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2010-2011 Denver Campus Catalog 
    
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2010-2011 Denver Campus Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History MA

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►  Graduate School Rules  apply to this program

 

The master of arts in history requires 36 semester hours (12 courses). Students applying for admission to the program should have some background in history, though not necessarily a BA in the subject. The department encourages applications from individuals of any age interested in resuming their education. Graduate students in history develop skills in critical thinking, writing and independent research. Our program prepares students for a wide variety of professions, including teaching, government service, museum and archive management and historic preservation, as well as further degree work in history, law, librarianship and business. The department expects that students graduating with an MA in history will master the following general skills for their degrees:

  • The ability to pursue independent historical research projects
  • The ability to analyze historiographical arguments
  • The ability to analyze primary documents and develop arguments from them
  • The ability to create bibliographies using archival, library and Internet resources
  • The ability to write in a variety of formats, including historiographical essays, book reviews and research papers

Students will also master knowledge of the basic historical content of both their major and minor fields, and an understanding of the historiographies and historical methods in their major and minor fields.

Admission Requirements

  • In addition to the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, the Department of History requires an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.25.
  • All applicants to the history program must take the GRE. GRE scores form a part of the department’s consideration of students’ qualifications.
  • Applicants are required to submit a sample of written work, usually a term paper or project of similar length.
  • Applicants should address any gaps, weaknesses or special circumstances in their academic records in the statement of purpose portion of the application. In special circumstances, the department may modify its admission standards.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

April 1               Fall admission
October 1          Spring admission

Admission decisions are made by a graduate committee comprising the graduate advisor and faculty representing fields in U.S., European, global and public history.

Graduate School Policies

All history MA students are subject to Graduate School policies related to graduate study, as well as to all relevant university policies. These policies cover such topics as time limits on degree completion, changing degree programs, incomplete grades, and more. Further information on these policies can be found in the Graduate School  section of this online catalog.

Transfer Credits

With approval from the graduate advisor and the appropriate faculty, students may transfer nine graduate-level credits accrued before enrollment in the UC Denver MA history degree program, provided that they earned a grade of B+ or better in these courses. Students must submit a syllabus for each course they wish to transfer, and faculty may require students to complete additional assignments to meet the expectations of the department. The department will not accept transfer of courses comparable to HIST 6013. Introduction to the Professional Study of History.

Grade Requirements

A minimum grade of B- (2.7) is required in all UC Denver history courses applied toward the degree. Students who earn less than a B- in HIST 6013 must retake the class.

Residency Requirements 

The history department requires a residency of at least one academic year for the degree.                                  ^Top

Graduate Advising

Upon admission, students will sign a check list indicating their understanding and acceptance of the department’s expectations. Early in their first semester students should contact the history department graduate advisor to discuss their path through the program and to receive advice regarding the selection of major and minor fields.

Degree Tracking Responsibility

Although faculty will provide reasonable guidance, it is up to students to monitor their own progress through the program in consultation with the graduate advisor and their major advisor; this includes knowledge and understanding of application and graduate deadlines, degree requirements, thesis guidelines, etc.

Choosing Advisors and Fields of Study

All history MA candidates choose a major and minor field. Students will take courses in these fields (see Degree Requirements below) and will be tested in these fields (see Comprehensive Examinations). As soon as possible after consulting with the graduate advisor, students are responsible for contacting two field advisors, one to oversee their progress in the major field, the other to oversee their minor field.  All students should have chosen a major field and major advisor by the beginning of their second semester.

Major Fields, Minor Fields and Concentrations

The MA in history seeks to provide students with a balance of breadth and depth in the study of history. Major fields are broad areas of study within which students gain a general picture of historical processes. Concentrations provide focus for developing expertise within the major, either regionally or thematically. Minor fields provide a complementary or comparative area and must be from outside the major field.

Advisors and students together will work out Plans of Study, which indicate the courses students intend to take to meet their requirements, based on their selection of major and minor fields. Students should make every effort to enroll in courses which best fit their major field, major concentration and minor field.

Students can choose to major in one of the following four fields:

  • European History
  • Global History
  • Public History
  • U.S. History

The department has compiled a core readings list for each of these major fields. Students will draw on the core lists for their comprehensive exams. Core lists contain a number of themes with bibliographies for each theme. In consultation with their major advisor, students choose at least two books from each theme; for some themes, students will read more than two books.

Major Field Concentrations

Students work with advisors to select one of the major field concentrations listed above. Concentrations provide thematic or regional focus to a broad geographical major (e.g. for the global history major, students could concentrate on trade, borders, imperialism, etc. or any of the areas of regional expertise of our faculty). Readings for the major field concentration are in addition to the core reading list.

Minor Fields

Students choose minor fields from the list of major fields or the list of major field concentrations. They choose their minor field list in consultation with the minor field advisor.

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Degree Requirements

All history MA students must have a major field and a minor field, and they must complete half of their course work at the 6000 level.

Required Introductory Course

 

Total: 3 Hours

 

Major Field

Core course in Major Field (3 semester hours)

Each major field has a core course covering major approaches and themes. The core course familiarizes students with the field in a broad sense.

