History Graduate Student Handbook

Fields of Study

The Department offers six fields of graduate study: Public History, Borderlands History, Race and Identity, Gender and Sexuality, Atlantic World, and Empire, Colonialism, and Postcolonial Studies, spread across the subfields of United States History, Latin American History, European History, and World History. Students in Public History will complete 18 hours in that field and 18 hours in U.S. history, or other topics with the advisor’s permission, and related topics (including Historiography and Methods). Students with other specializations are required to take Historiography and Methods, General Research Seminar, and 21 hours in History electives (see below). Upon entering the program, students must register their major field of study with the Director of Graduate Studies. At least 6 hours of graduate history must be taken in research seminars in which a formal paper based on research into primary sources constitutes a significant portion of the course grade.

Degree Plans

Master of Arts (with thesis)

• 33 hours of graduate level history, or
• 27 hours of graduate level history with an optional 6-hour cognate in a discipline outside of history, approved by the Director of Graduate Studies
  • 3 hours, Historiography and Methods [5361]
  • 3 hours, General Research Seminar [5398]
  • 6 hours, thesis credit (Thesis A and Thesis B)
  • 21 hours, history electives (with at least 9 hours in major field)
    • 6 hours outside cognate master’s thesis (optional, as indicated above)
• Comprehensive examination (thesis defense)

Master of Arts (non-thesis)

• 36 hours of graduate history, or
• 30 hours of graduate history with an optional 6-hour cognate in a discipline outside of history, approved by the Director of Graduate Studies
  • 3 hours, Historiography and Methods [5361]
  • 3 hours, General Research Seminar [5398]
  • 3 hours, Comprehensive Exams [5388]
  • 27 hours, history electives (with at least 15 hours in major field)
    • 6 hours, outside cognate (optional, as indicated above)
• Comprehensive examination (combination of written and oral exams)

Master of Arts Degree with specialization in Public History (non-thesis)

• 36 hours of graduate history, or
• 30 hours of graduate history with an optional 6-hour cognate in a discipline approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Public History Advisor.
  • 3 hours, Historiography and Methods [5361]
  • 3 hours, The Practice of Public History [5371]
  • 3 hours, General Research Seminar [5398]
  • 3 hours, Internship [5374]
  • 3 hours, Comprehensive Exams [5388]
  • 12 hours, Public History electives
  • 9 hours, U.S. History seminars (or other topics and regions with advisor approval)
    • 6 hours, outside cognate (optional, on approval, as indicated above)
• Comprehensive examination (combination of written and oral exams)

Master of Arts degree with specialization in History Education (non-thesis)

• 21 hours of graduate-level History and 15 graduate hours from a discipline outside of History, or
• 21 hours of graduate-level History, 9 graduate hours in one discipline outside of history, and 6 hours in a second outside discipline
  • 3 hours, Historiography and Methods [5361]
  • 3 hours, General Research Seminar [5398]
  • 3 hours, Comprehensive Exams [5388]
  • 12 hours, History electives
  • 15 hours outside minor(s) in one or two academic disciplines, or
  • 15 hours Education (which, with student teaching hours and experience, would qualify the student for certification)
• Comprehensive examination (combination of written and oral exams)

Master of Arts Degree with specialization in Public History (thesis option)

• 39 hours of graduate history, or
• 33 hours of graduate history with an optional 6-hour cognate in a discipline approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Public History Advisor
  • 3 hours, Historiography and Methods [5361]
  • 3 hours, The Practice of Public History [5371]
  • 3 hours, General Research Seminar [5398]
  • 3 hours, Internship [5374]
  • 6 hours, thesis credit (Thesis A and Thesis B)
  • 12 hours, Public History electives
  • 9 hours, U.S. History seminars (or other topics and regions with advisor approval), or
    • 6 hours, outside cognate (optional, on approval, as indicated above)
• Comprehensive examination (Thesis defense)

All history graduate students are required to take Historiography and Methods and General Research Seminar. To enroll in these courses students must complete the Special Approval Form, which, once approved, will allow them to register. If the class is full, they must fill out the form the next semester to gain access to registration.

Other than Historiography and Methods and General Research Seminar, all graduate level courses are classified as either readings or research seminars. Public History courses can also be anchored in specific skills. Readings seminars emphasize broad reading in a specific area and do not require a research paper. Research seminars combine topical readings with a research project.

The Foundation: Historiography and Methods

The History Department believes that its graduate students are best prepared to undertake serious graduate study by a general introduction to the discipline of History. This introduction will be provided in the Historiography and Methods class, which all students should take their first or second semester of study. The course contains a methodological component and requires a formal paper designed to help students prepare for future reading and research projects in other courses. The formal paper may serve as the introductory analysis of an area of history to be pursued in the student's master's thesis or comprehensive exams (see below).

