in the major.
- Candidates should have completed a survey in United States history and should have taken at least nine credits in advanced American history courses.
- Applicants also should have earned nine credits or more in advanced non-United States history courses. Additional classes in such fields as American government, geography, community studies, and anthropology would strengthen the application, as would work experience in public history. Some students may be admitted conditionally depending upon their backgrounds.
- Applicants should, as a part of the regular application process for graduate studies, submit a statement explaining why they are interested in entering this program and indicating what, if any, experience they have in public history. In addition, a prospective candidate in history must submit a statement of purpose, not to exceed 500 words, outlining the person's public history interest and professional goals.
- Students pursuing a Master of Arts in Public History must earn a minimum of 21 graduate-only credits.
Plan A, 30 credit minimum (Thesis)
Research courses
6
credits
- HIST 699. Thesis, 6 credits
Core courses
15 credit minimum
- HIST 610. Historiography and Research Methods, 3 credits
- HIST 670. Introduction to Public History, 3 credits
- HIST 671. Local History, 3 credits
- HIST 696. Internship in Public History, 6 credits
Elective and Cognate courses
9 credits
- May include:
- Any 500 or 600 level course in history;
- Cognate courses, 3-6 credits in 500-600 level courses approved by Director of Public History
A student completing the public history track will be required to pass a final oral examination based on the thesis submitted to the final evaluation committee.
Master of Science — History (Teaching Emphasis)
- An applicant for this degree must have completed an undergraduate teacher education program from an accredited teacher preparation institution and must have completed at least an undergraduate minor in history in order to select it as a graduate major.
- In some cases, the applicant may be required to complete additional undergraduate work even though a major or minor may have been completed.
- Students pursuing a master of science degree must earn a minimum of 17 graduate-only credits in the program.
Plan B, 33 credit minimum
Major courses
6-9 credit minimum
- HIST 610. Historiography and Research Methods, 3 credits
- HIST 605. Readings in History, 3-6 credits
History courses
18-21 credits
- Select history courses with the adviser.
Professional education courses
6 credits
- Select courses with approval of the education adviser.
A student completing a master of science program will be required to take a written comprehensive examination as a final evaluation.
Some courses in this track may be waived if the student has fulfilled these requirements as part of an undergraduate program. A student should discuss his/her background with the adviser.