Research Seminars (3-6 semester hours)

Research seminars focus on students’ development of an original, primary research paper. One 3-semester-hour research seminar is required of all students. A second research seminar is required for students not pursuing an extended research option; the second 3 semester hours can be taken within the major or minor field.

Major electives (9-12 semester hours)

Electives are made up of courses in the major and concentration, including readings courses, which address specific field historiographies, and optional extended research credits. Students who choose to do a thesis may apply 6 thesis semester hours (HIST 6950) toward the major electives requirement.

Total: 18 Hours

Minor Field

Minor Electives

Electives are made up of courses in the minor field, including readings courses, which address specific field historiographies, or research seminars.

Total: 12 Semester Hours

Open Elective

Students may use the open elective to explore a course outside their major or minor or to do extra course work in one of their fields.

Total: 3 Hours

 

Degree Total: 36 Hours

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PUBLIC HISTORY MA MAJOR PROGRAM  

 

INDEPENDENT STUDY AND/OR INTERNSHIP

Candidates may register for up to 6 hours of internships or independent study, only one of which may be at the 6000-level. Students will not be allowed to fulfill the research requirement wtih an independent study. Any independent study at the 6000-level needs the permission of the graduate advisor. Students interested in pursuing an independent study must find a faculty member willing to oversee their work, and they should expect the workload for an independent study to equal or exceed that required for other courses at the same level.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS

All history MA candidates must pass a comprehensive examination in the major and minor fields after the completion of course work and before embarking on a thesis, curriculum project or public history project.  The comprehensive exam evaluates students’ knowledge of their course work and their reading lists for their major, minor and concentration. The exam consists of a take-home written section, with broad essay questions in both the major and minor fields; this is followed by an oral exam with the student’s faculty committee. In answering their exam questions, students are expected to construct arguments and to show mastery of the historiographies, narratives and historical content in their fields. The comprehensive exam is administered and evaluated by a committee of the major advisor, the minor advisor and an outside reader from the history faculty.

 

Master’s Degree Extended Research Options

The MA program in history offers a set of courses in which students can develop extended research interests. Students must select an advisor and develop a proposal for a specific research agenda in the semester before beginning work on a project.

REQUIRED PUBLIC HISTORY THESIS (HIST 6950) OR PROJECT (HIST 6952)
Students majoring in public history must complete either a thesis (6 semester hours) or a project (3 semester hours).

OPTIONAL THESIS FOR STUDENTS IN U.S., GLOBAL AND EUROPEAN HISTORY (HIST 6950)
Students majoring in U.S., global or European history can choose to write a thesis (6 semester hours in their major field).
OPTIONAL ADVANCED HISTORY CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (HIST 6951)
Students who undertake their master’s program when they are already teachers can choose to construct curriculum projects relevant to their teaching practice. See the separate section below on “Opportunities for Teachers and Teachers-in-Training.”

Thesis Requirements

Students writing theses are expected to develop an original research agenda resulting in an extended paper. Students work with their major field advisor, who will help guide them through the process of research and writing. Students are expected to take no less than two semesters (enrolled in HIST 6950) to complete their theses. Before registering for HIST 6950, students must have a thesis proposal and initial bibliography approved by their advisor. The first semester of the thesis course is organized as a seminar in which students meet regularly with a department member and other thesis writers.

A thesis is evaluated by a committee of three, including the major advisor and two other faculty members chosen by the student in consultation with the major advisor. Upon completion of the thesis, the student meets with the committee members, who ask questions about the research and conclusions which the student must defend. In many instances, the committee will require further revisions, sometimes major in scope, before the thesis is accepted and cleared for submission to the Graduate School  in fulfillment of degree requirements.

Project Requirements

In lieu of a thesis, public history majors may choose to enroll in one semester of HIST 6952 to complete a public history project. Projects, which are usually conducted in collaboration with a public history organization, can entail creating an exhibit, organizing a museum or archival collection, conducting a preservation survey or similar activities. Students are required to prepare a paper describing the process and results of their project.

 ^Top

Opportunities for Teachers and Teachers-in-Training

 

Curriculum Projects

Licensed teachers enrolled in the history graduate program may choose to complete a curriculum development project. Students arrange curriculum development projects with a sponsoring faculty member. Generally, students are expected to develop and submit a complete course curriculum plan for each 3-semester-hour project. Projects need to show evidence of familiarity with the relevant historiographies and primary sources. Students may apply the hours from HIST 6951 to either the major field or the minor field, depending on the project subjects. Curriculum plans must meet minimum criteria established by the history department in the document Advanced History Curriculum Development Projects .

Secondary Teacher Licensure

Students interested in becoming secondary history and social studies teachers may choose to earn both the MA in history and secondary teacher licensure. 

We strongly encourage students to complete the School of Education & Human Development’s teacher licensure program  before enrolling in the history MA program; the history graduate program and the teacher licensure program require separate admission. Students complete 36 semester hours in history and 37 semester hours in the teacher licensure program. For the history degree, students take 18 semester hours in their major field, 12 semester hours in their minor field and 6 semester hours in curriculum and methods course work, which apply both to the teacher licensure program and the MA in history:

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