TRACK DESCRIPTION
The Public History track in the History MA program is designed to serve the needs of a variety of students, including those who plan to pursue a PhD, those wishing to improve their proficiency as secondary school teachers, and those who seek to enrich their intellectual lives.
The Public History track in the History MA program is designed to serve the needs of a variety of students, including those who plan to pursue a PhD, those wishing to improve their proficiency as secondary school teachers, and those who seek to enrich their intellectual lives.
Students are served by departmental members whose areas of research include classical history, early Christianity, African history, American cultural and social history, local history, the South, the American Civil War, the American frontier, women and gender roles, Asian history, Middle-Eastern history, twentieth-century mass movements, Nazism and anti-Semitism in Central Europe, Latin American history, and European history, as well as other areas.
CURRICULUM
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 36
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
The Public History track requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including 9 credit hours of required core courses, 15 credit hours in the public history area of concentration, and 6 credit hours of elective courses taken outside of the area of concentration. All students must pass a foreign language competency test, pass a written examination in two fields, and successfully complete and defend their thesis or project. No graduate credit given for any grade lower than “B- .”
Required Courses—24 Credit Hours
Core—9 Credit Hours
- HIS 5067 Introduction to Public History (3 credit hours)
- HIS 6159 Historiography (3 credit hours)
- HIS 6905 History Capstone Class (3 credit hours)
Specialization—15 Credit Hours
Students should take 9 credit hours of Public History courses or internships.
- AMH 6429 Seminar in Community and Local History (3 credit hours)
- AMH 6591 Seminar in Documentary Editing (3 credit hours)
- AMH 6592 Seminar in Oral History (3 credit hours)
- HIS 6946 Internship (3 credit hours)
- HIS 6945 Internship in Historical Editing and Publishing (3 credit hours)
Elective Courses—6 Credit Hours
Students choose 6 hours of electives in one of the two areas of specialization below.
Eastern Hemisphere Courses: African, Asian, European, or Middle Eastern
- AFH 5259 Colloquium in African History (3 credit hours)
- AFH 5806 The Historiography of Slavery in Africa (3 credit hours)
- ASH 5408 Colloquium in Modern China (3 credit hours)
- ASH 5485 U.S. China Relations (3 credit hours)
- ASH 5227 The Arab-Israeli Conflict (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5247 Colloquium in Europe from 1919-1939 (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5285 Colloquium in Europe Since World War lI (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5371 Colloquium in Spanish History (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5415 Rome and Early Christianity (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5459 Colloquium in French History (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5546 Colloquium: British History (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5579 Colloquium in Soviet Russia (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5595 Colloquium in Czarist Russia (3 credit hours)
- EUH 5608 Colloquium European Intellectual History (3 credit hours)
- EUH 6939 Seminar in European History (3 credit hours)
Western Hemisphere courses; Caribbean, North American, or South American
- AMH 5116 Colloquium in U.S. Colonial History (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5137 Colloquium in U.S. Revolutionary Period (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5149 Colloquium in Early U.S. History, 1789-1815 (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5169 Colloquium in Age of Jackson (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5176 Colloquium in Civil War and Reconstruction (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5219 Colloquium in Late 19th Century U.S. (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5296 Colloquium in 20th Century U.S. (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5378 History of Technology (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5391 Colloquium in U.S. Cultural History (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5406 Colloquium in American South (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5446 Colloquium in U.S. Frontier (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5515 Colloquium in U.S. Diplomatic History (3 credit hours)
- AMH 5566 Colloquium: Women in American History (3 credit hours)
- AMH 6939 Seminar in U.S. History (3 credit hours)
- LAH 5713 Colloquium in U.S.-Latin American Relations (3 credit hours)
- LAH 6936 Seminar in Latin American History (3 credit hours)
Thesis—6 Credit Hours
The culminating event of the program is six credit hours at the 6000-level developing and sustaining a historical argument in writing according to the accepted professional and ethical standards of the discipline.
Thesis or Project Defense
The final step in completing the thesis requirement is a one-hour oral defense before the thesis committee.
Comprehensive Examination
Each candidate for the Master of Arts in History must pass written examinations in two fields upon conclusion of regular course work and before beginning a thesis. These examinations must be taken and passed as part of the requirements for the capstone course. Students are provided two attempts at successfully passing the examinations. Each student will also submit a thesis prospectus and preliminary bibliography, which the three members of the student’s thesis committee judge acceptable as the preliminary step to beginning the thesis. An oral defense of the written exams and the thesis prospectus and bibliography is also a requirement of the capstone course.
Foreign Language Competency
Students will also be expected to demonstrate a reading competency in one foreign language. The foreign language examination must be completedone semester prior to the thesis defense.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline(s).
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- A bachelor’s degree in History (or an equivalent).
- A 3.0 GPA in history courses.
- Official, competitive GRE score taken in the last five years.
- A written statement describing personal goals and objectives in seeking a graduate degree in history.
- Three letters of recommendation from former professors who can address applicant’s ability to undertake graduate-level history courses.
- A score of at least 233 (computer-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for applicants from countries where English is not the official language or applicants with degrees from a non-U.S. accredited institution.
Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree in History but do not have a GPA of 3.0 in all work attempted while registered as an undergraduate student, or while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student (normally based on the last sixty attempted semester hours), or a 3.0 GPA in their history courses, or do not have a competitive score on the combined verbal-quantitative sections of the GRE may take up to 9 hours of graduate courses as non-degree-seeking students. To be admitted into the graduate program, however, they must earn a 3.3 GPA or higher in the graduate-level history courses they take under this status.
Generally, applicants who meet all of the above requirements but do not have an undergraduate degree in History must complete 12 hours of history course work at the 3000 and 4000 level, with a 3.25 GPA in these courses, before entering the graduate program. These courses will not count toward the graduate degree. The History Department Graduate Committee can waive this requirement, in whole or in part, when applicants present evidence that they are capable of successfully completing graduate history courses. If, in addition, applicants do not meet one of the other requirements for entry, such as a GPA of 3.0 in all work attempted while registered as an undergraduate student, or while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student (normally based on the last sixty attempted semester hours) or a score of 1000 on the combined verbal/quantitative sections of the GRE and a score of 500 on the verbal portion of the GRE, they must complete 12 hours of course work at the 3000 and 4000 level with GPA of 3.5 before they can be admitted to the graduate program. Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee program admission. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant's career/academic goals, and the applicant's potential for completing the degree.
Application Deadlines
All application materials must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed below.
| Public History |
Fall Priority
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Fall
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Spring
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Summer
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|---|
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Domestic Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jul 15 | Dec 1 | Apr 15 |
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International Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 1 | Nov 1 |
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International Transfer Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 1 | Sep 1 | Dec 15 |
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FINANCIALS
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Student Finances, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see Fellowships, which includes descriptions of UCF fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.