Professors: Berger, Broedel, Burin, Caraher, Iseminger (Graduate Program Director), Kelsch, Mochoruk, Porter (Chair) and Reese

Program Description

The department of History offers programs leading to the Master of Arts degree, the Doctor of Arts degree, and the Ph.D. The M.Ed. degree is also available for students who wish to complete an education degree with an area of concentration in History. See the M.Ed. requirements in the Degree Requirements section for further information. The program advisor for the M.Ed. will be in the Department of History, but students planning to take this option should also consult an advisor in the College of Education and Human Development.

Some Teaching Assistantships, providing stipends and waivers of tuition, are available. Applications for assistantships should be submitted by March 1, but later applications will be considered.

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements

1. Undergraduate preparation of a minimum of 20 semester credits in history with at least six credits at the upper division level.
   
   
2. An overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 and at least 3.25 in all undergraduate history courses.
   
   
3. A writing sample of 8-10 pages, preferably a research or seminar paper (submitted directly to the department’s Director of Graduate Study).

Degree Requirements

1. A total of 30 credits including 21 in either United States or European history and 9 credits in: a) a field of history not included in the primary concentration, such as United States or European History, or b) a minor in a related discipline such as Communications, English, Geography, or Sociology, or c) a cognate as defined in the Degree Requirement section of this catalog.
   
   
2. Research seminars, either 511 or 515.
   
   
3. At least one readings course, either 593 or 594.
   
   
4. History 502, Historiography, counted as three credits in the major concentration.
   
   
5. Six credits of thesis.

Doctor of Arts

This degree is designed to prepare those whose primary interest is teaching history at the undergraduate collegiate level. It places heavy emphasis upon subject matter and a supervised teaching internship. The internship requires teaching a survey course for one semester during the second year of the program and a second course for one semester at the 200 or 300 level during the third year. The department offers five fields of study: Ancient World, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, United States to 1877, and United States since 1877.

The Doctor of Arts program has been designated a Western Regional Graduate Program by the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) because of its uniqueness and strength. It is, therefore, open to residents of the thirteen western states at resident tuition rates.

Admission Requirements

1. All M.A. admission requirements.
   
   
2. A master’s degree, preferably in history and with thesis, but at least 15 semester credits of history at the graduate level.
   
   
3. A GPA of at least 3.50 for the master’s level work.
   
   
4. Taking the Graduate Record Examination is optional, but recommended for those whose previous academic record makes their admission questionable or those who have been out of school for several years. High GRE scores may indicate sufficient promise to permit admission of applicants with inadequate grade point averages or insufficient courses. The department may require the GRE as a condition of admission if preliminary examination of the student’s application indicates that the score would be helpful in determining ability to do graduate level work.

It is recommended that applicants have at least two years of teaching experience in history, the social sciences, or the humanities.

Degree Requirements

1. History 502, 511 or 515, 551, 595, and 599.
   
   
2. One three-credit course taken outside of the department, preferably Psychology 501, Psychological Foundations of Education (other courses acceptable with departmental approval).
   
   
3. A teaching internship of eight credits.
   
   
4. A cognate of a minimum of 12 credits from such areas as the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities.
   
   
5. A 20-credit-hour area of concentration from one of the fields listed above which includes a 5-credit independent research project representing a sustained creative effort exploring a significant topic of concern to historians and teachers of history.
   
   
6. Written examinations in both United States fields and in two of the three European fields selected on the basis of work done in a Master’s degree program as well as the doctoral program. (Exams may be taken after 72 hours of the program of study have been completed.)
   
   
7. Before receiving their degrees, all students will have taught both Western Civilization survey courses (History 101 and History 102) and both United States History survey courses (History 103 and History 104) or their equivalents. This requirement may be satisfied by teaching as a Teaching Assistant in the department or by teaching in the internship or, if approved by the department, by having previous teaching experience.

Students in both D.A. and M.A. programs should consider taking the Public History courses, 480 and 481, and some work in records management; or geography, including cartography; or journalism; to increase employment opportunities.

Joint Ph.D. Program with NDSU

Admission Requirements

1. Preference for admission into the Ph.D. program with full graduate standing will be given to applicants who have a GPA of at least 3.5 in history courses in an earned bachelor’s or master’s degree.
   
