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History


	Description

	Degrees Offered

	Admission

	Master of Arts in History

		Accelerated Graduate Program in History Track

		Public History Track

	Contact Info

Description

The Master of Arts in History is designed to serve the needs of a variety of students, including those who plan to pursue a Ph.D., those wishing to improve their proficiency as secondary school teachers, and those who seek to enrich their intellectual lives.

Students are served by departmental members whose areas of research include classical history, early Christianity, African history, American cultural and social history, local history, the South, the American Civil War, the American frontier, women and gender roles, Asian history, Middle-Eastern history, 20th-century mass movements, Nazism and anti-Semitism in Central Europe, Latin American history, and European history, as well as other areas.

The Department of History also offers an accelerated undergraduate/graduate program for highly qualified undergraduate majors in history.

Degrees Offered

Accelerated Graduate Program in History Track
Public History Track

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants should note the following minimal requirements for admission to the program:

An undergraduate degree in History (or an equivalent)
GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study and a 3.0 GPA in history courses
A score of 1000 on the verbal-quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), with a score of 500 or higher on the verbal section
A written statement describing student’s personal goals and objectives in seeking a graduate degree in history
Three letters of recommendation from former professors who can address applicant’s ability to undertake graduate-level history courses
For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Additional Notes on Admissions

Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree in History but do not have a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 attempted semester hours, or a GPA of 3.0 in their history courses, or do not score 1000 or more on the combined verbal-quantitative sections of the GRE with a score of 500 in the verbal portion may take up to 9 hours of graduate courses as non-degree-seeking students. To be admitted into the graduate program, however, they must earn a GPA of 3.3 or better in the graduate-level history courses they take under this status.

Applicants who meet all of the above requirements but do not have an undergraduate degree in History must complete 12 hours of history course work at the 3000 and 4000 level, with a GPA in these courses of at least 3.25, before entering the graduate program. These courses will not count toward the graduate degree. The History Department Graduate Committee can waive this requirement, in whole or in part, when applicants present evidence that they are capable of successfully completing graduate history courses, either by submitting a portfolio documenting relevant past work or volunteer experience or by providing a sample of their own written work, which indicates that they have the research and writing skills needed to do graduate-level work in history.

If, in addition, applicants do not meet one of the other requirements for entry, they must complete 12 hours of course work at the 3000 and 4000 level with a GPA of 3.5 before they can be admitted to the graduate program.

Notes on Admission to the Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in History

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in history allows highly qualified undergraduate majors in history to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master’s degree while completing their baccalaureate degree program. Students apply for admission to the combined undergraduate and graduate program at the end of their junior year or after 12 hours of upper-level history course work. Rather than online application, hard copy (paper) applications are submitted directly to the Department of History.

In addition to the general graduate admissions requirements, the program requires a 3.5 GPA or better in history courses and a 3.25 or better overall GPA, a GRE score of 1050 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the exam and a score of at least 550 on the verbal section, an essay indicating reasons for wishing to complete the combined bachelor’s/master’s program, and three letters of recommendation from history department faculty. Students will be formally admitted to the master’s program following receipt of the bachelor’s degree.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s) Fall Priority Fall Spring Summer

Master of Arts in History Feb 1 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Accelerated Graduate Program in History Track Feb 1 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Public History Track Feb 1 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

International Applicants

Program(s)

Fall Priority

Fall

Spring

Summer

Master of Arts in History

Feb 1

Jul 1

Accelerated Graduate Program in History Track

Feb 1

Jul 1

Public History Track

Feb 1

Jul 1

Master of Arts in History

Requirements for M.A.—36 Credit Hours Minimum

The Master of Arts in History requires 36 credit hours with no graduate credit given for any grade lower than “B- .”

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

HIS 6159 Historiography (3 credit hours)
HIS 6905 History Capstone Class (3 credit hours)
HIS 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)

Courses in Area of Concentration—18 Credit Hours

Eastern Hemisphere: African, Asian, European, or Middle Eastern; or
Western Hemisphere: Caribbean, North American, or South American

Outside Area of Concentration in History—6 Credit Hours

Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in History

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in History allows highly qualified undergraduate majors in history to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master’s degree while completing their baccalaureate degree program. Participation will enable completion of the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in five instead of six years for students enrolled in full-time course work.

The B.A. is awarded after completion of 36 hours of history courses and all other university requirements, and the M.A. is awarded upon completion of the master’s program. Courses designated in General Education Program and Common Program Prerequisites are usually completed in the first 60 hours (see history major requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog).

The departmental residency requirement is at least 18 semester hours of regularly scheduled 3000- or 4000-level courses taken from the UCF History Department. Students may substitute up to 9 hours of 5000- or 6000-level courses to meet this requirement.

Additional Notes on the Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in History

Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
Students must earn at least a “B-” in each undergraduate and graduate history course for them to be counted toward the major.
Students must compile a portfolio of their written work in history (completed inside and outside the classroom).
Students admitted to the combined bachelor’s/master’s program may take one 5000-level course the first semester of their senior year.
After successfully completing one 5000-level course, students will be eligible to take HIS 6159 Historiography and another 5000-level course or the 6000-level seminar following the 5000-level colloquium they have already completed.
Students may substitute these 9 hours of graduate-level work for 9 hours of 3000- or 4000-level undergraduate
Students need to pay fees at the graduate rate for the graduate courses they take.

Schedule for Students Enrolled Full-time:

Students complete 9 hours of graduate-level courses in their senior year.
Students enroll in at least 3 credit hours of graduate-level courses the summer after they receive their bachelor’s degree.
Students enroll in 9 hours of graduate-level courses in both spring and fall semesters during their master’s program.
Students complete the Capstone course, pass their preliminary exams, and fulfill their foreign language requirement by the end of their first year in the master’s program.
Students complete and defend a master’s thesis in 6 hours.

Undergraduate Requirements

Please see the current edition of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Graduate Requirements

Please see graduate program requirements noted above.

Public History Track

Required Courses—15 Credit Hours

HIS 5067 Introduction to Public History (3 credit hours)
HIS 6159 Historiography (3 credit hours)
HIS 6905 History Capstone Class (3 credit hours)
HIS 6971 Thesis/Research Project (6 credit hours)

Area of Concentration (Western Hemisphere)—15 Credit Hours including 9 credit hours of Public History courses or internships

Outside Area of Concentration (Eastern Hemisphere)—6 Credit Hours

Foreign Language Competency

Students will also be expected to demonstrate a reading competency in one foreign language. The foreign language examination must be completed one semester prior to the thesis defense.

Examination Requirements

Each candidate for the Master of Arts in History must pass written examinations in two fields upon conclusion of regular course work and before beginning a thesis. These examinations must be taken and passed as part of the requirements for the capstone course. Each student will also submit a thesis prospectus and preliminary bibliography, which the three members of the student’s thesis committee judge acceptable as the preliminary step to beginning the thesis. An oral defense of the written exams and the thesis prospectus and bibliography is also a requirement of the capstone course.

Thesis Defense

The final step in completing the thesis requirement is a one-hour oral defense before the thesis committee.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Contact Info