HISTORY
Department
of History
113 Garinger Building
704-547-4633
http://www.uncc.edu/colleges/arts_and_sciences/history/
Degree
M.A., Ph.D. (joint degree with the
Coordinator
Dr. Daniel S. Dupre
Graduate Faculty (UNC Charlotte)
Mario Azevedo, Professor
Jürgen Buchenau, Associate Professor
Kathleen Donohue, Assistant Professor
Daniel Dupre, Associate Professor
Karen Flint, Assistant Professor
John Flower, Assistant Professor
Donna Gabaccia, Professor
David Goldfield, Professor
James Hogue, Assistant Professor
Lyman Johnson, Professor
Cynthia Kierner, Professor
Gregory Mixon, Assistant Professor
Daniel Morrill, Professor
Steven Sabol, Assistant Professor
John Smail, Professor
Heather Thompson, Assistant Professor
Peter Thorsheim, Assistant Professor
Master of Arts Degree
Program
of Study
The Master of Arts Program in History at UNC Charlotte is designed to give motivated students an opportunity to pursue advanced studies in close collaboration with accomplished scholars. The program emphasizes the development of methodological, literary, and conceptual skills that graduates can employ as students in a doctoral program, as professional oriented history teachers in secondary schools, or as citizens more acutely aware of the historical evolution of their society. Offering both day and evening courses, the Department of History attracts a diverse group of traditional and non-traditional students. Candidates may pursue the M.A. degree on either a full-time or part-time basis.
The Department offers courses in African, Asian, European,
Latin American, and
American Society--Private Life and Public Culture
American South, Old and New
Comparative Industrialization and Urbanization
European Culture and Politics, 1550-1950
Gender, Race, and Slavery in Comparative Perspective
The Department also offers a concentration in the field of Public History, with an emphasis on museum studies, historic preservation, and urban studies.
Admission
Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the
1) A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 in History or a related discipline.
2) Acceptable performance on the verbal and math portions of the GRE.
Degree
Requirements
The Master of Arts degree in History requires completion, with a GPA of 3.0 or better, of at least 30 hours in approved graduate courses. These courses must include at least 24 credit hours in History, of which at least 15 hours are in seminars or colloquia open only to graduate students, and no more than 6 hours in individually designed readings or research courses. Students taking the comprehensive examination may take 3 hours of exam preparation and students completing a thesis may take 6 hours of thesis preparation toward their 30 hours.
Students concentrating on public history must complete 30 hours of required and elective coursework, 3 hours for an internship in some area of public history, and 3 hours of thesis work for a total of 36 hours.
Students must complete all degree requirements, including the comprehensive examination or thesis defense, within six calendar years of first enrollment in the program.
All students in the program are expected to maintain an overall B (3.0) average. Students who do not meet this expectation will be subject to suspension on recommendation of the Graduate Committee of the Department of History.
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
An Admission to Candidacy form must be submitted during the semester preceding the one in which the student plans to complete the degree requirements, either by defending a thesis or taking a comprehensive examination.
Assistantships
The Department of History supports approximately eight students with teaching assistantships, which are currently funded at $8,000 per year. The Department also has a modest pool of scholarship money for in-state students and one tuition waiver for out-of-state students. Assistantships and other financial aid are awarded on a strictly competitive basis.
In addition, students may obtain limited financial support for students internships, summer teaching in the Department, archival work in the library's special collections, and teaching opportunities at the local community college. Students doing thesis research may receive modest travel grants from the Department.
Internships
Internships may be available with the Mecklenburg County
Historical Commission and the Journal of
Urban History, both of which are headed by members of the Department of
History. The Museum of the New South, located in uptown
Core
Courses
All candidates for the degree must complete HIST 6693
(Historiography and Methodology) with a grade of B (3.0) or better. In
addition, at least 6 hours of a student's History courses are expected to
pertain to fields other than
In addition to those requirements, candidates concentrating on public history must complete HIST 5300 (Introduction to Public History), HIST 6310 (Introduction to Museum Studies) and HIST 6320 (Introduction to Historic Preservation).
Electives
Students may elect to take up to 6 hours of graduate-level
course work in disciplines other than History. Candidates seeking
graduate-level teacher certification may use the elective option to take
courses in professional education selected in consultation with the
Advising
Students may not register for graduate-level courses without the permission of the Department of History. Consequently, students must be advised by the Graduate Coordinator prior to registering for courses each semester, as well as prior to filing their admission to candidacy form and application for degree.
Transfer
Credit
No more than 6 transferred hours may be approved for application to the requirements for the degree.
Language
Requirement
Although students are not required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, they are expected to be able to use whatever languages they need to pursue their research interests.
Thesis/Comprehensive
Examination
After completing the required courses, students must either prepare a Master's thesis based on original primary research or take three comprehensive written examinations based on reading lists compiled in consultation with faculty members. In both cases, the candidate must then pass an oral examination based on their thesis or written examination.
An Examining Committee, consisting of two graduate faculty members from the Department of History and a third member selected from History or another department, oversees the student's thesis work or conducts the comprehensive written and oral examinations.
