History

Admission Requirements Degree Requirements

Mailing Address:
Department of History (MC 198)
Room 913, University Hall
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7109

Campus Location: 913 UH
Program Codes: 20FS0342MA (MA); 20FS1757MAT (MAT); 20FS0342PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 996-3141
E-mail: lindavp@uic.edu, histdgs@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/
Chairperson of the Department: James F. Searing
Director of Graduate Studies: Laura Hostetler

The Department of History offers work leading to degrees in History at both the master’s and doctoral levels. In addition to the regular master’s degree program, the department offers a special program, designed to meet the needs of current and future middle and high school teachers, which leads to the Master of Arts in the Teaching of History (MAT). Interdepartmental concentrations in Gender and Women’s Studies, and Latin American and Latino Studies are available to both MA and PhD students. Students must select one of the following major fields for the MA: Africa, Ancient Mediterranean world, East Asia, medieval Europe, early modern Europe, modern Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, Russia, Latin America, and Colonial America and the United States. The PhD major fields are Africa, ancient Mediterranean world, medieval Europe, early modern Europe, modern Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, Russia, Latin America, Colonial America, and the United States. Each major field is further subdivided into minor fields, of which there are more than 60 for the MA and the PhD. Consult the department’s graduate student handbook for more information.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts, Master of Arts in the Teaching of History, and Doctor of Philosophy

  • Baccalaureate Field Applicants must have either an undergraduate major in history or a minimum of 16 semester hours in history.
  • Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study. A GPA of 3.50/4.00 is recommended.
  • Tests Required GRE General. A score of 550 on the verbal portion of the test is the minimum recommended.
  • Minimum TOEFL Score 550 (paper-based); 213 (computer-based); 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (new Internet-based TOEFL).
  • Letters of Recommendation Three required, from former professors for the MA and PhD, preferably from former professors for the MAT.
  • Personal Statement Required.
  • Writing Sample Required.
  • Other Requirements For Master of Arts in the Teaching of History applicants, the Basic Skills Test must be passed prior to applying for admission to the program.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
  • Course Work Two tracks exist, one for students for whom this degree is intended to be final (the “MA-only track”), and one for whom this degree is intended to lead toward the Doctor of Philosophy in History (the “doctoral track”). At least 20 semester hours must be at the 500-level, and at least 16 semester hours must be in 500-level courses taught by the Department of History. Courses taken in a field other than history that are to count toward the degree need the approval of the advisor and the director of graduate studies. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student received a grade of less than B.
  • Required Courses: 4 hours of the 500-level seminar in the student’s major area. Students majoring in United States history must complete 8 hours of HIST 551 designated as the historiographical/bibliographical colloquium. All entering graduate students are required to take HIST 501.
  • Comprehensive Examination Required for students on MA-only track. Students on the doctoral track do not take master’s comprehensive exams.
  • Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.
  • Other Requirements Students must complete a seminar paper. Students must pass a reading examination in one foreign language relevant to the plan of study. Any additional foreign language (or skills in quantitative methods) requirement will be determined by student’s advisor. After the student has completed 24 hours of course work, a faculty committee representing the student’s major and minor fields will review the record of each doctoral-track MA student in the final semester of her/his MA studies to decide whether it justifies the pursuit of doctoral studies. If the decision is negative, the student will be put on MA-only track, and will be required to take comprehensive examinations and fulfill all other requirements of the MA degree.

Master of Arts in the Teaching of History

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 54 (entering without certification); 32 (entering with certification). Students seeking teacher certification must complete a minimum of 54 semester hours, which includes hours taken in the Department of History and the College of Education. Students not seeking certification must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours.
  • Course Work At least 16 hours must be in 500-level history courses. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B.
  • Students must complete 16 hours in graduate-level readings courses across the three fields of U.S., European, or world history, with at least four hours in each of these, and a focus of eight hours in one of these fields. These hours are to be drawn, where possible, from 500-level colloquia. Students must complete 8 hours in courses that focus on the teaching of history and the social sciences, HIST 420 and 500. HIST 420 has a prerequisite of 9 hours in social sciences.
  • Students seeking teacher certification must take 30 hours in required courses toward certification: CI 504; ED 402 or 403; 421 or 445; 432; SPED 410; HIST 475 and 476.
  • Students not seeking certification must take a minimum of 8 additional hours in a specific field of history of their choosing in consultation with their advisor.
  • Additional Requirements for Teacher Certification In addition to specified course work, students seeking teacher certification must fulfill certain other requirements as well as maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in history course work, and a 3.00/4.00 in required education courses. For detailed information, see the advising documents and other information available on the program’s Web site, http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/TeacherEd/index.html.
  • The teaching certificate is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of certification and degree requirements. Before the certificate is issued, the candidate must file an application for the Illinois teaching certificate in the Council on Teacher Education. The candidate must also pass a series of examinations required by the Illinois State Board of Education. The Content Area Test must be passed before the candidate is allowed to be placed for student teaching. The Assessment of Professional Teaching must be passed prior to certification. For information on application procedures, contact the Council on Teacher Education located in 3015 EPASW or http://www.icts.nesinc.com.
  • Comprehensive Examination Required.
  • Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.

Doctor of Philosophy

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate.
  • Course Work Candidates must complete at least 64 semester hours of graduate work beyond the master’s degree exclusive of HIST 501. Of this amount, 16 are in didactic courses, and 48 are in thesis research. Eight hours of didactic course work are in HIST 591 to be taken after all other requirements for didactic course work have been met. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B. All entering graduate students are required to take HIST 501. See the History Department Web site, Graduate Study in History at UIC (http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/graduateIV.html#IVC) for further details. PhD students are not required to repeat any specific course offered by this department that they have successfully completed as MA students. Students entering the PhD program with a master’s degree from a department in another discipline may be required to complete additional hours of didactic course work, as appropriate and specified upon admission.
  • Examinations Comprehensive Examination: None.
  • Preliminary Examination: Required; written.
  • Dissertation Prospectus Required; written and oral.
  • Dissertation Required.
  • Other Requirements Students must pass a reading examination in one foreign language relevant to the plan of study. Any additional foreign language (or skills in quantitative methods) requirement will be determined by student’s advisor.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling for a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies after consulting with their graduate advisor. See Gender and Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling for a concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies. See Latin American and Latino Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

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