History, M.A.

Jacob Steere-Wlliams, Program Director
843.953.1420
steerewilliamsj@cofc.edu

https://history.cofc.edu/graduate-program/index.php

Mission Statement

The Department of History at the College of Charleston is committed to providing an education that imparts an advanced understanding and appreciation of human history, to prepare students to engage the present, and ultimately to shape the future. Our curriculum will hold students’ attentions and afford them the opportunity to develop critical reading and sophisticated writing skills. Ultimately, our goal is to graduate interesting, analytical thinkers, ready to address the challenges of the Twenty First Century. Our undergraduate and graduate History programs support the mission of the School of Humanities and Social Science to “prepare students to be independent, engaged, lifelong learners who write with confidence, speak with clarity, solve complex problems, and act as responsible citizens.”

Program Description

The Graduate School of the University of Charleston, South Carolina and The Citadel Graduate College offer a joint master of arts in history providing each student with advanced specialized work in one of three areas: United States history, European history or Asian/African/Latin American history. The program offers qualified holders of the baccalaureate degree the opportunity to pursue historical studies in the midst of some of America’s richest historical treasures. The management of the program is vested in a joint program committee composed of representatives of the two history departments, including the director and the associate director. (The latter two positions rotate between the two institutions.) Diplomas and other documents will indicate that the program was a joint endeavor and will include the names of both institutions

Admission Requirements and Application Deadlines

Institutional Admissions Requirements

A completed application form with a nonrefundable application fee of $60.
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework. An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.
International applicants should refer to the International Students area within the “Admissions Information” section of the catalog for information on providing appropriate documentation with the application.

Program Admissions Requirements

Degree-Seeking Students

Applicants are expected to have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.500 on a 4.000 scale and a 3.000 in the major.
Two letters of recommendation, normally from former professors. Each referee should be as specific as possible in the analysis of the applicant’s potential for academic success.
An official copy of test scores of the Graduate Record Examination or Miller Analogies Test (either of which must be taken within the last five years). The minimum verbal score for the GRE is 152 and a 4.0 for analytical writing.
An applicant who fails to meet the minimum requirements above may be allowed to pursue coursework as a conditional student at the discretion of the joint graduate committee. Upon completion of nine semester hours with no more than three hours in independent study (HIST 770 ), and a minimum GPA of 3.250, the test score may be waived. The student must make this request in writing to the Joint Program Committee.
Written evidence of applicant’s ability to conduct research and present findings. Ideally, this requirement should be met by submission of a term paper, honors thesis, etc. from a graduate or upper-level course taken in college.
Ordinarily, applicants are expected to have completed and passed at least 9 hours of coursework beyond the introductory level in history or an allied discipline.

Non-Degree Students

An official copy of a transcript from each institution of higher learning attended, including documentation of graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
With the approval of the director or associate director, non-degree students may be permitted to register for up to 12 semester hours of credit prior to applying for admission to the program. Non-degree students who have taken in excess of 12 credit hours of graduate courses in history must have permission of the Joint Program Committee to continue enrollment in a non-degree status. Courses taken in non-degree status may only be applied towards a degree with the approval of the Joint Program Committee.

Application Deadlines

Fall: January 15, priority*; July 1, final
Spring: November 1, priority; December 1, final
Summer: January 15, priority; April 1, final

*Candidates who submit a completed application by the priority deadline will automatically be considered for Graduate School and/or graduate program funding.

Courses

Graduate courses will demand wide reading, thorough research, and advanced historical writing. Only graduate students will be automatically enrolled, but exceptional undergraduates - upper division majors in history and related disciplines who have a minimum GPA of 3.400 in history courses - may be enrolled in 500-level courses. For this, however, they will need to submit the appropriate form to the Graduate School Office. No more than two 500-level courses may be taken by an undergraduate, while 600-level and 700-level courses are for graduate students exclusively. Since juniors and seniors will not receive graduate credit for completing these courses, the amount of work required of them will not be as great as that expected of the graduate students. The qualitative expectations remain the same for all students.

Transfer Credit Policy

No program specific guidelines. Please refer to the Graduate School’s transfer credit policy .

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

History M.A. (PDF)