Current Student Information
History MA Requirements:
Requirements for the Master of Arts in History – 30 Hours (24 class hours, 6 thesis hours for U.S., European and Global tracks and 3 internship and 3 thesis hours for the Public History track).
Student requirements for the M.A. in History are that 18 hours must be
completed in courses open ONLY to grad students. These DO NOT include 9
hours maximum in cross-listed with undergraduate courses).
Also, 6
hours beyond HST 500 must be in graduate level seminars. One grad
seminar must be in the students track (area of concentration). This
means students have to complete/pass 6 hours of GRADUATE SEMINARS (not
cross-listed classes, not colloquiums, not Directed Independent Studies
[DIS], not internships, not thesis hours). DIS’s count toward
concentration hours (if the subject matter matches the students’ track)
but cross-listed seminars do NOT fulfill the required 6-hour GRADUATE
SEMINAR requirement.
Learning outcomes and competency levels for Master's Degree students.
History MA Reading Lists (As of Fall 2012):
History MA Reading Lists (As of Spring 2005)
Public History Information:
- Public History Thesis Sample Work Plan
- Graduate Internship Enrollment Form
Registration, Transfer, & Residency Links:
- Directed Independent Study Application Form
- Registration for GRC 600
- Registration for HST 599 - Thesis Hours
- Transfer Credit Request
- North Carolina Residency Form
Language Exam Links
These language translationsare to help you with your Language Exam.
- Oxford Foreign Language Online Dictionary
- Some Tips for Translating
- French Practice Translation
- Spanish Practice Translation
- Spanish Practice Translation 2
- German Passage; German Translation
- Russian Passage; Russian Translation
Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Exam should be taken in your third
semester of the History M.A. program. The exam normally takes place on
Reading Day (the day after the last day of classes) and in one of the
university's computer labs. Bring a flash drive on which to save your
exam while you write it. The exam is a four hour exam, consisting of two
questions with two hours devoted to each question. The exams are
emailed to the faculty graders and they either pass or fail. The student
must receiving passing grades from at least 2 of the 3 graders and must
pass BOTH questions to pass.
US -
3 questions and the student chooses 2 to answer.
European - Student selects early or modern European; 3 questions, answer 2.
Global - 2 questions of Global, answer 1; 2 questions in students region, answer 1
Public History - Student chooses 1st half US or 2nd half US; 2 questions US, answer 1; 2 questions Public History, answer 1.
Comprehensive Exam Questions
M. A. Thesis Defenses & Graduation
- Defense times and dates should be coordinated with Graduate Coordinator and the three members of your committee.
- Thesis Format Approval Form should be turned in to UNCW Graduate School and approved several weeks before your defense. Usually about a month in advance.
- Defense Location. Most defenses take place in the Randall Library Special Collections Room, 2nd Floor.
- If you need A/V or PowerPoint: Special Collections now has a 37” flat screen TV to use for thesis defenses. Students can hook their laptop up to the TV, and Internet if needed, instead having to get the screen and projection system from ISTD. Students will need to come by Special Collections several weeks in advance to make sure their laptop fits the cable. If not they will have to get a laptop from ISTD to use or use the projection system and screen. We think most if not all laptops will work but they will need to check. If the Special Collections a/v setup does not work for you and you do need A/V, conctact: Kevin Connington (conningtonk@uncw.edu or call 962-2187) or John McGee (mcgeejh@uncw.edu or call 962-7332). This needs to be done about a week in advance.
- Thesis Title Page. Bring at least 3 copies of thesis title page on 100% cotton paper to be signed by committee. Be sure that you have the names of your three committee members PRINTED on the form with a line above the name so your committee member can sign it. Your Thesis Chair's title and name should be printed, center, either above or below, the other two names.
- Electronic Thesis Delivery. Completed thesis is electronically delivered to UNCW Graduate School along with the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) form. See the Grad School page under Forms.
- Hand-carry a signed title page to the UNCW Graduate School.
- One hard-copy of thesis on 100% cotton paper, unbound and loose leaf, must be deliverd to the Graduate Coordinator. I will only inform the Graduate School that you have passed your thesis defense AFTER you have delivered to me a hard copy of your thesis on the cotton paper.
- If you want a bound copy of your thesis, contact The HF Group: www.thehfgroup.com.
- See the UNCW Bookstore for getting a cap and gown, but also an M.A. hood.
- Department Graduation Ceremony. Have cap and gown for History Department graduation ceremony. You will be hooded there. The ceremony usually occurs the Friday evening before the full graduation.
- Thesis Committee Identification Form Please fill out this form as soon as possible and have the members of your committee sign it. It must be filled out and signed at least by the semster prior to your thesis defense.
- Thesis Format Approval Sheet (must be completed & in to UNCW Graduate School with revised, correctly formatted version of your thesis -- it does not have to be a fully compete thesis -- prior to the taking of your thesis defense. Note: all theses sent to the Graduate School are now only to be electronically submitted. This must be in BEFORE a defense date can be set up. However, the Department of History will still want a hard copy of your thesis on the cotton rag paper).
- Turning in your thesis to the Graduate School. After passing your defense you wlll need to electronically submit your thesis to the grad school, either by email, disk, or flash drive. You will need to hand carry a title page of your thesis signed by all members of your committee along with a filled out Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) form. You can get the form from the Graduate School web site under Forms.
- Thesis Formatting
- Graduation Application [By Nov. 15 for Spring graduation; Apr. 15 for Fall graduation.]
- Practice Curriculum Vita (an academic resume)
- Forms from Graduate School (DIS, thesis hours, Graduation Application, etc).




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