Sharpening your Skills: The General Research Seminar

All students, regardless of track (thesis or non-thesis) and specialization (History, History Education, or Public History) will converge in the General Research Seminar, which meets every semester. Students are advised to take the seminar at the beginning of their second year, or after accumulating at least 18 graduate hours, and after having completed Historiography and Methods; Public History students should also have completed The Practice of Public History.

The main purpose of the seminar is to provide students with the opportunity to compose a thesis chapter or a research project of thesis chapter quality and to have that work read and critiqued by fellow students, the seminar director, and their prospective thesis or comprehensive exam committee chair. In consultation with the History or Public History advisor, students are strongly encouraged to identify and approach the faculty members who could fulfill such roles prior to requesting authorization to enroll in the seminar (see below: Graduation Requirements).

A grade of incomplete in the General Research Seminar might be allowed under very special circumstances, but any remaining work must be completed within six months. For students on the thesis track, Thesis A cannot be started prior to completion of the seminar.

Optional outside cognate or minor

Students may take up to 6 hours (15 hours for students with concentration in History Education) of work in an optional field in another department, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and, for Public History students, the Public History Advisor. Students may either complete only the 6-hour cognate or pursue the additional hours in another field necessary to receive an official minor from the outside department. In the latter case, the History Department will count only six hours in the outside field toward the History degree requirements. Students who choose the cognate option must ask the Graduate Advisor or Public History Advisor to add it to their degree plans.

Students are expected to use the General Research Seminar as the first major building block towards completing their thesis or comprehensive examination work. Thesis students should use it as an opportunity to start working on a draft of their thesis project. Non-thesis students should focus on writing an essay that incorporates primary sources, a revised version of which could provide the foundation of one of their comprehensive examination essays.

The Thesis Track

In deciding whether to pursue the thesis track, students should consult the following guidelines to be fully aware of what a thesis entails. They should consult with the history or public history advisor early on. Students should also identify a thesis advisor by the end of their first semester. While students can switch tracks, it is advised that the decision on whether to pursue a thesis is made not later than at the end of the first year, or the student might be required to take additional courses to fulfill graduation requirements.

Thesis students are strongly advised to enroll in Thesis A [5399A] the same semester in which they will be taking General Research Seminar (usually the third semester). This will allow them to carve out enough time to locate and analyze primary sources as well as incorporate them into their seminar research paper and, later, into the thesis project.

Thesis A and Thesis B: Enrolling in Thesis Hours

All thesis students must have three hours of credit in Thesis A [5399A] (taken the first semester of thesis work only), and at least three hours of credit in Thesis B [5399B] (taken during the second and subsequent semesters of thesis work). For students who need to retain full-time status while writing the thesis, 1-, 3-, 5- and 9-credit hour options for Thesis B are available. Students should have completed at least 18 graduate hours in history before enrolling in Thesis A. To receive a passing grade in Thesis A, students must have their thesis proposal (5-8 pages) formally approved after presenting it in the Thesis Prospectus Colloquium held every semester. To register for Thesis B, a student must have taken General Research Seminar and Thesis A as well as completed the Thesis Proposal Form, to be filed with the Graduate College.

It is the student's responsibility to submit a completed and signed copy of the proposal to the Department as well. Students who fail the defense of their thesis prospectus will be advised to switch tracks.

Writing the Thesis

Students seeking an M.A. in History with a thesis will complete an essay of appropriate length and depth based on substantial research in primary source materials. Public History theses must have a Public History component, and, in most cases, they should be directed or co-directed by Public History faculty, although there may be exceptions. The following guidelines provide a thorough explanation of the thesis. Be sure to also consult the Graduate College Guide to Preparing and Submitting a Thesis BEFORE beginning the writing process, as the guide provides templates with the proper formatting that will make the final submission a much easier endeavor.

The topic of the thesis, the research to be undertaken, and the nature of the final product will be determined through consultations between the student and the thesis advisor. The final paper will be read and critiqued by a thesis committee composed of the advisor, a second reader from the History Department, and a third reader who may be either a historian or a faculty member from another discipline (if the student took a minor outside of History). The student must successfully defend the thesis before the committee to receive the M.A. degree.

The Department requires students to turn in the final draft to their committee members at least two weeks before the defense. The committee chair, in consultation with the student, will coordinate the time and date of the defense. The defense should be scheduled with the Department no later than one week before the Graduate College’s Final Date for Thesis Defense (as post-defense revisions might be necessary). The History Department´s internal deadline for the defense to occur is one business day before the Graduate College’s deadline.

