History

Master of Arts in History

Welcome to the M.A. Program in History at Eastern Kentucky University. "Excellence close to home" is our hallmark. We offer small classes providing personal attention and lots of interaction with graduate faculty members, up-to-date career and professional counseling, and a graduate faculty of respected scholars committed to both teaching and scholarships.

The M.A. program prepares students for careers in the field and for admission into History doctoral programs.

Admission

Admission is determined by the Department of History in cooperation with the Graduate School. The following is required of each candidate:

Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination before or during the first summer or regular academic semester the student is enrolled.
An overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 or of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) on the last 60 semester hours of the baccalaureate program.
Completion of at least a satisfactory undergraduate minor in history or the equivalent.
Applicants must arrange for submission of three letters of recommendation directly to the department.
Students must meet the general requirements of the Graduate School.

Degree Options

The Department of History offers two options of study leading to the Master of Arts degree in History:

Candidacy

Refer to the General Academic Information section of the University Graduate Catalog for complete information on degree completion requirements.

Additional information concerning application procedures is available from the Graduate School.

Course Descriptions

Below you will find a current listing of department graduate courses. Admission to the program is determined by the department in cooperation with the EKU Graduate School.

HIS 716 Kentucky History. (3) A. Social, economic and political survey; Kentucky’s role in national developments.

HIS 800 Historiography and Criticism. (3) A. A seminar in the history and theory of historical writing and fundamental techniques of the historian.

HIS 838 Practicum in Public History.___. (3) A. Prerequisite: departmental approval. Supervised practice in public history settings. Selective participation varies with the student’s program and participation. May be retaken at the discretion of the department. Three credit hours will require approximately 150 hours of employment plus completion of an independent research project over the course of a semester. Maximum of three credit hours may be applied to the M.A. program in history.

HIS 849 Reading and Research:___. (3) A. Independent Study in a specific field. Student must have the independent study proposal form approved by faculty supervisor and department chair prior to enrollment. May be retaken up to six hours provided the subject matter differs each time.

HIS 860 Readings in American History:_(3) A. Seminar on selected developments in American history. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided the subject matter differs each time.

HIS 861 Readings in European History:_. (3) A. Seminar on selected developments in European history. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided the subject matter differs each time.

HIS 862 Readings in Asia/Africa:___. (3) A. Seminar on selected developments in Asian or African history. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided subject matter differs each time.

HIS 863 Readings in Latin America:___. (3) A. Seminar on selected developments in Latin American history. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided subject matter differs each time.

HIS 864 Comparative History:___. (3) A. Seminar on issues in comparative history. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided the subject matter differs each time.

HIS 865 Conceptualizing History:___. (3) A. Analysis of recent trends in the teaching and conceptualizing of world history, western civilization, and/or U.S. History. May be retaken to a maximum of nine hours, provided the subject matter differs each time.

HIS 899 Thesis (3–6) A. May be retaken to a maximum of twelve total hours.