About This Program

The Master of Arts in History offers students a general graduate degree, with courses in a broad array of geographic and temporal topics, including US, European, African, Latin American, Transatlantic and Transnational histories. In the flexible master's degree curriculum, apart from two required courses early in the program, students tailor their course of study among available course offerings to meet individual interests and career objectives. Students may choose to complete a thesis or select a non-thesis option. Coursework and internships in Archival Administration certification and/or Public History are also available as part of the master's program.

One of the Department’s strengths is the Program in Archival Administration.  Archival Administration studies involve application of historical knowledge and methodology in non-academic settings such as private businesses or public historical agencies (e.g., archives, museums, preservation societies). Government organizations, museums, and private companies all need archivists and graduates of this certificate program have become archivists in varied settings including the Amon Carter Museum, the City of Dallas (City Secretary's Office), and Atmos Energy.

Competencies

1. Upon completion, students will be able to discover independently the appropriate primary sources to answer specific historical questions; analyze primary sources at an advanced level, in order to build an independent historical analysis or argument using primary sources.
2. Upon completion, students will be able to analyze secondary sources, in order to recognize qualitative differences between such sources, including distinct perspectives.
3. Upon completion, students will be able to articulate the historiography and research methods associated with various historical approaches, especially National and Transnational History.
4. Upon completion, students will demonstrate advanced writing skills, with the ability to present an independent historical argument persuasively, in good style and grammar, in written English.
5. Upon completion, students will demonstrate advanced oral proficiency, especially by participating in historical debate or by presenting papers in class or at conferences.
6. Upon completion, students will demonstrate (a) broad knowledge of (a) specific historical topic(s).
7. Upon completion, students will be able to develop a professional portfolio required for future careers, including written documents necessary for teaching high school or community college courses or projects indicative of requirements for non-academic careers, as part of the development of the student’s career skills.
8. Upon completion, students will demonstrate cultural competency, including the ability to recognize the reliability of sources and understand and identify implicit bias.
9. Upon completion, students will demonstrate broad knowledge of the theoretical, methodological, and practical issues of bringing informative, collaborative historical interpretation to the public (public history).

 
 

Admissions Criteria

Unconditional Admission

The criteria for admission below are used, without specific weights, as positive indicators of potential success in the program. In all but the most exceptional cases, all three criteria for unconditional admission must be met in order to receive unconditional admission.

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (as calculated by Graduate Admissions) in the last 60 credit hours in the course of completing a BA degree in History (or an appropriate other field) from an accredited institution (verified by official transcripts from each college or university previously attended sent directly from the registrar of that institution to Graduate Admissions).
• A writing sample, sent to the graduate advisor. The Department prefers that applicants send a research paper written in an upper-division history course, but other examples are acceptable. The essay should demonstrate the applicant's writing, research, and analytical skills where possible. There is not a specific page minimum, but papers should not be over 25 pages.
• Three letters of recommendation (from university or college professors if possible) mailed directly from the recommenders to the History graduate advisor.
• Admissions decisions are not based on one factor alone, but rather a holistic review of the application package, including past
  academic performance, letter of intent, writing sample, and letters of recommendation. Applicants are encouraged to contact the current MA advisor if they have any concerns about meeting unconditional admission criteria.

Provisional Admission

An applicant unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission. Provisionally admitted students must adequately satisfy any incomplete documentation by the end of the semester in which they are admitted. If the applicant fails to do so, the Department may then reclassify the applicant as Probationary, defer the decision, or ask the candidate to leave the program.

Probationary Admission

An applicant whose performance, according to the criteria, approximates but does not meet minimum admission standards may be granted Probationary Admission.  Students admitted under this category must earn no grade lower than a B in his/her first 12 semester hours of graduate work taken at UT Arlington.

Deferral or Denial

If two or more of the criteria have not been met satisfactorily, the applicant will not be admitted on any of the three levels above but will receive deferral or denial. A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.  A deferred decision may also be granted when the student does not have adequate preparation in the discipline of history.   In the latter case, students will be required to take "leveling" courses (make-up coursework) and earn a B or better before reapplying.

Curriculum

Courses taken toward a master's degree should fit into a unified program aimed at providing students with both a comprehensive background and a depth of understanding in US, European, African, Latin American, Transatlantic, or Transnational history. Master's students are eligible to take courses at the 6000 level as well as 5000 level, subject to any particular course prerequisites. Students may take upper-division undergraduate courses for graduate credit under certain conditions.  In this case and others, students must consult with the Graduate Advisor to determine their program.

Foundations
HIST 5339	HISTORICAL THEORY AND METHODOLOGY	3
HIST 5340	ISSUES AND INTERPRETATIONS IN U.S. HISTORY	3
or HIST 5341	APPROACHES TO WORLD HISTORY
Electives
Select four content courses (reading colloquia and research seminars), at least one of which must be a research seminar.		12
Public History Specialization
HIST 5342	PRINCIPLES OF ARCHIVES AND MUSEUMS I	3
HIST 5343	PRINCIPLES OF ARCHIVES AND MUSEUMS II	3
HIST 5345	INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HISTORY	3
HIST 5348	TOPICS IN PUBLIC HISTORY	3
HIST 5644	ARCHIVAL/PUBLIC HISTORY INTERNSHIP	6
Final Term: Portfolio submitted; portfolio project completed and defended
Total Hours		36

Program Completion

Language Competency

Competency in one foreign language is required to obtain the Master's degree. This may be demonstrated by one of three methods:

• four semesters of credit in an approved language verifiable in an official transcript
• successful completion of an examination administered by an approved UTA faculty member or by an approved outside source such as a CLEP test
• a passing grade in a graduate-level translation course (MODL 5301) offered by the Department of Modern Languages

Non-Thesis Option

In the final semester, the non-thesis students are required to form a non-thesis faculty committee in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, consisting of three members of the graduate faculty. The student must submit to this committee a portfolio containing their seminar paper(s) and a selection of three papers that required an analysis of historiography. After reviewing the portfolio, the committee will devise a new assignment for the student to complete based on its determination of what best fits the needs of the student, keeping in mind that the assignment will constitute less than the equivalent of 3 credit hours of course work. The student will complete the assignment during his/her final semester and turn it into the faculty committee, where it must receive an evaluation of "adequate" or better. The committee will meet the student for a final oral exam, in which the student discusses his/her project.

Advising Resources

Applicants should apply through ApplyUTA and have three letters of recommendation and writing samples sent separately to the grad advisor.  First-time college students are also encouraged to reach out to the graduate advisor before applying.

Location:

MA Advisor

310 University Hall

PhD Advisor

322 University Hall

Email:

HistoryMAadvisor@uta.edu

HistoryPhD@uta.edu

Phone:

817-272-2861

Web:

MA Advising info

PhD Advising info