History BA/MA Dual Degree Program

The 2+3 B.A./B.S. – Ed and M.A. in History enables students of demonstrated academic ability and educational maturity to complete the requirements for both degrees in five years of full-time study. Because of its accelerated nature, the program requires the completion of lower-division requirements (15 hours) before entry into the three-year portion of the program. It also has prerequisites numbered 5000-5999 for graduate readings courses numbered 6000-6999. When all the requirements of the B.A/B.S. – Ed. and M.A. program have been completed, students will be awarded both the baccalaureate and master’s degrees. A carefully designed program can permit a student to earn both degrees within as few as ten semesters.

The combined program requires a minimum of 137 hours, at least 5 of which must be at the senior level (HIST 4999) and at least 32 of which must be at the graduate level (courses numbered in the 5000 and 6000 range). In qualifying for the B.A. or B.S. – Ed., students must meet all university and college requirements, including the requirements of the undergraduate major. In qualifying for the M.A., students must meet all university and Graduate School requirements, including satisfactory completion of at least 32 credit hours at the graduate level.

The semester they will complete 62 undergraduate credit hours, (including 15 credit hours of appropriate 1000-level coursework in the History Department) interested students should apply to the Graduate Director of the Department of History for admission to the 2+3 combined degree program in History. A cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or higher in history courses, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation from faculty are required for consideration. Students will be admitted to the 2+3 program under provisional status until they have completed 105 total credit hours toward their BA degree with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. After completion of the provisional period, and with the recommendation of the graduate director, and approval of the graduate dean, students can be granted full admission into the program. Students will not be admitted to the program, if they have accumulated more than 105 credits. Students in the 2+3 program begin to pay graduate credit hour fees once they exceed the 105 credit hour threshold. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher throughout the combined program. Students who officially withdraw from the 2+3 combined degree program will be awarded the B.A. or B.S. – Ed. Degree when they have successfully completed all the requirements for the degree.

Undergraduate History Requirements For Students in the 2+3 Program

The following requirements must be completed prior to enrolling in the 2+3 Program:

Three 1000-level courses		9
HIST 3199	Introduction to Historical Inquiry	4
Two additional 2000-3000 level courses		6
Total Hours		19

Once admitted to the program students must take the following courses:

Additional Undergraduate History Requirements For Students in the 2+3 Program:

HIST 4999, Senior Seminar (5).
 

Graduate History Requirements For Students in the 2+3 Program

• Three courses at the 5000-level for 9 credit hours.
• Five courses at the 6000-level for 17 credits beginning with HIST 6000 (students must take two of their three 5000-level courses prior to enrolling in HIST 6000), followed by at least three courses in a major field of study and one 5-credit course.
• In addition to this core, each candidate must select one of the two following degree options:
  1. Thesis Option –32 hours total
     
     In addition to the fulfilling the requirements listed above, the candidate choosing this option must enroll for 6 hours of thesis credit and submit an acceptable thesis. The thesis is based on original research in primary sources. Normally, theses do not exceed 100 pages of text. Candidates receive a grade for the thesis upon its approval by an advisory committee. The committee consists of professors selected by the candidate after consultation with the major professor. One member of the committee must be from the department but outside the candidate’s general area of study, and one may be outside the history department.
     
     The advisory committee conducts an oral examination on the thesis during the candidate’s last semester of residence.
     
     The committee decides whether the candidate shall pass, fail or fail with the option to repeat the oral examination at a later date. Students may not take the oral examination more than twice. The second examination must be held no less than one and no more than two semesters following the date of the first examination. Summer session may be counted as a semester under this procedure, but students should be aware of the difficulties involved in assembling faculty committees during the summer.
     
     Thesis candidates must demonstrate competence in one foreign language or in quantitative methods as applied to historical study. Candidates shall demonstrate foreign language competence by translating, with the use of a dictionary, 500 words in one hour. A member of the history faculty will conduct this examination and choose the test for translation. Candidates shall demonstrate quantitative methods competence by satisfactory completion of either PSYCH 2201, Psychological Statistics or SOC 3220, Sociological Statistics, or their equivalent.
      
  2. Research Paper Option
     
     To complete this option, the candidate must complete two additional 5-credit hour seminars (each consisting of a 6000-level reading seminar plus 2 credit hours of supplementary work on a substantial research paper.) The candidate may choose a fourth field in addition to the three already represented in the core to complete this option.