It is usual for the history M.A. candidate to take the Comprehensive Written Examination in his or her major field of history. This examination is given toward the end of each semester, the exact date varying according to the academic calendar. In the semester prior to taking the exam, the student will select an examining committee of at least two members of the permanent history faculty (those holding the ranks of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor). In the fields of U.S. History, World History, and Europe since 1500, the committee shall ordinarily include three members. The members of the Exam Committee will be selected from  faculty in the student’s major field only. Ordinarily, the student will have completed coursework with the faculty who serve on the committee.

The committee will create, read, and evaluate the exam, assigning it to one of the following categories: Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail. The entire selection process is formalized by means of the Culminating Experience Form. Sample copies of previous examinations can be obtained from the Graduate Coordinators. At the beginning of the semester in which the exam is to be taken, the candidate must sign up for History 896; at this time, the student should confer with the Graduate Coordinators. Throughout the semester the student is obliged to meet periodically with her or his examining committee to discuss readings and preparations for the exam.

If the examination is initially failed, it may be repeated once and only once.

Thesis Option

Students wishing to write a thesis must first confer with a Graduate Coordinator. The purpose of this conference is to review the student's academic record. Students will be asked to demonstrate their capacity and preparation for writing a thesis in two ways: (1) they must possess an excellent academic record with a pattern of coursework that demonstrates not only a breadth of training but also a background for doing the proposed work; (2) they must have completed a graduate research seminar with a grade of no lower than A-. The appropriateness of the general topic in terms of available faculty and potential library and archival resources will also be considered at this first meeting.

Students who successfully pass this initial screening must then submit a well-conceived research design to proposed members of the thesis committee. This prospectus must include the following items:

1. A clear identification of the problem to be studied; the student should indicate the significance and importance of the problem as well as the aims and objectives of the study; a brief review of the literature should also be appended;

2. As precise a description as possible of the materials to be used in the thesis; the student should indicate here why this body of material is potentially useful and what the difficulties in using this material might be;

3. A statement of the methodology or approach to be employed in the course of the thesis;

4. A timetable for the completion of the project.

This research design will be the basis of a one-hour oral discussion, with all members of the committee present. If the committee formally approves the research design, they will then sign the Culminating Experience Form, which the student may then file. Remember, you must submit a GAP to the Graduate Division before you file your Culminating Experience form. After both forms have been filed, the Graduate Division will allow you to sign up for History 898.

Students must observe specific regulations in preparing and filing the thesis. Detailed format instructions are contained in the publication Guidelines for Preparation and Submission of Theses/Written Creative Works. Be sure to review these guidelines before you begin submitting draft chapters of your thesis to your committee.

Enrollment in Hist. 898 is good for a full year. At the end of the first semester, you will receive a grade of WP--“Work in Progress.” You will not need to pay an additional fee for the subsequent semester. Special forms, available from the Library or from the Graduate Coordinators, will allow you to request library privileges in the second semester of thesis work.

Different faculty members may have varying expectations about the process of mentoring a thesis candidate, so it is important for students to find out what their committee members require. Typically, the chair of the committee may want to approve drafts of individual chapters, while the second and third readers may prefer to wait until an overall draft is complete. At any rate, make sure that you get your final rough draft to your committee in plenty of time for them to read and evaluate the work before returning it to you for revisions. Students who wish to graduate in December MUST have a complete draft to their committee by October 15; students who plan to graduate in May MUST have their draft to their committee by March 15.