History

College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Philip B. Oldham, Dean

Dr. Alan I. Marcus, Department Head

Dr. Peter Messer, Graduate Coordinator

214 Allen Hall

P.O. Box H

Mississippi State , MS   39762

662-325-3604

e-mail: correspondence@history.msstate.edu

The Department of History offers programs leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.  Fields for the Master’s degree are:  United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and World.  Fields for the PhD. Degree are:  United States and Europe.  A student may choose a minor field of study outside the History Department with concurrence of his or her advisor.  Not all of the fields listed above are available for dissertation research or as the major field for a Master of Arts degree.

Admission Criteria—The History Department expects an applicant to have a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of undergraduate study.  The prerequisite for admission to a graduate program in history is a minimum of 18 hours of undergraduate history courses; for a graduate minor in history, 12 hours of undergraduate history courses are required.  A Ph.D. applicant must submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and must submit a writing sample directly to the Graduate Coordinator of the History Department.  Applicants who received the M.A. in History from MSU are not required to take the GRE.  Examples of acceptable writing samples are publications, chapters from a thesis, or a seminar paper.

An international student intending to pursue a graduate degree in history must meet all regular requirements and, in addition, present a Test of English as a Foreign Language score of 550 or higher.  This requirement does not apply to international students with degrees from an American institution nor to students from countries where English is the primary language.

The applicant should understand that the History Department uses the statement of purpose as a major factor in making admissions decisions.  It is to the applicant’s advantage to take special care in completing this statement.  The applicant should add additional pages to the statement of purpose if necessary.  Before the History Department admits a student, a member of the graduate faculty must personally agree to serve as that student’s major professor and graduate advisor.  To facilitate the selection of an advisor the applicant should explain his/her fields of interest in the statement of purpose.  An applicant whose quantitative credentials meet the stated criteria may still be denied admission because of qualitative factors.  Completed applications must be received in the History Department by November 1 for admission for the spring semester and by April 1 for admission for the fall semester.  Normally, applicants will receive an admission decision within 30 days after the receipt of all required materials by the department.

Program of Study/Completion Requirements:

Master of Arts Degree—The History Department offers the Master of Arts degree with an emphasis in United States , European, Latin American, African, Asian, or World History.  A student may choose between a thesis and a non-thesis degree program.  Each student will choose a primary and a secondary area of emphasis.  The primary field will be drawn from one of the department’s areas of emphasis:  United States, European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History.  The secondary field for a thesis student will be drawn from either another one of the department’s areas of emphasis, or a topical field related to a particular region or historical phenomenon.  A minor is available in a field outside of history and will include at least nine semester hours.  The thesis degree program should be elected by those contemplating further graduate work in history or by those who want to explore a particular topic in depth.  A degree candidate with a thesis must also demonstrate proficiency in one research skill which may be either reading proficiency in a foreign language or proficiency in quantitative methods.  The non-thesis program is designed for students planning to enter secondary education or who want to develop a broad understanding of history for a variety of other reasons.  The secondary area of emphasis for a non-thesis degree candidate must be drawn from a geographic region other than the one the student has selected for the primary field.   The non-thesis program does not require a research skill.

Each candidate for the M.A. degree must complete HI 8923 Historiography and Historical Method at Mississippi State .  During the first semester of enrollment, each graduate student in conjunction with his or her advisor will develop a program of study describing all courses, research skill requirements, and activities that must be completed in order to earn a degree.  Each student must have a graduate committee composed of three graduate faculty members who will  oversee the student’s progress toward the M.A. degree and conduct a written comprehensive examination and an oral defense of it at the conclusion of the student’s graduate studies.  At least two of the committee members must be members of the History Department’s graduate faculty.  If a minor from outside the department is selected, one member must be from the minor area of study. 

Each Master’s degree candidate will complete a four-hour comprehensive examination at the completion of graduate studies.  The examination will cover both primary and secondary fields and will be taken at a time and in a format determined by the student’s graduate committee.  The student choosing the thesis option will also be expected to provide an oral defense of the thesis at the conclusion of her/his graduate studies.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree—The History Department offers the Ph.D. degree with a primary emphasis in either United States or European History.  The student is required to prepare for examination in four fields.  Two will be chronological fields in the primary area ( U.S. or Europe ), and the other two fields will be topical or regional fields, or in a discipline other than history.  A minor outside  the History Department must include at least 12 hours.  The student should refer to the History Department’s list of available fields for information regarding primary and secondary fields. Each student must hold a master’s degree and/or possess other qualifications that demonstrate an ability to do graduate work at the doctoral level.

The department expects that the student will normally complete at least 60 hours of coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree for the Ph.D. degree in history.  Credit earned in a master’s degree program at Mississippi State or elsewhere may be used to satisfy requirements for the doctoral program if it is appropriate to the candidate’s doctoral fields and acceptable to the student’s graduate committee.  Each student pursuing the Ph.D. degree in history must demonstrate proficiency in two research skills.  This requirement may be fulfilled by demonstrating reading knowledge of two foreign languages, or by demonstrating a reading proficiency in one foreign language and proficiency in quantitative methods.  Each candidate must complete, or have completed, HI 8923 Historiography and Historical Method at Mississippi State .

