Department of History

Staff: R. Martin, Head. J. Baskerville, P. Ben, G. Bruess, T. Connors, B. Cutter, R. Dise, T. Eden, L. Fenech, J. Goldman, R. Hesselink, W. Hettle, C. Holcombe, J. Johnson, J. Lees, E. Machen, D. Maier, T. O'Connor, B. Roberts, K. Sadkowski, D. Shepardson, D. Walker, C. Weisenberger, C. Wells.

The Department of History offers the following graduate programs.  Specific requirements for these programs are listed within this Department of History section in the following order:

Graduate Majors (M.A.)

Master of Arts Degree Program

Major in History

The object of this program is to prepare students for either further graduate study (thesis option recommended), teaching at the secondary or community college level (non-thesis option recommended), or history-related careers in government, business, or private research (public history emphasis recommended). As a general rule, students should have a GPA of 3.20 or better for admission to the program. This major is available on the thesis and non-thesis options; a minimum of 30 semester hours is required for either option. The thesis option requires a minimum of 15 hours of 200-level coursework, including a total of 6 hours of 960:299.The non-thesis option requires a minimum of 12 hours of 200-level coursework and the completion of a research paper. Prospective majors must consult with the department head about further requirements prior to beginning their programs.

The Graduate Record Examination (General Test) is not required for admission to the program.

For the thesis option, students must present and gain approval of their thesis proposal by their Faculty Thesis Committee and pass an oral defense of the thesis and, depending on the research emphasis of the thesis, may be required by the thesis chair to demonstrate competency in a second language. For the non-thesis option, students must pass a written comprehensive examination in the primary field and an oral comprehensive examination in both the primary field and a secondary field.

This program also includes an accelerated version of the two-year M.A. degree program in History listed above. It is available only to UNI undergraduate History majors and allows such students to complete the M.A. degree one year after receiving their B.A. degree. It is a two-phase program, with a preparatory phase and a graduate phase. Upon declaration of an undergraduate major in History, any UNI student may apply to the department for entry into the preparatory phase of the Accelerated M.A. program. The graduate phase of the program begins after the student receives the B.A. degree and is admitted into the graduate program in History.

To be considered for admission into this accelerated program, students must have a UNI cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above and must apply for entry into the program by the end of their junior year by completing an application for admission to graduate study, which can be found at www.grad.uni.edu/admission/default.aspx.

In order to complete the M.A. in one additional year after the B.A., undergraduate students who are admitted to the preparatory phase of the program will need to enroll in 6 hours of graduate work each semester of their senior year, as currently provided for in this catalog, but they may not register for more than twelve hours of graduate credit in their senior year. Students earning this type of credit are classified as seniors but will pay graduate tuition for the semester hours for which they will receive graduate credit. The maximum tuition will be the full-time graduate rate for the student’s residence classification. Graduate work completed in this program will be counted as graduate credit on the student’s transcript and will not be counted toward the undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate students in the preparatory phase may take no more than a combined total (including undergraduate and graduate courses) of 12 hours in a semester or 6 hours in a summer session.

After completion of the preparatory phase of the program, the student will be considered for admission to the graduate portion of the accelerated M.A. program. Actual admission to graduate study and classification as a graduate student commences the semester after the student has completed the B.A. All other degree requirements for the regular History M.A. program also apply to the Accelerated M.A. program.

 

Thesis Option:

Required:
History: 960:280; 960:290	6 hours
Seminar: 960:289 (for students choosing American History as primary field) or 960:200-level course (for students choosing European or Non-Western History as primary field)	3 hours
Research: 960:299	6 hours
Electives: (may take one course, up to 3 hours, outside the field of history)	15 hours
Total	30 hours

 

Non-Thesis Option:

Required:
History: 960:280; 960:290	6 hours
Seminar: 960:289 (for students choosing American History as primary field) or 960:200-level course (for students choosing European or Non-Western History as primary field)	3 hours
History: 960:200-level course	3 hours
Electives: (may take one course, up to 3 hours, outside the field of History)	18 hours
Total	30 hours

 

Public History Emphasis

This program is offered on the thesis option only. A minimum of 30 semester hours is required, of which a minimum of 15 hours of 200-level course work, including 6 hours of 960:299 is required. As a prerequisite for admission to this program, student must have a B.A. in History or at least nine credit hours of history.

Successful completion of a final oral comprehensive examination is required.

 

Required:
History: 960:106; 960:280; 960:290	9 hours
Internship: 960:132	6 hours
Seminar: 960:289	3 hours
Research: 960:299	6 hours
Electives	6 hours
Total	30 hours