Graduate Studies in History

Master of Arts Degree in History (Thesis Program)

Course Requirements

Students must complete a total of 36 credit hours for the Master of Arts degree. Required classes include:

• HIST 6600: Historiography
• HIST 6950/8950: Workshop on Methods and Profession of History
• 2 seminars courses (HIST 6930)
• 6 credit hours HIST 6960:Thesis
• An additional 18 credits in graduate history courses at the 5000-level or above is also required to complete the degree.

In your first year, you are required to take HIST 6600/8600 (Historiography) and HIST 6950/8950 (Workshop on Methods and Profession of History).

You may not take thesis credits (HIST 6960) until you have completed all necessary coursework. Thesis credits appear as PR grades until you have finished and defended your thesis.

A complete list of courses is available at the University Course Catalog link below. Please note: the scheduling of these classes is to be determined by the department according to faculty availability each semester. 

The Master’s Degree and Language Requirements

If students are conducting research in fields in which the primary research language is not English, it is at the discretion of the advisor whether to require language proficiency, at what level, and the timetable for demonstration of proficiency. The advisor will notify the director of graduate studies if this is an issue in the student’s program.

The Master’s Thesis

A master’s thesis is usually based on primary research and demonstrates the student’s competency with historical research materials AND methodology. The thesis is regarded as preparation for the possible pursuit of a doctoral degree and thus as part of the student’s training as a professional historian. Research alone is not sufficient; students must also be able to connect their research to the contemporary framing of questions within their field and within the discipline.

The thesis ranges in length from 70 to 100 pages of text and must follow the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style. In addition, the thesis must adhere to the precise guidelines of the Handbook for Preparation of Graduate Dissertations and Theses on the UToledo Graduate Studies website.

Master of Arts in History (Non-Thesis)

Course Requirements

Students must complete a total of 36 credit hours for the non-thesis Master of Arts degree. Required classes include:

• HIST 6600: Historiography
• HIST 6950/8950: Workshop on Methods and Profession of History
• 4 seminars courses (HIST 6930)
• A cumulative exam, paper, or project to be determined in consultation with a student’s faculty adviser.
• At least one research paper
• An additional 18 credits in graduate history courses at the 5000-level or above is also required to complete the degree.

A complete list of courses is available at the University Course Catalog link below. Please note: the scheduling of these classes is to be determined by the department according to faculty availability each semester. 

Exam

The non-thesis program includes the successful completion of a written exam, paper, or project. The student should work with his or her primary faculty adviser to decide on the topic and format of the exam. The exam, paper, or project should be completed in the student’s second year.

Should the student fail the exam, he/she may, with the approval of the examiner(s) and the Graduate Committee, retake the examination once, and then no sooner than one semester after the failure. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

Note: Students enrolled in the non-thesis program for the Master of Arts in History and who fail the exam will not be permitted to enroll in the thesis program.