GRADUATE STUDIES

Required Courses

Either History H500, History of Historical Thought, or History H501, Historical Methodology, is required of all students. This course should be taken early in one's graduate program and must be taken as a part of the student's initial fifteen (15) graduate credits toward the degree. History H542, Introduction to Public History, should be one of the first classes taken by students in Public History.

Areas of Concentration

Candidates for the master's degree in history must select an area of study before completing 15 credits of course work. The fields currently offered are United States History, European History, and Public History. Two dual degree programs--combining an M.A. degree in history with a master's degree in either library science or philanthropic studies--are also available. A student may tailor another area of concentration if faculty and library resources permit and the Director of Graduate Studies approves. Graduate Certificate programs are available as well in Museum Studies and Professional Editing.

Foreign Language

There is no foreign language requirement for the degree per se.  However, those students who will incorporate foreign language documents and scholarship in their graduate work (especially those concentrating in European history) will be expected to translate non-English sources.  They must thus demonstrate an appropriate level of competence in the relevant language before they begin work on their thesis.  The Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s advisor may require the student to take additional coursework.

All students concentrating in European history should expect to demonstrate competence in a foreign language, ideally upon application to the program.  (Competence is defined as two years of undergraduate course work with a grade of B or better in the final semester, or demonstration of an equivalent reading proficiency in an approved foreign language exam.)  Students considering the possibility of going on for a PhD should recognize that competence in at least one and sometimes two foreign languages is often a requirement in history doctoral programs.

United States History: Course Requirements

• 30 crs. of which a minimum of 24 must be in history; of the 24 history credits, 18 credits must be at the 500 level or above. These credits must be distributed as follows:
• 4 crs. H500, History of Historical Thought or H501, Historical Methodology
• 4 crs. H650, Colloquium in U.S. History
• 4 crs. H750, Seminar in U.S. History
• 3 crs. minimum, in non-U.S. History course (600- or 700-level course strongly recommended)
• 9 crs. elective (maximum of 6 crs. outside history; maximum of 3 crs. in non-U.S. history)
• 6 crs. H898, M.A. Thesis

European History: Course Requirements

• 30 crs. of which a minimum of 24 must be in history; of the 24 history credits, 18 credits must be at the 500 level or above. These credits must be distributed as follows:
• 4 crs. H500, History of Historical Thought or H501, Historical Methodology
• 4 crs. 600-level European History Colloquium
• 4 crs. 700-level European History Seminar
• 3 crs. minimum, non-European History (600- or 700-level course strongly recommended)
• 9 crs. elective (maximum of 6 crs. outside history; maximum of 3 crs. in non-European history)
• 6 crs. H898, M.A. Thesis

Public History: Course Requirements

• 36 crs. of which a minimum of 30 must be in history; of these 30 history credits, 22 must be at the 500 level or above. These credits must be distributed as follows:
• 4 crs. H500, History of Historical Thought or H501, Historical Methodology
• 4 crs. H542, Public History
• 4 crs. H543, Practicum in Public History internship
• 4 crs. H650, Colloquium in U.S. History
• 4 crs. H750, Seminar in U.S. History
• 3 crs. minimum, in non-U.S. History course (600- or 700-level course strongly recommended)
• 11 crs. electives (maximum of 6 crs. outside history)
• 2 crs. H898, M.A. Thesis

[Note: Although students may take more than 4 credit hours of H543, a maximum of 4 credit hours counts toward the degree.]

Library Science/History: Course Requirements

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 53 credit hours rather than the 66 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately.

Students take 23 credit hours in history, which must include History H547 (Archives), one graduate seminar, and one graduate colloquium. No thesis is required for students earning an M.A. degree in history who are also earning a Masters in Library Science under this dual degree program. However, they must satisfy the foreign language proficiency admission requirement.

No area of concentration is required, but students wishing to focus on public history for the M.A. in history must also include History H542 among the required 23 credit hours of history course work.

The remaining 30 credit hours are library science courses as detailed in the Bulletin of the School of Library and Information Science.

Admission to each of the two masters programs is approved separately on the same basis as for other applicants not in the dual program. For more information on the M.L.S./M.A. Program you may contact Melanie Hollcraft, University Libraries, UL 3100, 755 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202; phone 317-278-2375.

Philanthropic Studies/History: Course Requirements

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 51 credit hours (U.S. or European history concentration) or 54 credit hours (Public History concentration).

Required history courses include: H500, History of Historical Thought or H501, Historical Methodology; a 600-level colloquium; a 700-level seminar; and several electives (some of which also fulfill Philanthropic Studies requirements). Students selecting a Public History concentration will also take H542, Public History and H543, Practicum in Public History (which also meets the Philanthropic Studies internship requirement). A common thesis meets the requirements of both departments.

Admission requirements for this dual degree program are identical to those for each program separately. A separate application must be made to each of the programs, and prospective students should take note of the differing admission requirements and deadlines of each department.

For further information and greater detail regarding the curriculum for this dual degree, contact the history department's Director of Graduate Studies (address and phone below) or the Director of Academic Programs, IU Center on Philanthropy, 550 W. North Street - Suite 301, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3162; phone 317-274-8490.

Ph.D. Minor in History

Students in other departments may minor in history by completing, with a grade point average no lower than B (3.0), at least 12 credit hours of course work in history. A minimum of 6 credit hours must be taken on the Indianapolis campus.

