REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM

I. General MA: Thirty credit hours of approved graduate-level course work, including:

A) The course HIST-744 "The Historian's Craft" (three hours) which is normally to be taken by all graduate students in their first fall semester: a grade of B (3.0) or better is required;

B) Two History colloquia or approved substitutes (six hours) with grades of B (3.0) or better. Unless they successfully petition for an exception, all students in Modern European History must take HIST-720: 19th Century Colloquium in Modern European History, and HIST-721: 20th-Century Colloquium in Modern European History. Students in U.S. history normally take HIST-727: Colloquium in United States History I, to 1865, and HIST-728: Colloquium in United States History II, since 1865;

C) One research seminar or approved substitute (three hours) with a grade of B (3.0) or better: students electing to write a master's thesis will instead register for six hours of HIST-797, Master's Thesis Seminar;

D) One section of HIST-500, Studies in History, which are seminars on topics which change from semester to semester;

E) Fifteen hours (or twelve hours in the case of students writing a Master's thesis) of elective courses at the graduate level. Most of these courses will be combined undergraduate/graduate courses HIST-3xx/6xx, which provide lectures, reading, and discussions for undergraduates and graduate students, but give graduate students extra work and extra attention. The university stipulates that a graduate student must not take 50% or more of his or her course work in courses that combine undergraduate and graduate students (300/600 offerings).

F) Continuing status in the program every semester (not including the summer), by registration in regularly-scheduled courses, taking at least one hour of credit in a Master's Thesis Seminar, or by paying a fee to maintain matriculation. If a student fails to register during either fall or spring semesters, unless he or she has successfully petitioned in advance for a leave of absence from the program, he or she will be automatically removed from the program. Readmission will require a new application, and there is no guarantee that the Graduate Committee and Chair will admit the candidate.

II. MA in History with a Concentration in Public History: Thirty-six hours of approved graduate-level course work, including:

A) Requirements A-D, F (15 credits), above (Historian's Craft, Colloq I and II, 500-level class, Research Seminar, and continuing status in the program every semester).

B) Three courses (9 credits) in public history with a grade of B or better, including:
--History 729: Public History Seminar, to be taken in the student's first spring semester in the program;
--History 730 Public History Praacticum;
--History 691: Internship in History;
--Two public history electives (6 credits): Students may fulfill this requirement through History 668: Topics in Public History, or through other courses offered by the History Department, other departments at American University, or through the Washington Consortium, as approved in advance.

C) Nine hours of elective courses at the graduate level. Most of these courses will be combined undergraduate/graduate courses HIST-3xx/6xx, which provide lectures, reading, and discussions for undergraduates and graduate students, but give graduate students extra work and extra attention. The university stipulates that a graduate student must not take 50% or more of his or her course work in courses that combine undergraduate and graduate students (300/600 offerings).

D) In addition to this coursework, completion of the MA in History with a Concentration in Public History requires the submission of a Public History Portfolio that demonstrates the student's experience, competencies, and achievements in Public History.

III. Competence with one tool of research

A tool of research is a skill, technique, or methodology valuable for conducting historical research. The History Department regards foreign languages, quantitative analysis, statistics, and oral history as acceptable tools of research for M.A. students. M.A. students in European history, however, must select a relevant language as a tool of research.

The History Department in cooperation with the Department of Languages and Foreign Studies (LFS) provides standardized examinations (multiple choice) that test grammar and reading comprehension in a limited array of languages: French, German, Spanish, and Russian. Students must demonstrate a language fluency equivalent to two years of formal instruction in the particular language. Alternatively, students may request translation examinations in any of these languages or in Hebrew from a suitable History Department faculty member. Students selecting other languages as tools of research must find multiple choice examinations comparable to LFS's language exams, or they must find faculty members willing to give them translation examinations in their selected languages.

There is further discussion of tools of research under the description of the Ph.D. program below. The M. A. tool of research examination must be taken before the student may take the M. A. comprehensive examination. The tool of research examination must be passed before the student receives his or her degree.




IV. Passage of one written comprehensive examination

This exam is a four-hour test of the student's factual, interpretative, and bibliographical-historiographical knowledge in a standard or individually-designed field. The standard fields, highly recommended for M.A . students, are American History from the colonial period to 1865, United States History since 1865, and Modern European History 1789 to the present.

The M.A. comprehensive examinations are offered three times annually, in April, August, and January. Students who are taking a comprehensive examination are strongly encouraged to consult with the two designated Exam Readers, who are named approximately six weeks before an examination is administered, and their advisor in order to discuss the best ways to prepare for the examination. For this examination students should plan to undertake the study of material that goes beyond their coursework. The topics and readings covered in the Colloquia offerings are especially significant in preparation for this examination. Note: A student who fails a comprehensive exam may petition for permission to take it a second time. A second failure is terminal for his or her candidacy.

V. Completion of all of the above within three academic years

For the full-time student, most of the M.A. course work should be completed in the first three semesters. The normal course load is per semester is 9 semester hours (3 courses); after three semesters the student should have completed 27 of the 30 hours in the program. The fourth semester should have only part-time course work but additional time for study for the M.A. comprehensive examination. If there are no unanticipated academic problems or other problems, the full-time student should finish the M.A. program in two years. Although the university regulation permits an additional year, taking the extra time is not necessarily to the student's advantage.

This timetable, of course, would not apply to the part-time student. The Department recognizes that some part-time students have done outstanding work in the past, and it sees a continuing place for part-time students in the program. It is, however, more difficult to set a standard timetable for such students.

VI. Optional Writing of a Thesis

The M.A. student has the option of writing a thesis if he or she has a strong and focused research interest, or, in the view of the advisor, needs the experience of a major research and writing effort. The M.A. thesis does not serve as a substitute for the comprehensive exam.

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Photo: President Theodore Roosevelt presiding over the ceremony that laid the cornerstone for the McKinley Building on campus, May 14, 1902.