Master of Arts in History
The Master of Arts degree in history may serve as a terminal degree or as a bridge to more advanced study. It is designed to accommodate both full- and part-time students. In addition to a complete daytime schedule, late afternoon and evening courses also are available.
Of the numerous excellent M.A. theses completed in recent years, the following are particularly good examples of the quality of research produced by our M.A. students:
- Ann-Marie Wambeke, "Faculty Confrontation and Consensus: The University of Michigan Teach-In and Its Aftermath." Winner of OU's 2011 Outstanding Thesis Award.
- Jennifer Laam, "Flirting With Power: Women and Political Identity in the Early Republic." Winner of OU's 2009 Outstanding Thesis Award.
- Merry Ellen Scofield, "The Fatigues of His Table: The Politics of Presidential Dining During the Jefferson Administration," published in the Journal of the Early Republic 26:3 (Fall 2006): 449-469.
Admission to the Master of Arts program in history is selective. The department will consider applicants who hold a bachelor's degree in history from an accredited institution, although the department reserves the right to waive the requirement of a history degree for students with outstanding undergraduate records. In addition, the applicant's credentials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, must give evidence of academic distinction. Of the letters of recommendation, at least one should be from a current or former professor of the applicant.
The application materials also must include a detailed statement of purpose or justification for entering the graduate program and an academic writing sample (preferably a history research paper). A GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate history courses and a GPA of 3.2 in all undergraduate work will ordinarily be considered the minimum standards for admission.
Students of superior promise but with deficient preparation may be admitted on condition of completing additional undergraduate history courses or earning grades of 3.5 or above in each of the first two graduate history courses. The department reserves the right to waive any of its requirements in exceptional circumstances with the concurrence of the vice provost for Research and Graduate Study.
Students may be admitted at four different times: fall semester, winter semester, summer sessions I or II.
This program offers training in the discipline of history beyond the bachelor of arts degree. Students are expected to develop advanced skills in historical research, a solid familiarity with historiography and theories of history, and competence in their chosen fields of specialty.
Each student has a faculty adviser, who is the department’s graduate coordinator. Upon admission to the program, and before registering for classes, the student must submit to 2 the adviser a plan of study, which also designates the student’s major field. Upon successful completion of three or four graduate courses (12–16 credits), the student must select a mentor and co-mentor, who are faculty members who supervise the student’s work in his or her major field. The student’s selection of the mentor and co-mentor is subject to those faculty members’ consent (explained further below).
The program requires that the student complete a total of 38 graduate credits in history, at least 20 of which must be in the student’s major field. In special cases, a student may petition the department to substitute up to 12 graduate credits in related fields for history credit. All students must complete at least one colloquium (HST 6940) in addition to two research seminars (HST 6945), or two research tutorials (HST 6995), or one each of HST 6945 and 6995. Any of these history courses may count towards the required 20 credits in the student’s major field. The program culminates in either (1) written and oral field examinations or (2) a thesis and an oral examination.
After the completion of at least 12 credits, but not more than 16, the student must schedule a meeting with the adviser. (See the section, “Meetings with the Faculty Adviser, Mentor, and Co-Mentor,” below.) To continue in the program, the student must have an overall grade point average of at least 3.4. A satisfactory course grade for a graduate student is a 3.6 or above; a grade of 3.5 (B+) is considered marginal. (See also the section “Dismissal from the Program and Academic Probation” below.)
A student who meets the minimum GPA requirement will indicate to the adviser whether he or she intends to complete the thesis requirement or the field examination, and the student will be permitted to submit to the adviser the names of his or her mentor and co-mentor. Faculty members are not obliged to serve as mentors and co-mentors. Thus students should regard their first courses in the program as opportunities to demonstrate their academic skills to their prospective mentors and co-mentors, and to develop working relationships with them. Upon the completion of 24 credits, the student will meet with the mentor, co-mentor, and adviser to assess the student’s progress in the program.
A student who elects to write a thesis will provide, preferably upon completion of 24 credits, a detailed thesis prospectus to the mentor, co-mentor, and adviser. The student will take research seminars and/or tutorials in his or her major field as thesis-writing courses. Upon the completion of the thesis draft, the student will arrange an oral thesis examination with the mentor and co-mentor in the last semester of the student’s program. In that semester, the student must register for HST 6998, Field or Thesis Examination (2 credits), for which permission from the graduate adviser is required.
