Master of Arts Program

General Requirements | Examinations | Advising

Registration, Time-to-Degree, and Progress-to-Degree | Waivers

Fields of Study | Sample Plan of Study

Organized in the 1920s, the Master of Arts in History program at the University of Maryland provides broad and intensive instruction in bibliography, research, and writing in various fields of historical study. The MA degree may constitute a step toward doctoral research or preparation for a variety of other fields, such as archives administration, museum scholarship and exhibitions, public history, primary or secondary school teaching, law, or international relations.

Admission to the Master of Arts program is offered to highly qualified applicants holding at least a bachelor's degree, normally in history or a related discipline. Application and admissions procedures are described on the Department's website.

The MA degree program requires a total of thirty semester hours of course work and research credits and the submission of one or two original research papers. In addition, MA students must successfully defend a thesis or pass a written examination (the non-thesis option).

The anticipated period for completion is two (2) years of full-time study. The degree must be completed in five (5) years.

General Requirements

General program requirements are course work and either the degree-by-thesis option or the degree-by-examination option.

Course Requirements

All MA students must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours. The mandatory course requirements are as follows:

1. History and Contemporary Theory (HIST 601; 3 credits)
2. Field General Seminar(s) (HIST 608; 3-9 credits)
1. 608A-B (United States)
2. 608C (Modern Europe)
3. 608D (Middle East)
4. 608E (Women's and Gender History)
5. 606F (Science and Technology)
6. 608G-I (Latin America)
7. 608J-K (East Asia)
8. equivalent seminar(s) in other historical fields
3. Research Seminar (HIST 8XX; 3 credits)

There is no general language requirement for the MA degree, but certain fields may require demonstrated language competency and/or special skills.

Special Notes

1. Courses completed during previous postbaccalaureate degree programs and/or at other institutions may be considered to satisfy course requirements.
2. Requests for course requirement waivers, equivalency, and credit transfers should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies. A request must include the course syllabus and transcripts showing the final grade. The endorsement of the advisor is typically sought.
3. Up to nine (9) credit hours of major and minor field readings courses may be taken at the 400 level.

Degree-By-Thesis Option

The Degree-By-Thesis option addresses the needs of two types of students. First, it offers students who are taking the MA as a terminal degree the opportunity to master historical scholarship and historiography, while also pursuing an intensive, original research project. Second, the thesis option can help students assess their aptitude for research and writing at the doctoral level.

Students who opt for the Degree-by-Thesis must complete at least twelve (12) credit hours in one of the approved major fields (see Fields of Study). Three to nine (3-9) of these credit hours must be in the appropriate General Seminar(s) and an additional three (3) must be in 800-level research seminars. The students take an additional six (6) hours of HIST 799 (Master's Thesis Research).

In consultation with the advisor, the student develops an original research project that will require substantive analysis of primary materials, in addition to full engagement with the existing relevant scholarship. Archival and bibliographic research may last several months, and be conducted in the College Park region or farther away. Writing may take an additional several months.

All thesis research, including oral history research, must be conducted in accordance with University rules as well as professional and legal standards. In some instances, MA students might be required to submit a précis of the thesis or other materials to the Institutional Review Board of the University of Maryland or another institution. In Spring 2006, the campus IRB issued a finding that oral history does not enjoy a blanket exclusion from IRB review. It is, therefore, essential that all research projects involving oral history and other forms of research that fall under human subjects research protocols be cleared by the IRB.

In an open oral defense of the thesis, normally lasting not longer than two hours, the student must attain approval by a majority of a Thesis Examining Committee consisting of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty. The advisor chairs the committee. At the conclusion of the oral defense, the committee will determine whether the dissertation is satisfactory as submitted or if revisions must be undertaken before the dissertation will be officially accepted. If the student has expressed the desire to continue on to the doctoral program at Maryland, the thesis committee will also make a recommendation to the Graduate Committee about the student's admission to the PhD program.

There is no minor field requirement or comprehensive examination for students who select the Degree-by-Thesis option.

Degree-by-Examination Option

The Degree-By-Examination (a.k.a. "non-thesis") option likewise addresses the needs of two types of students. For students seeking a terminal-degree MA, the option offers a flexible mixture of course work and research seminars, affording the opportunity both to attain a broad general understanding of historical scholarship and to pursue original research. For students who wish to pursue the PhD degree at Maryland or elsewhere, the option prepares students for various aspects of a doctoral program, including reading courses and seminars in a major field, comprehensive examinations, and advanced research and writing.

Students who opt for the Degree-By-Examination must complete at least twelve (12) credit hours in one of the approved major fields (see Fields of Study). Three to nine (3-9) of these credit hours must be in the appropriate General Seminar(s) and an additional six (6) must be in 800-level research seminars.

Students who opt for the Degree-By-Examination must pass a four-hour, written examination based on the student's course work and/or a set of readings devised by the student in consultation with the advisor. It is the expectation that MA non-thesis students take the examination in the fourth semester of full-time study. (This is the requirement for any MA student receiving continuous departmental support.)

At or about the time that the student registers for graduation, the Degree-by-Examination student will present two (2) 800-level research papers to the MA examining committee for its approval. The examining committee will review the papers, the MA examination, and the student's entire record in the MA program to make a final determination for degree conferral. If the student has expressed the desire to continue on to the doctoral program at Maryland, the committee will also make a recommendation to the Graduate Committee about the student's admission to the PhD program.