The prospective Ph.D. candidate must understand that work toward a Ph.D. degree is different from other academic work he or she may have undertaken.  The holder of a Ph.D. degree is assumed to have mastered his or her field of study and to have developed an ability to do original research and to make original contributions to knowledge.  It is the responsibility of the student’s major professor and committee members to determine when this level of understanding has been reached.  It cannot be measured by the number of courses completed, and the exact number required of each student in the History Department may vary.

Each student must have a graduate committee composed of at least five graduate faculty members.  The chairman must be from the student’s major field and must be a full member of the graduate faculty.  He or she will normally be the student’s future dissertation director.  The committee will include at least one minor professor and at least three other members.  Four members of the committee must be members of the History Department’s graduate faculty.

When the student and major professor agree that adequate preparation has been made, the major professor will schedule a comprehensive examination.  A full-time Ph.D. student should normally take the comprehensive examination within three years of enrollment, and a part-time Ph.D. student should take the comprehensive examination within four years of enrollment.  The student must have either completed all coursework or be within six hours of completing the coursework.  The student must have fulfilled the research skills requirement and must have met all other History Department and the Office of Graduate Studies requirements.  Each student will take four written comprehensive examinations.  A student will be allowed one day for each field, and the four  examinations must be completed within a two-week period.  Faculty members who have collaborated in preparing a student for a particular field may contribute to one examination.  The student’s committee will then decide if the quality of the written examinations warrants proceeding to the oral examination.  If the student fails either the written or oral part of the comprehensive examination, she or he may retake it after the passage of four months.  A second failure will result in termination from the program.

After passing comprehensive examinations, the student must submit a dissertation proposal which must be approved in writing by all members of the student’s graduate committee before the student will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.  The dissertation proposal must include at least the topic, historical question to be answered, hypothesis answering that question, and sources to be consulted.  The dissertation proposal must specify both the director and the second reader.  No candidate will be granted a dissertation fellowship until the approved dissertation proposal is on file in the History Department office.

The composition of the candidate’s graduate committee for the dissertation need not be identical to the committee which conducts the comprehensive examination.  The second reader of a dissertation will be actively involved in the dissertation process.  The second reader will be kept informed of the progress the candidate is making in the research; the second reader will be provided and will comment upon drafts of outlines and chapters as the candidate writes them.

The dissertation must show the candidate’s mastery of research methods in history and must make an original contribution to scholarship in the candidate’s field.  The dissertation must reflect at least 20 semester hours of dissertation research.

The candidate’s graduate committee must approve the dissertation and administer a final oral examination (defense).  The dissertation must be provided to the members of the committee at least fourteen days before the defense.

For additional information contact the Graduate Coordinator, Department of History, P.O. Box  H, Mississippi State, MS  39762, e-mail histgradco@org.msstate.edu or call 662-325-3604 and obtain the Department’s Handbook.

Academic Performance—Although one C grade may be included in a graduate program, the History Department views C grades as evidence of unsatisfactory work.  A student who earns a second C grade will be dismissed from the program.  Students earning one grade of D or F will also be dismissed from the program.  A candidate for degree must have achieved a B average by the end of the course work. 

Provisional Admission—An applicant not satisfying the minimum quantitative requirements or lacking an adequate background in history may be granted provisional admission.  An applicant admitted on a provisional basis must earn a 3.00 GPA in his or her first nine hours of graduate work at MSU after admission to the program.  Transfer hours or unclassified graduate hours may not be used.  Students admitted provisionally because of inadequate undergraduate preparation in history may be asked to take additional courses at the undergraduate level.

Prerequisites and Core Courses:

HI 6103          Colonial America . 3 hours

HI 6113          U.S. History 1783-1825. 3 hours

HI 6123          Jacksonian America , 1825-1850. 3 hours

HI 6133          Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877. 3 hours

HI 6143          Revolutionary America . 3 hours

HI 6153          U.S. History, 1877-1917. 3 hours

HI 6163          U.S. History, 1917-1945. 3 hours

HI 6173          U.S. History Since 1945. 3 hours

HI 6183          U.S. Economic History. 3 hours

HI 6193          U.S. Environmental History (Completion of any 1000-level history course). 3 hours

HI 6203          Diplomatic History of the U.S. 3 hours

HI 6213          History of Grand Strategy and International Security. (Completion of any 1000-level history course or consent of instructor). 3 hours

HI 6233          War, Peace, and Society: The American Experience. 3 hours

HI 6243          American Life and Thought. 3 hours

HI 6253          Religion in America (HI 1063 or 1073). 3 hours

HI 6263          America ’s Viet Nam War. 3 hours

HI 6273          Women in American History. 3 hours

HI 6283          History of Southern Women. 3 hours

HI 6303          The Old South. 3 hours

HI 6313          The New South. 3 hours

HI 6323          The American West. 3 hours

HI 6333          Native American History to 1830 (completion of any 1000 level history course).  3 hours