   
2. Applicants will submit a statement of intent clearly outlining the applicant’s research interests, career goals, and purpose for seeking a Ph.D. in history.
   
   
3. Applicants will submit a substantial paper previously submitted for a class in history to provide evidence of ability to research thoroughly, to interpret and analyze primary and secondary sources, to synthesize information, to organize thoughts logically, and to communicate clearly and effectively.
   
   
4. Preference for admission into the Ph.D. program with full graduate standing will be given to applicants who present acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination.
   
   
5. The program requires students for whom English is a second language to have a minimum TOEFL score of 600.
   
   
6. Students seeking admission for the fall semester must submit a complete application by February 10. Students seeking admission for the spring semester must submit their complete application by September 15.

Major Fields

Great Plains History
Rural History
North American History
Western European History

Minor Fields:

Public History
World History

Degree Requirements

1. Students must satisfactorily complete 90 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students entering with an M.A. degree must complete at least 60 additional semester graduate credits. Core course requirements must be met which include: Methods of Historical Research, Historiography, Seminar in the Teaching of History, at least two research seminars, and at least two readings courses. Students must complete 36 course credits with at least 27 credits in history courses. Students will earn 12 credits in two or more major fields. Students may choose a third major field or a minor field (nine semester credits).
   
   
2. Students must have a proficiency in two languages other than their native language, or one foreign language and one special research skill such as statistics or computer science.
   
   
3. The program will require at least one academic year in residence at either campus. Each student will register at one of the universities that will be the student’s academic “home.” The student’s adviser must be employed in the home university. At least one member of the student’s committee must be employed at the other (not home) university. Students may have to take courses at both universities.
   
   
4. Students will write three comprehensive examinations in their major and minor fields. The exams will be read and graded by the supervisory committee. Students will complete an oral examination based on the written exams. The oral examination is to be conducted by the supervisory committee.
   
   
5. Students will write a dissertation (up to 24 credits) on an approved topic in consultation with the faculty adviser and the supervisory committee of five faculty. The dissertation must be based on extensive research in primary and secondary sources, must argue an original thesis, and must be defended before the supervisory committee.
   
   
6. The committee will be composed of the faculty adviser who represents the student’s field of study and who will direct the research and writing of the dissertation. A second member of the committee (second reader) represents the student’s major field of study. A third member of the committee will represent the student’s minor field of study. The fourth member of the committee represents either the student’s major field or minor field. At least one of the four history faculty must be from the cooperating (non-home) university. The Graduate School will appoint the fifth member of the committee.

Residency Requirements

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are required to complete at least one academic year (18 credits minimum) in residence at one campus.

Resident students may qualify for teaching assistantships. Students who have completed a M.A. degree may be assigned full responsibility for undergraduate courses or may be assigned to assist a faculty member in teaching courses.

Students will be required to take some courses from faculty at both campuses, but will register at only one university. Some courses will be offered by interactive video network, some will be offered through internet online systems, some courses will require students to travel to the other campus.

Students not residing on one of the cooperating campuses will have to have access to a satisfactory research library for various courses and for dissertation research.

Assistantships

Students may apply for assistantships (based on availability) at the campus of their residency during their period of residency. Students will be limited to three years (six semesters) of assistantships.

Libraries

The combined UND/NDSU libraries contain over two million volumes. In addition, each university library houses an archive of historic materials that has supported the research of many faculty members and visiting scholars.

The catalogs of the Chester Fritz Library and the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections at the University of North Dakota are available online.

The catalog of the Libraries at North Dakota State University is available online along with the catalog of the Institute for Regional Studies.

The North Dakota State University Library also houses the Germans From Russia Heritage Collection.

Locations

The University of North Dakota is in Grand Forks and North Dakota State University is in Fargo. Both cities are situated along Interstate 29 about 75 miles apart.

Courses

501. Methods of Historical Research. 3 credits. Prerequisite: graduate status. This course is intended to teach graduate students to comprehend, analyze, apply, and evaluate the basic techniques and frameworks for historical research. These include basic historical theories, methods, and problems (such as causality, objectivity, types of evidence, schools of historical thought, evaluation of sources, qualitative and quantitative analysis). Students will also learn how to use standard data bases and bibliographical aids to find, identify, and assess appropriate information to support, modify, or reject historical interpretations and arguments.

