Program Faculty
Department Chair
Jeremiah Dibua, Ph.D.
Interim Chair
Professor
Program Coordinator
Brett Berliner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
BSSC, Room 335
Tel: (443) 885-2233; Fax: (443) 885-8227
E-Mail: Brett.Berliner@Morgan.edu
Program Faculty
Brett A. Berliner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dexter Blackman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Jewell Debnam, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Jermiah I. Dibua, Ph.D.
Professor
Francis Dube, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Linda Noel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Alexander Pavuk,
Associate Professor
Lawrence Peskin, Ph.D.
Professor
David Taft Terry, 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, public history; and for students who contemplate pursuing further scholarly activities. It is a useful adjunct for persons with careers in theology and law; in library science; in journalism and news management; and in government, business and industry, and 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, pass a written comprehensive examination, and submit an acceptably written thesis.
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:
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Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in History or related fields.
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Have a minimum of 24 credit hours of undergraduate history courses.
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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. Post-bachelor’s undergraduate credits will not be used to enhance G.P.A. requirements for admission to graduate study.
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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.
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Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application. These letters must 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.
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Submit a typed exposition regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University.
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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.”)
M.A. Comprehensive Examination Guidelines
Students can take the comprehensive examination for the M.A. in History after successfully completing a minimum of 18 credit hours with at least 15 of the credit hours in History including HIST 598 and HIST 599.
Candidacy
Students achieve candidacy by successfully passing the comprehensive examination, completing all credit hours 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.
Thesis Completion
Students enroll for HIST 797 Thesis Guidance when they are ready to begin researching the thesis topic. Students should have passed the comprehensive exam, or can take the comprehensive exam while taking Thesis Guidance for the first time. Students continue to take Thesis Guidance until the thesis is completed and submitted to the school of Graduate Studies for approval.
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 a senior faculty member 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:
Spring - Candidates who plan to complete the thesis for the Spring semester graduation must follow these deadlines:
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Submit all first chapter drafts to the Thesis Advisor early in the Fall semester.
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Submit revised draft of the entire thesis to the Thesis Advisor before the Fall semester final exams. Once the draft has been approved, the Thesis Advisor will authorize the student to make two copies for the committee to read.
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Submit the thesis to the committee no later than the third week of January.
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Submit final approved and signed thesis to the Graduate School office no later than the specified deadline to ensure May graduation.
Summer - Candidates who plan to complete the thesis in the summer must register for the first session. Candidates can only finish in the summer if their committee members will be available to read and sign the thesis during June.
Fall - Candidates who plan to complete the thesis for fall semester graduation must follow these deadlines:
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Submit all first chapter drafts to the Thesis Advisor early in the Spring semester.
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Submit the revised draft of the entire thesis to the Thesis Advisor by April 30th. Once the draft has been approved, the Thesis Advisor will authorize the student to make two copies for the committee to read.
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Submit the thesis to the committee when classes begin in August/September.
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Submit the final approved and signed thesis to the Graduate School office no later than the specified deadline.
Advisors are not obliged to accept a thesis from a candidate who does not meet the deadlines. 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. To guarantee full supervision from the Thesis Advisor, 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)
Core Courses 12 Credit Hours:
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HIST 598: Historiography & Historical Methods 3
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HIST 599: Historical Writing 3
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HIST 788/789: Supervised Research or a 700-level Seminar course in History 3
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HIST 797/799: Thesis Guidance / Thesis Defense 3/9*
* Note: Upon achieving Master’s Candidacy, the student will 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.”
Electives 18 Credit Hours:
The remaining 18 credits may be taken by following the student’s approved program of study.
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HIST XXX: Approved History Elective 3
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HIST XXX: Approved History Elective 3
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HIST XXX: Approved History Elective 3
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HIST XXX: Approved History Elective 3
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HIST XXX: Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3**
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HIST XXX: Approved Elective (may be from another discipline) 3**
** NOTE: Up to 6 hours in electives may be taken in other disciplines with the Graduate Coordinator’s approval.
Total: 30 credit hours
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