Oct 06, 2024  
2024-2026 Graduate Catalog 
    
2024-2026 Graduate Catalog

History (MA), Program Information


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Program Faculty


Department Chair

Darryl Scott, Ph.D.

Chair

Professor

 

Program Coordinator

Lawrence Peskin, Ph.D.

Professor

BSSC, Room 322

Tel: (443) 885-1783; Fax: (443) 885-8227

E-Mail: lawrence.peskin@morgan.edu

Program Faculty

Brett A. Berliner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Dexter Blackman, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Herbert Brewer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

 

Jermiah I. Dibua, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Menika Dirkson

Assistanct Professor

 

Francis Dube, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Linda Noel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Alexander Pavuk,

Associate Professor

 

Lawrence Peskin, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Sara Rahnama

Assistant Professor

 

David Taft Terry, Ph.D

Associate Professor

 

Felicia Thomas, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Program Description


The Master of Arts program in History exposes students to advanced historiography and historical research methods in History. It is a general program in which students are exposed to the history of various parts of the world, with emphasis on United States history, African American history, African Diaspora history, African history, Caribbean history, Latin American history, and Middle East history.

Program Objectives


The Master of Arts in History is designed for students who plan to teach in middle schools, high schools, or community colleges; for students who plan careers in public service, public policy and foreign affairs, or public history; and for students who pursue doctoral studies. It is a useful adjunct for persons with careers in theology and law; in library science; in journalism and news management; in government, business and industry, and in administration.

General Requirements


Candidates for the M.A. degree in History must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours, twenty-four (24) of which should be in History.  Students either write a thesis or follow a non-thesis option. The comprehensive exam is optional.

Students have the option of retaking a course in which they earned a “C” grade.  Students may not have in excess of 20% of grades (i.e., 6 credits) in C grades.  These students will be asked to retake coursework to come within compliance.

Admission


To be eligible for admission to the Master of Arts Program in History, an applicant must should:

  • Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in History or related fields.

  • Have a minimum of 24 credit hours of undergraduate history courses.

  • Possess an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.0 or better to be considered for regular admission. Students who possess a cumulative undergraduate G.P.A. of between 2.5 and < 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission. 

  • Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.

  • Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application. These letters should be from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable.

  • Submit a  narrative regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University.

  • Students for whom instruction has not been in English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant. The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program. The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer of admission should be made based on that review.

 

(See the MSU Graduate School Catalog for “General Degree Requirements.”)

Non-Thesis Option


Students who follow the non-thesis option must successfully complete two research seminar courses.  They do not enroll in HIST 797 .

Thesis Option


Students writing a thesis achieve candidacy by successfully passing all credit hour courses and the thesis guidance course, HIST 797 .

Once a student achieves candidacy, enrollment in any course other than HIST 797  is generally prohibited.  Students seeking additional skills, knowledge, or a certificate must seek approval through the program up to the School of Graduate Studies.  The request must be accompanied with a revised Plan of Study.

Arrangements for thesis writing are made with the Graduate Coordinator and Thesis Advisor, who discuss the proposed thesis topic with the student.  Once the Thesis Advisor and student decide on the thesis committee members and everyone agrees, the student must officially register the thesis topic and the names of the thesis committee members with the Graduate Coordinator.  (The committee consists of three MSU graduate faculty members: the Thesis Advisor, who chairs the committee; at least one other graduate history faculty; and a third professor, who can be from the History Department or from another department chosen with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator.)  Once the committee has formally agreed to serve, the candidate works independently with the Thesis Advisor until releasing the approved draft to the committee to read.  Students must register for HIST 797 Thesis Guidance (3 hours) each semester while writing the thesis.

The Dissertation and Thesis Handbook, which contains guidelines for the preparation of the thesis is available on the website of the Graduate School.

 

Thesis Timetables:  The School of Graduate Studies sets the deadlines for submission of theses each semester in which one is to graduate.  These are hard deadlines.  To meet the deadline, candicates should submit the first draft of their thesis to their Thesis Advisor at the beginning of the seemster in which they wish to graduate.  Once the draft is approved, it will then be submitted to the full committeee for review.  Thesis Advisors aand committee members typically request revisions.  it is thus imperative that the candidate submit the draft early in the semester to have time to revise and format the thesis and gain the approval of the committee before the Graduate School’s deadline for submission.

Thesis-writing candidates must be registered for HIST 797: Thesis Guidance during the semester the thesis is submitted to the Graduate School.  Faculty are not obliged to supervise thesis writing students who are not registered. Students should complete the thesis within two semesters of registering for HIST 797: Thesis Guidance. Candidates receive grades of “S” for HIST 797: Thesis Guidance until the thesis is completed and approved by the committee. When the thesis is approved and submitted to the Graduate School, the student will be withdrawn from Hist 797 and enrolled in Hist 799: Thesis Defense and will earn the grade of Pass (“P”).

Additional Requirements


Students should refer to the University and College of Liberal Arts policies regarding academic integrity, expectation of professional ethics and behavior, accommodations for disability, and appeals and due process regarding grades and other relevant issues.  

Program Course Requirements


MA History (30 credit hours)

Thesis Option Core Courses 12 credits


 

  • HIST 788 /HIST 789 : Supervised Research or a 700-level Seminar course in History 3 Credits

  • HIST 797 /HIST 799 : Thesis Guidance / Thesis Defense 3/9* Credits

Elective Courses 18 credits


The remaining 18 credits may be taken by following the student’s approved program of study.

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits 

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level  Approved Elective 3 Credits
  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3 Credits** 

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3 Credits**

 

** NOTE: Up to 6 hours in electives may be taken in other disciplines with the Graduate Coordinator’s approval.  These courses can be chosen from the following by special request to the graduate coordinator or from the following:

Total Credit Hours: 30


Non-Thesis Option Core Courses 12 credits


Elective Courses 18 credits


The remaining 18 credits may be taken by following the student’s approved program of study.

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits 

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective 3 Credits

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level  Approved Elective 3 Credits
  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3 Credits** 

  • XXXX - HIST 500-700 level Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3 Credits**

Note


Upon achieving Master’s Candidacy, the student should continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for HIST 797 (Thesis Guidance) until the Master’s Thesis is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review.  The course is used only when the curriculum is near completion, and the student is completing the research and writing of the thesis. The course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student is registered for 3 credit hours and the system reports a full-time 9 credit hour load).  

After the Intent to Defend the Master’s Thesis form has been accepted by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to HIST 799 (Thesis Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (HIST 799 will also count for 9 credit hours of load).  Other courses cannot be substituted for HIST 797 (Thesis Guidance). The only eligible grade for HIST 797 (Thesis Guidance) is the grade of “S,” and the only acceptable grade for HIST 799 (Thesis Defense) is Pass, “P.”

 

Suggested Curriculum Sequence


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