Examinations

Guidelines for Master of Arts Degree Examinations

All written examinations are administered twice a year, during the first week of October and the first week of April.

The examination committee consists of three members of the Graduate Faculty, typically all members of the History faculty. The student's advisor chairs the examination committee. The Director of Graduate Studies designates the other committee members, in consultation with the advisor and the student. Each committee member may contribute questions for the examination.

The examination will be graded pass or fail.

Students should consult their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies for additional guidelines on the expectations for and the grading of examinations.

Language Competency and Special Skills Examinations

Language  competency is required for all doctoral students in a number of fields. See the PhD program guidelines for additional information. For the Master of Arts student, the advisor typically determines if language  competency or other skill mastery will be a graduation requirement.

The typical language competency examination is a four-hour translation exercise of a five-to-seven page excerpt from a published work of historical scholarship in the student's field of study. The student is required to summarize the excerpt in a 200-300 word précis, and then provide a direct translation into idiomatic English of an indicated passage of the excerpt. The passage to be translated will be about thirty (30) lines. Use of a language dictionary, provided by the student, is allowed.

The two possible options are pass and fail. Students who do not pass on the first attempt may retake the examination without prior approval. After a second failure, the student must petition for re-examination.

Petition for Re-Examination

In the case of failure of a written examination (Degree-by-Examination option only) or a language examination, the student may petition the Graduate Committee to take the examination a second time. If the petition is approved, the student must retake the examination when it is next offered.

Advising and Advisory Committees

Each student admitted to the MA program will select an advisor who is a member of the Graduate Faculty and whose intellectual interests are compatible with the student's plan of study. All graduate students are required to choose an advisor by November 1 of their first semester. If they do not choose an advisor by that date, the DGS will appoint one for them. The faculty advisor is responsible for advising the student, approving course selection each semester, monitoring the student's progress, and informing the student of the nature and timing of examinations and other evaluations. The advisor, in consultation with the student, will be responsible for constituting the advisory, thesis, and examination committees. The advisor will also represent the student to the Graduate Committee, as appropriate.

The advisory committee, to be constituted no later than the spring semester of the first year of study, consists of the student's advisor and two faculty members in appropriate fields. At the conclusion of the first year of study, all students will make available to the advisory committee a transcript of coursework and major written work completed during the first year. The Director of Graduate Studies will provide the advisory committee with additional relevant information, such as teaching assistantship evaluations. Upon review of the appropriate materials, the advisory committee will then recommend to the Graduate Committee continuation, modification, or, as appropriate, termination of the student's program.

After the first year of study, the advisory committee may convene to discuss progress-to-degree. The advisor has primary responsible for determining the need for an advisory committee review, but a student has the right to request formal review.

The advisory committee ordinarily serves as the MA thesis or examination committee, but substitutions are possible, provided that all members of the MA thesis or examination committee are members of the Graduate Faculty and that the student's advisor serves as the committee chair.

MA students may change advisors at any moment of their studies, registering the change with the Director of Graduate Studies.

A change of advisor or of the composition of the advisory committee must be recorded in the student's electronic file.

Registration, Time-to-Degree, and Progress-to-Degree

Continuous Registration

All graduate students must register for courses and pay associated tuition and fees each semester, not including summer and winter sessions, until the degree is awarded.

Master of Arts students who will be away from the University for up to one year may request a waiver of continuous registration and its associated tuition and fees. Waivers shall be granted only if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree and can complete the degree requirements within the required time limits. Interruptions in continuous registration cannot be used to justify an extension to time-to-degree requirements.

The Graduate School makes available an official Leave-of-Absence for Childbearing, Adoption, Illness, and Dependent Care. The Dean of the Graduate School must approve the leave. The time-to-degree clock is suspended during an approved leave-of-absence.

Additional information on Continuous Registration and Leave-of-Absence policies is published online in the Graduate Catalog.

Time-to-Degree

Whether a full- or part-time student, all students admitted to the Master of Arts program must complete all degree requirements in five (5) years from initial enrollment.

Progress-to-Degree

All students in the MA program will be expected to demonstrate steady progress towards the completion of degree requirements. At a minimum, the Graduate School requires students to maintain a B average in all graduate courses. However, the Department of History expects a higher level of performance.

Failure to make satisfactory progress-to-degree or to maintain the expected grade point average may result in the suspension or loss of departmental funding, the denial of a petition for extensions, and in extreme cases, a recommendation for dismissal.

NOTE : The above guidelines on Continuous Registration, Time-to-Degree, and Progress-to-Degree guidelines are for students matriculating in fall 2006 or thereafter. Students entering the graduate program in prior semesters are subject to guidelines at time of matriculation.

Extensions and Waivers

The Graduate Committee will consider petitions for waivers to departmental guidelines. Petitions for waivers to Graduate School requirements must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, using the appropriate form. In most instances, the petitioning student will be required to provide a rationale for the waiver request, and, as appropriate, a convincing plan of study. The advice of the student's advisor may be sought. The advisor will be required to endorse any waiver request that involves extensions to overall time-to-degree as well as the major benchmarks of progress-to-degree.

All petitions should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies. The Director of Graduate Studies, and in some cases the Dean of the Graduate School, will notify the student of their disposition of petitions for extensions.

General Requirements | Examinations | Advising
Registration, Time-to-Degree, and Progress-to-Degree | Waivers
Fields of Study | Sample Plan of Study