Award-winning and internationally recognized faculty serve graduate students in a program that provides opportunities for close mentorship and advising. With a strong commitment to research and teaching, as well as training the next generation of historians, the faculty have published extensively and are active participants in national and international historical organizations.
Admissions
Admission recommendations for all graduate programs in the Department of History at The University of Alabama are made to the Graduate School based on a composite of subjective and quantitative information, including the applicant's statement of purpose and letters of recommendation, an academic writing sample, the academic standing of the programs in which the applicant has studied, evidence of appropriate college or graduate-level work in history courses, previous grades, and the recommendation of the Graduate Committee of the Department of History. Each application is considered in the context of other applications to the program, with due consideration given to the availability of space in the program. Not every student whose credentials meet stated quantitative standards is admitted.
See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.
Curricular Requirements
Course load
Resident students are expected to register for full loads each semester—at least 9 hours, except in the case of .50 FTE teaching assistants, who must take at least 6 hours. All courses must be numbered 500 or above, but HY 699 Dissertation Research does not count toward the course hour requirement for any graduate degree.
Total credit hours
The MA in History requires 30 credit hours of graduate-level coursework.
History Colloquium
All incoming graduate students (MA or PhD), unless specifically exempted by the Graduate Committee, must take the History Colloquium HY 665 Special Studies in the Fall semester of their first year.
Historiography course requirement
All incoming graduate students (MA or PhD), unless specifically exempted by the Graduate Committee, must take at least two of the basic historiography courses (HY 601, HY 602, HY 603, HY 605) in different geographic areas as part of their degree program. :
| Code and Title | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| HY 601/602 | Literature Of American History | 4 |
| HY 603 | Literature European Hist | 4 |
| HY 605 | Lit Latin Amercn History | 4 |
Seminar requirement
All MA students who choose Plan II (described under "Requirements for the MA Program" below) must take at least one research seminar.
| Plan I - Thesis | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| HY 665 | Special Studies (History Colloquium ) | 4 |
| Historiography Courses: | ||
| Students choose two of the following | 8 | |
HY 601 or | Literature Of American History | |
| Lit American History Sc 1865 | ||
| Literature European Hist | ||
| Lit Latin Amercn History | ||
| HY 599 | Thesis Research | 6 |
| Elective Courses | 12 | |
| Teaching History | ||
| Lit American History Sc 1865 | ||
| Prosem Us Histry To 1877 | ||
| Prosem Us HY Since 1877 | ||
| Prosem Southern History | ||
| Early Mod Brit Eur Hy | ||
| Recent Brit Eur History | ||
| Prosem Military/Naval Hy | ||
| NOTE: This list is not comprehensive. | ||
| Courses in closely related disciplines may be taken with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
| Plan II - Non-Thesis | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| HY 665 | Special Studies (History Colloquium ) | 4 |
| Historiography Courses: | ||
| Students choose two of the following | 8 | |
HY 601 or | Literature Of American History | |
| Lit American History Sc 1865 | ||
| Literature European Hist | ||
| Lit Latin Amercn History | ||
| Research Seminar | 3 | |
| HY 698 | Directed Research | 4 |
| Elective Courses | 11 | |
| Teaching History | ||
| Lit American History Sc 1865 | ||
| Prosem Us Histry To 1877 | ||
| Prosem Us HY Since 1877 | ||
| Prosem Southern History | ||
| Early Mod Brit Eur Hy | ||
| Recent Brit Eur History | ||
| Prosem Military/Naval Hy | ||
| NOTE: This list is not comprehensive. | ||
| Courses in closely related disciplines may be taken with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Transfer of Credit
Graduate School information on Transfer Credit.
Accelerated Master's Program
Advanced undergraduate History majors of exceptional promise may apply to the Accelerated Master's Program in History. Students who meet the entrance requirements, complete the University's core curriculum, with the foreign language option, complete the required courses for the History major (including HY 497 OR HY 498/HY 499 and the geographic area distribution requirements), and complete 3/4 of the required History major hours, may apply to the Accelerated Master's Program.
Students wishing to apply to the Accelerated Master's Program submit the same application materials as all other applicants to the MA program in History (see "Admission Requirements" above.) Please note that not all applicants who meet eligibility criteria are accepted into the program.
Students in the Accelerated Master's Program fulfill the exact same degree requirements as those in the standard MA program.
Graduate School information on the AMP Program.
Comprehensive Examination
The Comprehensive MA exam in History will consist of one hour oral exam based on the submission of a ten-page synthetic essay the student's final Master's Thesis (for Plan I students) or seminar paper (for Plan II students). The examination committee will consist of three faculty members from the Department of History, including the faculty member with whom the student has written his/her thesis or seminar paper, and two other professors with whom the student has taken at least one course. In the event that the student intends to pursue a PhD in the Department of History of The University of Alabama and the potential dissertation advisor is not included in this group, he or she will be added to the examination committee as a fourth member. The use of faculty from outside the department to serve on MA examination committees must be approved well in advance by the Graduate Committee.
The oral exam should follow within two or three weeks of submission of the written material (final version of the thesis/seminar paper and synthetic essay) to the examination committee. The oral exam will last approximately one hour and will consist of questions evenly divided between those on the student's thesis/seminar paper and those on the student's broader coursework (for which the synthetic essay will serve as a starting point).
The examination is graded pass/fail. Two negative votes constitute failure of the examination. History graduate students may repeat failed oral examinations one time only, after an interval specified by the examining committee.
Plan I - Thesis Process
The topic of the thesis will be selected by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. After the topic has been agreed upon, the student will prepare a prospectus describing the topic and the proposed plan of approach, including the principal sources to be used. Copies of the prospectus will be distributed to the student's advisory committee, which shall consist of three members, all of whom must indicate their acceptance of the topic.
Students writing a thesis must enroll in 6 credit hours of HY 599 Thesis Research.
The final defense of the thesis will take place as part of the student's Comprehensive Examination (see "Comprehensive Examination" above.)
Plan II - Non-Thesis Process
Plan II students will complete a Research Seminar and write an article-length seminar paper based on original historical research (see "Curricular Requirements" above.) A discussion of the student's final seminar paper will form an integral portion of the student's Comprehensive Examination (see "Comprehensive Examination" above.)
Time Limits for Degree Completion Requirements
Graduate School information on Time Limits.
Student Progress Requirement
Any student who receives 6 hours of "C" grades or 3 hours of "D" or "F" grades in history courses may be dismissed from the program. A student that is dismissed from the program may petition the Graduate Committee for reinstatement.
A student on probation or whose transcript carries a grade of "I" will ordinarily be ineligible for a teaching assistantship or other departmental financial support.
Additional Academic Requirements
Foreign Language Proficiency requirement
MA students in History are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in one foreign language. Students may fulfill this requirement by passing a translation examination administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Classics, or by passing a translation examination administered by a faculty member in the Department of History with the requisite expertise in the language. MA students must pass their language exams before taking their comprehensive examinations.
Academic Misconduct Information
Graduate School information on Academic Misconduct.
Withdrawals and Leave of Absence Information
Graduate School information on Withdrawals and Leave of Absence.
Academic Grievances Information
Graduate School information on Academic Grievances.
Grades and Academic Standing
Graduate School information on Grades and Academic Standing.
Graduate School Deadlines Information
Information on Graduate School Deadlines.
Application for Graduation Information
Information on the Application for Graduation.