Defending the Thesis

For students completing a thesis, the comprehensive oral exam required by the Graduate College will consist essentially but not exclusively of a defense of the thesis presented. Students should check with each faculty member involved in the oral exam to determine the scope of the issues to be covered. If the examination is to cover matters beyond the student’s defense of the thesis, the student must take care to discover exactly what aspects of previous course work will or will not be considered fair game for each examiner. The student's thesis supervisor and the second and third readers will administer this examination. Please note that there are two Graduate College forms that require the signatures of all committee members—the Thesis Submission Approval Form (approval of the thesis, which must be submitted at least one week before the thesis is uploaded in Vireo) and Master's Comprehensive Exam Report Form (approval of the oral defense portion, which must be submitted no later than ten days before the anticipated date of graduation).

The decision to grant exceptions to these general policies rests on the History and Public History program advisors.

The “Comps” Track

Purpose of Comprehensive Exams
For students not writing a thesis, comprehensive examinations are intended to demonstrate the ability to synthesize historical knowledge acquired in their fields of study from a variety of material covered in regular courses and additional readings. Students are expected to incorporate analysis and insights from readings into a conceptual framework that illustrates mastery of the subject.

Procedures
For students beginning their studies in Fall 2023 or later, comprehensive exams should be taken during the last semester of course work. Students must enroll in HIS5388 Comprehensive Exams and will only get credit if they pass their exams. The class can be retaken once. If, under extraordinary circumstances, the student needs an additional term to complete their examinations, the student must enroll in Comprehensive Examination Contingency (GC 5100). This course requires an override from the Graduate College degree audit office. Students will need to contact the History or Public History advisor so the override can be requested on their behalf.

The Comps Committee
The written and oral comprehensive exams are overseen by a committee of three faculty members, consisting of the student’s graduate advisor (major field) as chair and two members representing the other focus areas of study. Students will select their committee members in consultation with the History or Public History advisor. While students are strongly encouraged to select their comps advisor (committee chair) at the end of their first year and before enrolling in General Research Seminar, the full committee must be formed no later than the end of the semester prior to the semester in which they wish to graduate. Once a committee has been agreed upon, the student is responsible for contacting the committee members and requesting their participation. A Master’s Comprehensive Examination Report Form that includes the signatures of all committee members must be completed and submitted to the History Department office no later than the third week of the semester in which the student wishes to graduate (see Comprehensive Exam Overview and Procedures for specific instructions)

Taking the Comps
During the first few weeks of the semester in which the exam is to be completed, if not earlier, each of the designated faculty will submit to the student ideally one question to be answered in essay form. These questions will also serve as preparation for the oral exam. Essays must be completed and submitted to the appropriate committee member by October 15 (for the fall semester), March 15 (for the spring semester) or June 30 (for the summer term). Committee members may designate alternative deadlines based on the University calendar.

Committee members will review their respective essays within two weeks of receipt and inform the student and the committee chair if the essays are approved as submitted or if revisions are required. If revisions are requested, a new deadline for completion will be provided. Once the essays meet with the approval of the committee members, an oral exam based on the content of the written exams and any other material covered in the classes that the student took with committee members will be scheduled. The committee chair, in consultation with the student, will coordinate the time and date of the final oral exam.

Preferably, the exam should be scheduled for no later than one week before the Graduate College’s Final Date for Thesis Defense. The History Department´s internal deadline for the oral exam to occur is one business day before the Graduate College’s deadline for the submission of paperwork.

Student performance on the oral exam is evaluated as either passing or failing. Outstanding student performance may be designated as passing with distinction. Students who do not pass the oral exam may be allowed to retake it only once. Scheduling the second oral exam is at the discretion of the committee, but it is encouraged for no earlier than the subsequent semester. The student may be required to prepare new comprehensive exam essays should the faculty membership of the committee change. Exams must be completed within one year of the student’s last semester of classes except under extraordinary circumstances.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students working in areas outside of U.S. or British history may be required to pass a foreign language reading examination. All students planning to pursue a Ph.D. are encouraged to pass a foreign language reading examination as this competency will be required of them in their doctoral programs.

Applying for Graduation

Graduate students must apply online for graduation.  Current and future graduation application deadlines can be found on the Graduate College website. Students should submit their applications by the appropriate deadline as the Graduate College does not accept late applications. There is no cost associated with the graduation application, and there is no penalty for not completing degree requirements as anticipated after submitting the application; in those instances, students would submit another application for graduation before the deadline for the next session.

The deadline for departmental graduate scholarships is March 1st. The Department uses the BOSS (Bobcat Online Scholarship System) system for all Departmental scholarships. For a full list of available scholarships, please visit the History Department’s Scholarship website.

Scholarships available through the Graduate College include the Celebrity Classic and Graduate College Scholarships and the Thesis Research Support Fellowship.  For application information, go to Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships at Texas State.  The deadline for Graduate College applications is generally February 1.

In extraordinary circumstances, the student may request from the Graduate Committee specific variances to any of the History Department's internal policies relating to the graduate program. Such requests should be addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will convene the Graduate Committee to rule on such requests.

Necessary forms are available online through the departmental web page.