This course work shall include:

• HIST H501, Historical Methodology (4 cr.)
• Either a 600-level colloquium (e.g., HIST H620, H650) (4 cr.) or a 700-level seminar (e.g., HIST H730, H750) (4 cr.)
• At least 4 additional credit hours (which may include a maximum of 3 cr. of
  HIST H575, Graduate Readings in History)

Other Areas of Concentration: Course Requirements

A student may consider another area of concentration besides U.S., European, and Public History, or the dual degree programs, if faculty and library resources permit and with the approval of the graduate director. The field of study must meet the following minimum course requirements:

• 30 crs. of which a minimum of 24 must be in history; of the 24 crs., 18 must be at the 500 level or above. These credits must be distributed as follows:
• 4 crs. H500, History of Historical Thought or H501, Historical Methodology
• 4 crs. 600-level colloquium in area of concentration
• 4 crs. 700-level seminar in area of concentration
• 12 crs. electives (maximum of 6 crs. outside history)
• 6 crs. H898 M.A. Thesis

Thesis

Students will write a thesis. All students shall discuss their thesis subjects with members of the history faculty and find a faculty advisor to direct the thesis by the time the student has completed fifteen (15) graduate credit hours. The thesis is a major project that will usually entail a minimum of one semester of research and another semester of writing. Public history students may (but are not required to) craft a thesis that evolves out of an internship experience. Students writing on a non-U.S. topic or using non-English sources (or both) must demonstrate an appropriate level of competence in the relevant language to their advisor before beginning work on their thesis. Although there are no requirements concerning the length of the thesis, most theses will be between sixty (60) and ninety (90) pages, typed and double spaced. A student should begin research on the thesis soon after the advisor has approved the thesis topic.

The Graduate School guidelines for the format of the thesis should be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies or click here. As soon as all other course work has been completed, the student will enroll for six (6) credits in H898, M.A. Thesis. A final, oral examination on the thesis open to other members of the department will be conducted by the student's graduate committee. Each member of the committee will sign the thesis, and the Director of Graduate Studies will be notified when this requirement has been completed. The student's advisor will give the grade for the credits in H898.

An electronic copy of the thesis must be submitted to the library; a bound copy for the department and the original signed acceptance page must be submitted to the graduate school. Most students will want at least two additional bound copies, one for themselves and another for the director of their thesis.

Public History Internship

Students whose area is Public History will do an internship. The internship shall be created with the advice and approval of the director of Public History. They shall discuss and begin making arrangements for the internship before completing fifteen (15) graduate credit hours. The internship will usually be undertaken concurrently with H542, Public history, or after the student has satisfactorily completed H542. Students will be enrolled in H543, Practicum in Public History, during the semester(s) in which they hold an internship. No more than 4 cr. hrs. of H543 will count toward the degree.

Comprehensive Examinations

If a student's academic performance is deemed marginal, this student may be required to pass a comprehensive written or oral examination given by the members of the student's graduate committee. This examination would be in addition to the oral examination required of all M.A. candidates on their completed thesis.

OTHER PROGRAM INFORMATION

Graduate Non-Degree Courses

Students who have taken graduate courses as non-degree students may count up to eleven (11) credit hours toward their degree upon acceptance to the MA program and with permission from the Director of Graduate Studies.

300- and 400-Level Courses

Some, but not all, three-credit 300- or 400-level courses offered by the Department of History or other departments at IU-Indianapolis or at other IU campuses may be taken for graduate credit and count toward course requirements for the M.A. degree. In general only the 300- and 400-level courses listed in the Bulletin of the Graduate School can be taken for graduate credit. Students may not take for graduate credit any 300- or 400-level courses that duplicate course work that they have taken as undergraduates. Therefore, students should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies before taking any 300- or 400-level courses to make certain that these courses can count for graduate credit. Once enrolled in a 300- or 400-level class, graduate students must consult with the instructor about additional requirements for graduate credit.

Non-History Courses

Students may take up to a maximum of six (6) credits outside history. These credits must be in courses approved by the IU Graduate School for graduate credit. Students in the M.A. program must have any non-history courses pre-approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Directed Readings and Independent Study

Students may count for credit toward the M.A. degree up to a maximum of three (3) credits in either directed readings or independent study courses. Students should enroll in History H575, Graduate Readings in History, 1-3 credits, if they wish to do directed readings or independent study. (History K495, Readings in History, is not for graduate credit.) Students usually enroll in such courses under the director of their thesis for work that will help them define the subjects and become familiar with the bibliography of their thesis. Students must fill out a special form to take directed readings or independent study courses. These courses require the approval of the instructor, Director of Graduate Studies, and chair of the department. Students with three credits in readings courses or independent study may not count any additional credits in readings or independent study courses toward their degree.

Grading

Course work with a grade below B- cannot be counted toward the M.A. degree. Ordinarily a minimum grade point average of B (3.0) is required for continuation of graduate study and for all graduate degrees.

Students should finish all work for courses during the semester the courses are offered to avoid the grade of "Incomplete." Students receiving such a grade should make every effort to complete the work required to remove the Incomplete as soon as possible. Incomplete grades automatically become failing grades after a year unless students obtain the permission of the instructor for an extension. This regulation does not apply to readings and research courses, such as H575 or H898, in which completion of the course work is not usually required at the end of a semester and in which a deferred grade ("R") is normally recorded. See the Graduate School Bulletin for complete information.