History, M.A.
Minimum Totals for Graduation: 30 hours
The Department of History offers a Master of Arts degree.
An Accelerated program for this degree is available to highly motivated students to accelerate their academic careers by undertaking graduate work toward the traditional Master of Arts degree (not the Joint M.A. in History) concurrently with undergraduate work.
Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards
Admission Requirement Snapshot
GPA: 3.0 (and 3.0 in major)
Application Deadline: Rolling deadline
See Admission Requirement Details Below
To be admitted to the Master of Arts program, a student must present 20 or more hours of history or historically oriented courses in related fields with a grade point average in history of 3.0 or higher.
M.A. students seeking funding should submit a funding application, available on the Department website at Graduate Funding, and a Statement of Purpose. In the Statement of Purpose, the applicant should describe their academic background and preparation including any language preparation; identify the area or areas of history they want to study; and outline their career goals.
Funding Application Deadlines for the M.A. In History: March 3 (Fall), Nov. 3 (Spring)
Retention Standards
Maintenance of a GPA average of 3.0 or higher.
Program Requirements
Required Courses
- Thirty (30) hours of graduate coursework, including HST 600.
- At least eighteen (18) hours of coursework must be completed at or above the 600 level. At least twenty (20) hours must be completed in history courses.
- At least one graduate research seminar in history (3 hours) to be chosen from among 700-level HST courses with "Seminar" in the title.
- Ten (10) or fewer cognate hours may be selected with an advisor from one or more of the following fields: anthropology, economics, education, English, geography, philosophy, political science, religion, and sociology. Other fields may be approved by the advisor.
- At least two history colloquia to be chosen from among 600-level HST courses with "Colloquium" in the title.
- Additional Requirement for the Accelerated Master of Arts program: Three to twelve (3-12) hours of the above (except Thesis credit) must have been taken concurrently with the student's B.A. degree work. HST 696 can be substituted for the graduate research seminar.
Additional Requirements
Plan A - Thesis
A thesis, including an oral examination in the field of the thesis.
Students must register for a minimum of six hours of thesis credit as well as a minimum of one semester of HST 799 - Dissertation/Thesis Writing Workshop. The Department strongly recommends this option for students planning on pursuing a doctoral degree.
Plan B - Seminars
Either (1) two seminars or (2) one seminar and 3 hours in HST 791. The required graduate research seminar can be used to fulfill one of the Plan B seminars. Students electing Plan B must submit two research papers as evidence of scholarship. These papers must be prepared in connection with a seminar, an independent research course, or a graduate-level course in the Department of History. Each paper must receive a minimum grade of B. In addition, normally after revision, each must be accepted by the professor responsible for the course as satisfactory for permanent filing. Papers must be well written and presented in a proper scholarly format. Their conclusions must rest on interpretation of a substantial body of primary sources. A minimum 6,000 words is suggested.
Total: 30 semester hours
Accelerated Master of Arts in History
(Currently enrolled CMU Undergraduate students only)
Admission Standards:
- Written approval of a CMU history professor.
- Six (6) hours of history coursework completed with at least a 3.00 GPA in those courses and a 3.00 overall GPA.
Retention Standards:
- Candidates for the Accelerated Masters Degree Program must meet with the History Graduate Director and complete the Acknowledgement and Approval Form.
- Candidates must earn at least a “B” grade in each of the courses listed on the Approval Form.
- Students who earn less than a “B” grade in any of their AMDP courses will be notified by College of Graduate Studies of their removal from the program.
Students considering an accelerated M.A. program should be aware that their financial aid may be affected for courses double counting on the B.A. and M.A. Contact the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid for information at 989-774-3674 or cmuosfa@cmich.edu.