History–M.A.

General Information

The Master of Arts degree in History is designed to meet the needs of secondary school teachers seeking permanent certification, students interested in post-secondary teaching careers, those interested in pursuing PhD degrees at other universities, and students pursuing applied history careers.

Admission

Admission will be decided by the Graduate Committee in consultation with other appropriate faculty. Applicants should have:

Completed baccalaureate from an accredited institution.
GRE verbal scores are optional.
Three letters of recommendation from faculty or others with whom the applicant has worked.
A two-page essay/letter outlining the applicant’s academic background, preparation for an MA program in History, field of interest, and reasons for applying for admission into the program at Oswego.
A research paper (minimum 10 pages) that can be used to judge the student’s ability to do research and write analytically.

Deadlines: Students planning to enroll as graduate degree students must apply no later than April 1 for the summer term; April 30 for the fall semester; and no later than November 1 for the spring semester.

Advising

A graduate advisor will be assigned to each student.
Each student’s plan for and progress toward completing the MA program will be developed in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Transfer credit will be evaluated by the Graduate Committee.
Degree progress will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee in consultation with the student’s advisor.

History (30 cr)

A. His 500–Historiography: The Historian as Professional (3 cr)

B. Two fields of specialization (one major and one minor) chosen from the following fields: (21 cr)

European History,
American History,
Global History,
Women’s History

1. Major field

Four courses including at least one graduate seminar

2. Minor field

Three courses including at least one graduate seminar

C. One culminating professional track chosen from the following: (6 cr)

1. Research/Thesis option

This track, designed for those intending to pursue further graduate study beyond the MA, entails the completion of a major research project and the writing of an MA thesis. For some projects, proficiency in another language may be required.

HIS 598 - Thesis

2. Directed Study

This track entails a supervised program of extensive readings on topics chosen by the student whose needs would best be served by broad knowledge of existing literature rather than by research in primary sources.

HIS 590 - Directed Readings in History

3. Teaching: Internship or Teaching Assistantship

This track entails training and experience in teaching at the college level. It is designed for the student who, with the MA as a terminal degree, seeks to teach in a community college or secondary school.

HIS 596 - Teaching College History

4. Applied History

This track entails supervised research and other projects (including internships) in public or applied history for the student seeking employment in museums, archives, historical societies, government agencies, or corporations.

HIS 597

Additional Requirements

Graduate credits: all of the credits for the MA degree must be taken in graduate courses.
Residency requirements: none
Transfer credits: a maximum of six hours of (approved) graduate credit from another institution.
Cognates: a maximum of six hours of course work from other disciplines (including education courses) may be applied to a major and/or a minor field (with approval of Graduate Committee).
Previous Graduate Credit: student may transfer a maximum of 9 graduate credits (with approval) from graduate courses taken prior to admission to the MA degree program.
Grades: a grade of at least B- must be earned in any course to be counted toward the MA degree. Students must achieve a B (3.0) overall average to graduate.
Faculty: every student in the program must take courses from at least three different faculty members.
To complete the program, every student must take a minimum of 18 hours graduate student only courses.