Chairman, Graduate Committee: Dr. Dale Schmitt (423) 439-6698
e-mail: SchmittD@mail.etsu.eduThe Department of History offers a graduate degree program leading to the master of Arts. To be eligible for a master's degree in history, a student should hold a bachleor's degree from an accredited college and have the necessary prerequisites for advanced work in the department. This background should include the completion of a minimum of 27 hours semester hours of study in history.
Admission Requirements:
A student with an undergraduate major in history who wishes to do graduate work in this department shall have at least a 3.0 average in upper-level history courses. Applicants who do not meet this requirement may be admitted to the graduate program "on condition" with departmental permission, but may be required to complete prescribed undergraduate courses without graduate credit. All applicants shall submit to the School of Graduate Studies letters of recommendation from three undergraduate instructors, preferably historians. After admission, each student shall consult with the graduate advisor, Dr. Dale Schmitt, before beginning graduate study. The purpose of this consultation is to determine the academic needs of each student and to provide a program of study in history which will assist the graduate student to achieve individual aims in the School of Graduate Studies.
Required Courses:
Studies in Historiography 5940 and Introduction to Historical Research 5950 are required of all students, with 5950 being taken as soon as possible after entry into the program. Students enrolled in the master's degree program in history may register for courses which carry either the 5xx7 or the 5000-level designation. However, 5xx7-level courses that are taken by the student for undergraduate credit cannot be repeated for graduate credit. Moreover, graduate students in the history department shall be required to do additional work beyond that which is normally required of undergraduate students in 5xx7-level courses. A minimum of 70 percent of all courses taken by the students participating in the master's degree program must be from the "Graduate Only" listing.
General Requirements for the Master's Degree in History:
Students who enter the degree program in history must complete 30 hours of graduate study, at least 20 of which must be in history. Graduate students who desire to pursue a program of intensive study in history may select a primary and a secondary field. The secondary field shall consist of not less than six hours and shall include a seminar in that field.
Academic Status Committee:
A departmental committee will review the work of all graduate students at the end of each semester. Students whose work is judged conditional or unsatisfactory will be informed of their status and written reports and recommendations will be sent to members of the department and to the graduate dean.
Admission to Candidacy:
After satisfactorily completing 12 hours of approved course work, the student shall apply to the Graduate School for admission to candidacy for the master's degree. Students who fail to apply for admission to candidacy after earning 12 hours of approved graduate credit in the department shall be summoned before the academic consultation committee for special consultation.
Thesis:
Students who plan to continue graduate study at the doctoral level should write theses. An advisory committee for this thesis will be appointed by the departmental chair and graduate advisor after the student selects a subject acceptable to the professor in whose field the student wishes to work. If the student completes 30 hours of history, the three members of the committee must be historians.
Designated Paper Option:
This option is designed to provide an opportunity for students to pursue research in several areas. Students electing this option are required to select three courses in which research projects will be undertaken. One designated course may be selected each semester, except in the summer when one course may be pursued each term. The student, the advisory committee, and the instructor of the course may agree on an acceptable research project before the student enrolls in the course. The research project is in addition to the course requirements. Students confer with their instructor, submit a prospectus, which must be approved, and pursue their research and writing. For additional specific requirements, please consult the graduate catalogue under Degree Requirements and Programs of Study.
Course Work Option:
All students selecting the course work option will be required to complete an additional 33 hours of electives in addition to the six credits of required courses, for a minimum total of 39 credits. A minimum of 30 credits must be in History, and no more than nine credits may be in courses in collateral fields approved by the graduate coordinator. Students must declare a primary and secondary field of study. The primary area must include a seminar in that field which will include the completion of a major research paper; the secondary field shall include a minimum of nine credits of study. The department chair and graduate coordinator will nominate an advisory committee for each student which will include two professors in the primary area and one in the secondary area. During the student's final semester of course work, each student will take a comprehensive written examination set by the committee over the primary and secondary fields of study which will be followed by a comprehensive oral examination. The student may pass the examination; fail with an opportunity for further study and review with reexamination by the committee; or fail with no opportunity for reexamination.
Final Examination:
At the discretion of the candidate's committee, the final examination may be oral, written, or a combination of the two. It may be comprehensive and cover the thesis (or designated papers) and course work. The student may (1) pass the examination, (2) fail, with no opportunity for reexamination, or (3) fail, with an opportunity for further study and reexamination by the committee on a specified date. Oral examinations, will also be attended by a member of the graduate faculty who is a member of another department, and will designated by the School of Graduate Studies as an observer.
Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Scholarship:
The Department has several Graduate Assistantships available to on-going or incoming students. The number varies, according to funding, but is approximately half-a-dozen each year. Tuition scholarships, which cover tuition, are also available. Again, the number varies, but around half-a dozen per year is the norm. For information about details of either the Assistantships or Scholarships, contact either Dr. Dale Schmitt or Dr. Doug Burgess .
Members of the Graduate Committee
Dr. Dale Schmitt: Graduate Coordinator e-mail:SchmittD@etsu.edu Dr. Stephen Fritz e-mail:FritzS@etsu.edu Dr. Mel Page e-mail:Pagem@etsu.edu Dr. Elwood Watson e-mail:Watsone@etsu.edu Dr. Doug Burgess e-mail:Burgessw@etsu.edu
this!!Students seeking initial advising or perspective students with questions regarding the master's degree program should contact Dr. Dale Schmitt. If he is not available, Dr. Burgess may also be consulted.
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If you would like an application for admission to the Masters Program and graduate assistantships, please write to: Or apply On-line The School of Graduate Studies
East Tennessee State University
Box 70720
807 University Parkway
Johnson City, TN 37604-9905
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FAX: (423) 439-5624
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Last updated: Ides of September, 2002