Offered by: College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, History Department
www.class.csupomona.edu/his/index.php/programs/masters-degree-information
Amanda Podany, Chair
Mahmood Ibrahim, Graduate Coordinator
The Master of Arts in History is designed for K-12 teachers who would like to pursue professional development and enhance their academic content knowledge, those who wish to prepare for the Ph.D. degree, and those who want to teach at the community college level.
General Program Requirements
The degree requirements consist of:
- A minimum of 25 units of 500 or 600 level courses. Only 4 units of HST 600 may be used to satisfy this requirement.
- A maximum of 20 units of 300 and 400 level courses (12 units in History, 8 units in social science or humanities. Teachers and potential teachers are encouraged to enroll in GED 550 , GED 650 , and or GED 690 ).
- Total: at least 45 quarter units of course work.
- An option of either Comprehensive Examinations or a Master’s Thesis.
Admission Requirements
- The applicant must hold a B.A. degree in either history or in one of the social sciences, humanities, or fine arts disciplines from an accredited college or university.
- The applicant must have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.00 in history, social science, fine arts, and humanities course work;
- The applicant must submit an essay (about one page)with the application explaining why he/she wishes to pursue a graduate degree and describing his/her post-baccalaureate work experience and plans for the future;
- The applicant must submit three letters of recommendation from professors, or supervisors. (In the case of K-12 teachers, his/her principal and two colleagues);
- The applicant must receive a positive recommendation from the Department of History Director of the Graduate Program and the Department of History Graduate Committee.
Conditional admission is granted to applicants in cases where criteria (1) and (2) are not satisfied. The applicant then may demonstrate an aptitude for graduate study either by submitting test scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), including the achievement test in history, or by submitting letters of recommendation and other relevant documents indicating that preparation for graduate study in history was achieved in other ways. Additional courses in history may be required, which may lengthen the time of degree completion.
The preferred method of application is electronically at: www.csumentor.edu but students may also obtain hard copy applications from the Admissions Office on the second floor of the CLA building.
Please note that the application and academic transcripts should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office, while the essay, GRE scores, and the letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Department of History.
Graduate Guidelines
ADVISING: By 12 units, all graduate students must choose a principal faculty advisor. Within 24 units, all graduate students must form a graduate committee with two additional faculty members. For a list and description of departmental faculty, go to: www.class.csupomona.edu/his/index.php/faculty-and-staff-directory
PLAN FOR DEGREE COMPLETION: By 12 units, all graduate students must declare, to their principal advisor, their intention to either take a MA comprehensive exam or write a Master’s Thesis to complete the degree.
MASTER’S THESIS: By 12 units, students intending to write a MA thesis must submit, to their principal advisor, a 200-300 word prospectus summarizing their intended topic of study and receive consent of the advisor to proceed with the topic. By the completion of 24 units, the student must acquire the signatures of 2 additional faculty members who agree to serve on the student’s committee.
MASTER’S EXAM: By 12 units, students intending to take the Master’s Exam must indicate, to their principal advisor, their preference between the United States Track Exam and the World History Track Exam. Students taking the United States Track will take a comprehensive United States history exam and a Special Interest Topics exam. Students taking the World History Track will take one World History exam (either Ancient/Medieval or Medieval/Modern) and one Special Interest Topics exam. Special Interest Topics will be developed in consultation with the student’s principal advisor. By 24 units, students must have two additional faculty members agree to serve on a committee to offer advice and to assess the exams.
Students taking the exam are expected to do so in their final quarter and to notify their principal advisor in the first week of their final quarter that they will be taking the exam.
PROGRESS TOWARD DEGREE: Students are expected to demonstrate consistent progress toward their degree. The Master’s Degree is designed to be completed in 2 years for a full-time student, and proportionately more for part-time students or those who must complete additional course work.
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