Established in 1938, the history graduate program is one of the oldest at Marshall University. During the last fifty years more than 300 Master of Arts degrees in history have been awarded. Although many students have concentrated on U. S. and European history, the department also offers courses in Asian, Latin American, African American, and Women’s history.
In all fields of study students receive personal attention and direction that is often not available in larger graduate programs. Students may pursue either the thesis option or Non-thesis option, but are encouraged to write a Master’s thesis.
Undergraduate Requirements
Students who have not completed an undergraduate major in history must have at least 15 credit hours of undergraduate courses in history, including 12 credit hours in the World and U.S. History survey courses. StudentS with deficiencies in these areas should apply for conditional admission to the program and may be asked to take undergraduate courses suggested by the Director of Graduate Studies before being fully admitted to the program.
Graduate Admissions Requirements
Applicants should follow the admission process described in the Graduate Catalog or at the Graduate Admissions Website.
Applicants must also submit to the Graduate Admissions Office:
- Two letters of recommendation
- GRE scores
- A writing sample drawn from work in a college course
- A personal statement identifying the applicant’s reasons for pursuing an MA and explaining how the degree will contribute to the applicant’s future plans
Graduate Admissions Deadlines
Applications to the program are due by March 1st for the Fall Semester and by October 1st for the Spring Semester. Applications submitted after the due dates will be considered as long as they are no later than August 1st for Fall Semester and December 1st for Spring Semester.
Note: All application materials must be sent to the Graduate College Admissions Office, not to the Department of History.