HI 6343          Native American History Since 1830 (completion of any 1000 level history course).  3 hours

HI 6363          African-American History and Culture. 3 hours

HI 6373          History of the Modern Civil Rights Movement. 3 hours

HI 6403          The Ancient Near East. 3 hours

HI 6413          Ancient Greece and Rome . 3 hours

HI 6423          Medieval Civilization. 3 hours

HI 6443          Renaissance and Reformation. 3 hours

HI 6523          Europe , 1789-1914. 3 hours

HI 6563          Viet Nam Between Revolution and War, 1940-1990. 3 hours

HI 6583          China Since 1800. 3 hours

HI 6593          Japan Since 1600. 3 hours

HI 6603          Medieval Civilization. 3 hours

HI 6623          The Vikings. 3 hours

HI 6643          Renaissance and Reformation. 3 hours

HI 6653          The History of Science and  Technology. 3 hours

HI 6673          Europe, 1789-1914. 3 hours

HI 6683          Europe:  The First World War to Hitler. 3 hours

HI 6693          Europe:  The Second World War to the Common Market. 3 hours

HI 6703          England to 1485. 3 hours

HI 6713          Tudor and Stuart England. 3 hours

HI 6733          Constitutional and Legal History of England . 3 hours

HI 6753          History of Russia . 3 hours

HI 6763          History of Modern Germany . 3 hours

HI 6773          History of Modern France . 3 hours

HI 6783          African Civilization to 1880. 3 hours

HI 6793          Modern Africa . 3 hours

HI 6813          History of Modern Civil Rights Movement. 3 hours

HI 6833          Colonial Latin America . 3 hours

HI 6843          Latin-American Republics . 3 hours

HI 6853          Modern Mexico . 3 hours

HI 6903          The Far East . 3 hours

HI 6913          The Administration of Archives and Manuscript Collections. 3 hours

HI 6923          A Practicum in Archival Administration (HI 4913/6913). 3 hours

HI 6990          Special Topics in History. 1-9 hours

HI 7000          Directed Individual Study. 1-6 hours

HI 8000          Research/Thesis. 6 hours

HI 8103          Readings in Colonial American History. 3 hours

HI 8113          Readings in U.S. History, 1783-1825. 3 hours

HI 8123          Readings in Jacksonian America . 3 hours

HI 8133          Readings in the Civil War and Reconstruction. 3 hours

HI 8153          Readings in U.S. History, 1877- 1917. 3 hours

HI 8163          Reading in Contemporary United States. 3 hours

HI 8203          Readings in American Diplomatic History. 3 hours

HI 8233          Readings in American Military History. 3 hours

HI 8263          Readings in American Economic Developments. 3 hours

HI 8273          Readings in Women in American History. 3 hours

HI 8283          Readings in Women in Southern History. 3 hours

HI 8293          Readings in History of American Families. 3 hours

HI 8303          Readings in the Old South. 3 hours

HI 8313          Readings in the New South. 3 hours

HI 8323          Readings in the American West. 3 hours

HI 8353          Readings in African-American History and Culture. 3 hours

HI 8403          Readings in Ancient History. 3 hours

HI 8423          Readings in Medieval History. 3 hours

HI 8443          Readings in Renaissance and Reformation. 3 hours

HI 8503          Readings in European History, 1600-1789. 3 hours

HI 8523          Readings in European History, 1789-1914. 3 hours

HI 8533          Readings in European History, 1914-Present. 3 hours

HI 8613          Readings in English History, 1485-1714. 3 hours

HI 8623          Readings in English History Since 1714. 3 hours

HI 8733          Readings in Colonial Latin America . 3 hours

HI 8743          Readings in Latin-American Republics. 3 hours

HI 8753          Readings in Russian History. 3 hours

HI 8763          Readings in the Far East . 3 hours

HI 8803          Graduate Colloquium. 3 hours

HI 8813          Seminar in U.S. History Before 1877. 3 hours

HI 8823          Seminar in U.S. History Since 1877. 3 hours

HI 8833          Seminar in Southern History. 3 hours

HI 8843          Seminar in Latin-American History. 3 hours

HI 8853          Seminar in European History Before 1789. 3 hours

HI 8863          Seminar in European History Since 1789. 3 hours

HI 8883          U.S. Agricultural History, 1500-2000. 3 hours

HI 8913          Seminar in Quantitative Methods for Historical Research. 3 hours

HI 8923          Historiography and Historical Method. 3 hours

HI 8933          Colloquium in Colonial and Revolutionary America. 3 hours

HI 8943          Colloquium in U.S. History from 1787-1877. 3 hours

HI 8953          Colloquium in U.S. History from 1877-1945. 3 hours

HI 8963          Colloquium in U.S. History from 1945-Present. 3 hours

HI 8990          Special Topics in History. 1-9 hours

HI 9000          Research/Dissertation. 20 hours