History, Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Requirements

To fulfill the requirements for the MA degree in History, students must accumulate a total of 30 credits of approved graduate coursework.

All students must take HIST B0000: Historical Methods and Historiography. Of the remaining eight or nine courses (depending on which track is pursued), students are encouraged to take four courses (12 credits) in a chosen area of concentration: American History, European History, Latin American History, Asian History, African History, Middle Eastern History, etc.

Up to nine (9) credits of course work in other graduate programs may be accepted for the MA degree in History at the City College. Approval for such credit transfer must be secured from the Graduate History Committee.

Thesis Track, Additional Requirements

In addition to 27 credits of approved graduate coursework, students must complete a thesis, which accounts for 3 of the total 30 credits necessary for the degree (HIST B9900: Thesis Research). The thesis is a 40 to 60-page research paper on a topic worked out in consultation with the student's advisor.

The candidate for the MA in History on the thesis-track is required to write a thesis prospectus and to gain the approval of that prospectus by their thesis advisor. A thesis prospectus is a 10-15 page thesis proposal, in which the student not only identifies their topic and its sources but also locates their work within the larger historical literature of their field, broadly defined. The prospectus should include a bibliography of the historical literature on the student’s topic and within the student’s field that was drafted in consultation with their adviser. The completion of an approved prospectus is required for qualification for History B9900, Thesis Research.

There is no foreign language proficiency requirement. However, it is strongly suggested that all students with foreign language skills who intend to apply to Ph.D. programs in History demonstrate foreign language proficiency in their field of study by taking a foreign language exam.

Non-thesis Track, Additional Requirements

In addition to thirty (30) credits of course work, students must submit two field papers of twenty (20) pages each. These papers are normally written, either entirely or in part, as assignments for coursework. One paper should be in a major area of concentration and one in a minor area.