A student who does not elect to write a thesis will instead take written and oral examinations in his or her major field. In preparation for the examination, the student will take the required research seminars or tutorials (HST 6945 and 6995), and may also take directed readings courses (HST 5920). In consultation with the mentor and co-mentor, the student will schedule the examinations for the last semester of the student’s program. In that semester, the student must register for HST 6998, Field or Thesis Examination (2 credits), after receiving permission to do so from the graduate adviser.
Note that HST 6940 might never be taught in some major fields. Therefore, students should anticipate the possibility that they will have to take a course outside their specific areas of interest and that credit for HST 6940 might not be applied toward the required 20 credits in the major field. Students are allowed to take HST 6940 more than once, provided that the content of each 6940 is different from the other.
In past practice, the student has been awarded a grade of P (progress) upon successful completion of each of two semesters of HST 6945/6995. On completing either the second HST 6945/6995 or the written and oral exams, the student has been awarded numerical grades for the two HST 6945/6995 courses. To do so, the instructor has submitted a Change of Grade form; however, there is no standard departmental procedure for determining when to assign the grades for HST 6945/6995. Professors may submit numerical grades at the end of the semester if they so wish. All grades of P or I (incomplete) must be replaced with numerical grades before a student is allowed to graduate.
HST 6945, Research Seminar, is taught when the department perceives that there is a sufficient number of students interested in the same topic to merit offering a seminar. Consequently, HST 6945 is not taught every semester, and students typically complete their research requirements by taking HST 6995 twice. To take HST 6995, the student approaches a professor and asks him or her to supervise the course. The professor’s consent is required for the student to register for the course.
A student who elects to write a thesis in partial fulfillment of the program’s requirements will produce the thesis under the supervision of his or her mentor, who serves as primary reader, supervisor, and examiner for the thesis and oral examination. In addition, the student will designate a co-mentor, also subject to that faculty member’s consent. The co-mentor will be the secondary reader, supervisor, and examiner for the thesis and oral thesis examination. The student must submit a detailed thesis prospectus to the mentor, co-mentor, and graduate adviser, preferably upon completing 24 credits of course work.
HST 6945/6995 courses provide opportunities to the student to work on his or her thesis in a two-semester project. The requirements for the courses will be determined by the supervising professor, who typically is the student’s mentor or co-mentor. (See the section on HST 6945/6995 above for grading procedures.) It is not necessarily the case that the thesis will be completed by the end of the second HST 6945/6995. It is also not uncommon for students to continue to work on their theses while they are not registered for classes.
When the thesis is complete or nearly complete, as assessed by the mentor and co-mentor, the student may request permission from the graduate adviser to register for HST 6998, Thesis Examination. (See the section on HST 6998 below). The university requires that the thesis exam be completed at least 6 weeks prior to the end of the semester.
The student must deliver three copies of the completed thesis to the office of Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning in O’Dowd 520 and receive approval of the format by the date stated in the “Schedule of Classes” and at www.oakland.edu/grad for the term in which the student expects to graduate.
Satisfactory performance in both the written and oral examinations is required for graduation. In the case of the field examinations and the thesis examination, the mentor and co-mentor will determine whether the student receives a grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). No numerical grade is submitted for HST 6998. A student who fails (receives a grade of U) may retake the field examinations or thesis examination in any succeeding semester.
A student who elects to write a thesis will take an oral thesis examination, for which he or she must register in HST 6998 in the last semester of the program. Registration in HST 6998 requires the consent of the graduate adviser, and the student will schedule the examination in consultation with the mentor and co-mentor. The university requires that the thesis exam be completed at least 6 weeks prior to the end of the semester.
Before the thesis defense, the student must make an appointment with the Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator of the Office of Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning (O’Dowd 520) for a review of the format of his or her dissertation. The student must 6 bring to the meeting the materials listed in Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. It is available as a pdf file at http://www.oakland.edu/grad.
During the thesis defense, the mentor and co-mentor will orally examine the student on the thesis and historical problems related to it for up to one hour.
After the thesis defense…
(1) the student must correct or revise his or her thesis as directed by the examining committee (the mentor and co-mentor). After the student makes the required revisions, the examining professors will complete the Field Examination//Thesis Report (on file in the office of the Department of History) and place it in the student’s file.
(2) the student must request an approval memo from his or her adviser, who is also the graduate coordinator in the Department of History. The approval memo documents the student’s successful defense of the thesis and the completion of any changes determined by the student’s committee. The student’s adviser will send the approval memo to the Office of Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.
