Master of Arts in History

1. The department offers the M.A. in History in the following fields:

• Ancient World
• Medieval World
• Early Modern Europe
• Modern Europe
• Middle East
• East Asia
• Latin America
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• U.S. to 1877
• U.S. since 1789
• History of Culture, Identity, and Economic Development

2. Candidates for the M.A. choose two fields. They will take an oral comprehensive examination and write a thesis in their major field. M.A. candidates may not major and minor in U.S. history.

3. Candidates take a minimum of 30 semester hours, distributed as follows:

a. (3 hours) HIST 720 (Introduction to the Study of History).

b. (6 hours) Students majoring in United States history shall choose two of the following courses as part of their program of study: HIST 701, HIST 702, HIST 703, HIST 797. Students majoring in European History shall choose two of the following courses as part of their program of study: HIST 706, HIST 707A, HIST 707B, HIST 796.

c. (3 hours) One 800-level writing seminar.

d. (6 hours) Two other courses in the student's major field of study.

e. (9 hours) Three courses in the second field.

f. (3 hours) Thesis Preparation (HIST 799).

4. The master’s thesis will ordinarily be a revised version of the student’s 800-level research paper, submitted as an article-length, potentially publishable essay. The thesis shall be prepared for submission according to the current regulations of The Graduate School.

5. Candidates must pass an oral comprehensive examination on the student's master’s thesis. In this examination, the student will be asked to place her or his thesis in historiographical perspective.

a. Grades on the M.A. comprehensive examination are given on the following scale: A, A-, B+, B, B-, and F.

b. If a student fails, the exam may be retaken one time. The examination will be administered by the same committee.

6. Students must also demonstrate competence in a foreign language or, with the approval of the Graduate Committee, an appropriate methodology.

7. Normally no more than 6 hours of courses may be taken at the 500- or 600-level. All other courses shall be at the 700- or 800-level. No more than 6 hours of credit for courses offered by television or radio may be counted toward the degree. Any 800-level course with the exceptions of 815 and 816 may be taken twice. Thesis research and writing (HIST 799) may be taken as many times as deemed necessary by the student’s adviser and with the approval of the Graduate Committee.

8. Students shall finish the program with at least a “B” average. If a student produces any six hours of work with a grade below “B,” or for any three hours receives an “F,” that person will be dropped from the program and disqualified from receiving a graduate degree in history from the University of South Carolina. These rules do not apply to a “U” in a foreign language course.

9. M.A. courses and language examinations for M.A. students are valid for six years. Individual history courses in a student's program may be revalidated by repetition and successful completion of the course or by a written and/or oral examination administered by an appropriate member of the faculty. Students seeking to revalidate a course by examination must pay the Treasurer of the University a fee for each course revalidated.