502. Historiography. 3 credits. Required for all candidates for advanced degrees in history. An introduction to the history of historical thought, from the classical Greeks to the present, with examination of some of the works of important historians writing in the western tradition. The first half of the course is primarily devoted to classical and European historians; the second half is primarily devoted to modern and American historians.

511. Research Seminar in American History. 3 credits. Required for all candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Arts, and Master of Arts who do not take History 515. This course requires preparation of a research paper. The subject of the research will be within an announced general topic area of American History. Repeatable.

513. Research Seminar in World History. 3 credits. This course introduces students to the research and writing of World History with a stress on the proper utilization of comparative and thematic methodology. It requires the preparation of a research paper that utilizes the methodology of World History.

515. Research Seminar in European History. 3 credits. Required for all candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Arts, and Master of Arts who do not take History 511. This course requires preparation of a research paper. The subject of the research will be within an announced general topic area of European History. Repeatable.

551. Seminar in the Teaching of History. 1 to 4 credits. Required of all students pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Arts. Includes methods appropriate to college-level teaching. Class consists of discussion, demonstration, and practice. S/U grading only.

585. Directed Readings. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Graduate Status. Independent, directed readings on a topic tailored to the individual needs of the student. (No more than 3 hours of HIST 585 can count as credit towards a Doctoral Program without the approval of the Chair, the Graduate Director, and the Adviser.)

592. Readings in World History. 3 credits. This course focuses upon the reading and understanding of World History historiography, theories and methods through thematic and comparative readings. Repeatable.

593. Readings in American History. Topics vary. ‡ 2 to 3 credits.

594. Readings in European History. Topics vary. ‡ 2 to 3 credits.

595. Research. 1 to 5 credits. For candidates for the Doctor of Arts only. Requires a research project that will be a component of the area of concentration. Repeatable to the required maximum of five credits.

599. Internship in the Teaching of History. 1 to 12 credits. For candidates for the Doctor of Arts only. The internship requires the teaching of two or three courses to demonstrate proficiency in college-level teaching at the undergraduate level. Althoughthe teaching is supervised, the student has full responsibility for the courses. The internship may be conducted on this campus or, with proper arrangement and supervision, on another campus. Eight credits of internship are required, but the course may be repeated to a maximum of twelve credits. S/U grading only.

‡ All 593 and 594 courses involve reading, bibliographical study, discussion, and writing. Study may be confined to a subtopic within the general subject area. Repeatable with different subtopics. Students in the M.A. program will not ordinarily take more than one 593 or 594 in the primary concentration.

The following undergraduate courses are eligible for inclusion on graduate programs of study. Additional assignments and higher standards of accomplishment are required of students taking these courses for graduate credit. See the Undergraduate Section for course descriptions.

332. Women in American History to 1865. 3 credits.

333. Women in American History since 1865. 3 credits.

343. Ancient Greece. 3 credits.

344. Ancient Rome. 3 credits.

345. The Ancient Near East. 3 credits.

350. Europe: The Reformation, 1500-1648. 3 credits.

351. Europe: Age of Absolutism, 1648-1789. 3 credits.

352. Europe: French Revolution and Napoleonic Era, 1789-1815. 3 credits.

353. Europe: 1815-1918. 3 credits.

355. Europe: Since 1918. 3 credits.

403. The United States Colonial Period. 3 credits.

404. The United States Revolutionary Era, 1760-1789. 3 credits.

405. The United States: Age of Jefferson and Jackson, 1789-1850. 3 credits.

406. The United States: Civil War—Reconstruction, 1850-1877. 3 credits.

407. The United States: Rise of Industrial America, 1877-1920. 3 credits.

408. The United States: 1920-1945. 3 credits.

410. History of Mexico. 3 credits.

411. U.S. Foreign Relations, 1776-1900. 3 credits.

412. U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1900. 3 credits.

413. The United States Since 1945. 3 credits.

414. France Since 1815. 3 credits.

415. Germany Since 1815. 3 credits.

416. Russia to 1855. 3 credits.

417. Russia Since 1855. 3 credits.

419. Great Britain Since 1815. 3 credits.

431. History of the Great Plains. 3 credits.

470. United States-Canadian Relations, 1776 to Present. 3 credits.

480. Introduction to Public History. 3 credits.

481. Public History Practice. 3 credits.