(3) students must make a second appointment with the Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator in the Office of Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning to present a clean, unbound copy of the thesis for final review and approval of the format. Refer to Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations for a list of materials that the student must bring to this meeting. Following the approval by the Thesis/Dissertation Coordinator…
(4) the student must make a third appointment with that coordinator to present the approved thesis for binding. Refer to Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations for a list of materials that the student must to bring to this meeting.
(5) the student must complete the Anonymous Exit Evaluation (available in the office of the History Department) and submit it to the departmental secretary.
After all graduation requirements have been completed by their deadlines, the Office of Graduate Study and Lifelong Study will conduct an audit of each student’s record to assure that all requirements have been completed. In order for the student to graduate, professors must change all grades of P or I to numerical grades by the deadline specified by the Office of Graduate Study. The graduate coordinator in the Department of History receives the audits at the end of each semester and is responsible for contacting professors who have assigned grade of P or I to assure that the change of grade forms are submitted by the specified deadline.
Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning will produce a final list of graduates about eight to ten weeks after the last day of final exams each semester or session.
Should circumstances arise that require an interruption in graduate study, the student must apply for a Leave of Absence. A student on Leave of Absence is not required to register for a course during the fall, winter, or summer semesters. The benefits of applying for a leave of absence are (1) the student’s time-to-degree is extended while the student is covered by the leave of absence; (2) the student’s status as a cohort member is maintained during a leave of absence; (3) the student will not be required to reapply for admission when the leave of absence is concluded.
There are some negative effects of a leave of absence also: (1) the student is a not entitled to any services from the university during the leave, including demands upon faculty or adviser time; (2) email and library privileges are suspended; (3) and receipt of fellowship, assistantship, or financial aide is suspended during a Leave of Absence.
Upon the completion of 24 credits, the student will meet with the adviser, mentor, and co-mentor to assess the student’s progress in the program. The meeting with the adviser, mentor, and co-mentor may be considered one of the student’s required annual meetings with the adviser. The student is responsible for initiating the meetings.
In the event that a student receives a grade of I (incomplete), he or she has until the end of the eighth week of the next semester (fall or winter) for which the student registers to complete the remaining course work and to replace the I with a numerical grade. If the student does not complete the required work for the course within one year and the student does not register for class during that period, the grade of I will become permanent. (See also the section below on academic probation and dismissal from the program.)
A student who has been provisionally accepted into the program and who fails to meet the terms of acceptance as set out in the letter of admission from Graduate Admissions will be dismissed from the program. The student may re-apply to the program, but may not petition for an exception from the terms expressed in the letter of admission.
A student who receives a grade of less than 3.0 in any course will be dismissed from the program. The student may petition the departmental graduate committee one time for a one-time exception from this condition.
A student who does not have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 after completing 12 credits will be dismissed from the program. The student may petition the departmental graduate committee for an exception from this condition.
Academic Probation
A student may be placed on academic probation if he or she has more than one grade of I on his or her record. Note that university rules require that grades of I be removed from the record by the eighth week of the next semester (fall or winter). If the student does not complete the required work for the course within one year and the student does not register for class during that period, the grade of I will become permanent.
Academic probation is intended to give students time to correct deficiencies and offer them the opportunity to return to the program in good standing. When a student is placed on academic probation, a hold is placed on his or her account, preventing the student from registering for classes until a deadline, by which the student must rectify the specified problems. A student who does not meet the terms of his or her probation as determined by the chair of the history department and the department’s graduate committee will be dismissed from the program.
The King/Chavez/Parks Faculty Fellowship Initiative is a joint partnership of the state of Michigan and Oakland University intended to increase the pool of minority candidates pursuing academic careers in colleges in and universities. Information on the fellowship is available through Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.
The department of history offers one graduate assistantship with a stipend and a tuition remission for two courses per semester. The duties include a 20-hour per week commitment to tutoring, research assistance, assistance in departmental functions, occasional guest lectures and classroom assistance. The assistant will maintain office hours for tutoring, typically ten hours per week.
Applications are accepted annually, usually beginning in November, with a deadline in April of the same academic year. The position is renewable one time. Applicants must be full-time Master of Arts candidates in history (enrolled in eight hours of classes per semester).
Department of History
371 Varner Dr.
Rochester, MI 48309-4482
(location map)
(248) 370-3510
fax: (248) 370-3528