Courses in History
HIST 5000. Problems in American
History. (3) Prerequisite: HIST 2100 or permission of the department. A
colloquium designed around a problem in American history, requiring reading,
discussion, reports and a major paper. May be repeated for credit as topics
vary. (Fall, Spring) (Evenings)
HIST 5001. Problems in European History. (3) Prerequisites: HIST 2100 or permission of the department. A colloquium designed around a problem in European history, requiring reading, discussion, reports and a major paper. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly, Summer) (Evenings)
HIST 5002. Problems in Non-Western History. (3) Prerequisite: HIST 2100 or permission of the department. A colloquium designed around a problem in non-Western history, requiring reading, discussion, reports and a major paper. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly)
HIST 5300. Introduction to Public History. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. This course will provide an overview of the main subfields in the field of Public History. Students will learn the fundamentals of Museum Studies, Historic Preservation, and other fields at the discretion of the instructor. This course is the first in a sequence of required courses for graduate students doing the Public History concentration; it is also open to advanced undergraduates with the consent of the department. (Yearly)
HIST 6000. Topics in History. (3)
Prerequisite: permission of the department. Intensive treatment of a period or
broader survey of a topic, depending on student needs and staff resources. May
be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Fall,
Spring) (Evenings)
HIST 6196. Urban Systems for School
Administrators. (3) Corequisite: POLS 6196. An interdepartmental,
team-taught course which consists of a survey of the causes and consequences of
urbanization in the
HIST 6200. History Teaching Alliance Institute. (3) Open under special arrangement. Pass/No Credit grading only. (On demand)
HIST 6210. Early
HIST 6215. Jacksonian
HIST 6220. The Old South. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. Evolution of the Old South from the 17th century to its collapse in the Civil War and Reconstruction, focusing on southern distinctiveness and the tension between democracy and slavery. (Alternate years)
HIST 6225. The New South. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. Continuity and change in the South from the late-19th century, including industrialization, politics, class and race relations, and religion. (Alternate years)
HIST 6230. European Social History.
(3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. Examination of the views
of different writers on class formation, the rise of modern institutions,
gender relations and social protest including why certain schools of thought
such as modernization or Marxism become popular at particular historical
moments. (Alternate years)
HIST 6240.
HIST 6250. Comparative Slavery and
Race Relations. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. Slavery
in the
HIST 6265. Cold War
HIST 6310. Introduction to Museum Studies. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. This course introduces students to the management, curatorial, public relations, and fundraising aspects of historical museums and related historical sites. These skills will be acquired through readings, term projects, and a “hands-on” experience at local museums and historical sites. (Yearly)
HIST 6320. Introduction to Historic Preservation. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of identifying, preserving and restoring buildings, sites, structures and objects in the historic built environment of the United States. (Yearly)
HIST 6390. Topics in Public History. (3) An intensive graduate level examination of a specific topic in Public History providing a general or more focused approach that addresses student needs and professional issues and staff resources. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly)
HIST 6400. Public History Internship. (3) Graduate level and pre-professional applied Public History methodologies and technological techniques and experiences in professional agencies on and off-campus. May be repeated for credit one time only. (On demand)
HIST 6601. Graduate Colloquium. (3)
Prerequisite: permission of the department. A colloquium focused on a theme or
period. Assigned readings, short papers and reports directed toward developing
research and writing skills. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring) (Evenings)
HIST 6693. Historiography and
Methodology. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department. A study of
historians and their philosophical and methodological approaches. Required of
all M.A. candidates. (Yearly) (Evenings)
HIST 6698. Introduction to
Historical Writing. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the department.
Seminar on the process of thesis writing including thesis proposals, primary
source materials, rules of evidence, structure of an argument, and organization
of the thesis and its chapters. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
HIST 6894. Readings in History. (3)
Prerequisite: prior written consent of instructor. Coverage of historical
periods or topics through individually designed reading programs; scheduled
conference with a staff member. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring) (Evenings)
HIST 6901. Directed
Readings/Research. (3) Prerequisite: prior written consent of instructor
and graduate coordinator. Graduate students will meet individually or in small
groups with the instructor and will be assigned readings and/or research on a
theme that relates to the lectures of an undergraduate class. Attendance at the
lectures is a course requirement. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
HIST 6997. Directed Research. (3) Prerequisite: prior written consent of instructor. Investigation of a historical problem culminating in a research paper. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
HIST 6999. Thesis. (3 or 6)
May be repeated by permission, if taken for three hours credit. Six hours of
Thesis may be taken during a single semester. Appropriate research and written
exposition of that research is required. (On
demand)
HIST 7999. Master’s Degree Residence. (1)
Ph.d. in history Degree
Graduate Faculty (at University of Aberdeen)
Mike Broers, Reader
Terry Brotherstone, Senior Lecturer
Christoph Dartmann, Lecturer
David Ditchburn, Lecturer
Paul Dukes, Professor
Marjory Harper, Senior Lecturer
Howard Hotson, Lecturer
Rene Leboutte, Professor
David Longley, Lecturer
Alastair Macdonald, Lecturer
Allan Macinnes, Professor
Andrew Mackillop, Lecturer
William Naphy, Lecturer
Jane Ohlmeyer, Senior Lecturer
Richard Oram, Lecturer
Frederik Pedersen, Lecturer
Richard Perren, Senior Lecturer
Edward Ranson, Lecturer
David Smith, Lecturer
Robert Tyson, Senior Lecturer
Rosemary Tyzack, Lecturer
Oonagh Walsh, Lecturer
Program of Study
This program combines the M.A. at UNC Charlotte, or an accepted institution, with a Ph.D. conferred by the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. After attaining their Master's degrees, qualified students will spend one year in Charlotte, one year in Aberdeen, and a third year at either of these two institutions. Ph.D. candidates will work with faculty and utilize research facilities in both America and Europe. Teaching and research assistantships are available on a competitive basis at both universities.
Both universities offer a wide range of courses and fields of specialization. As indicated above, the Department of History at UNC Charlotte possesses particular expertise in United States history, the history of the American South, and the comparative history of medicine, race, gender, urbanization, and industrialization. The Department of History at the University of Aberdeen possesses particular expertise in non-Anglocentric British history; the North Sea and Baltic states, including Russia; diet, disease, and death; gender; and the relationship between Scotland and America.
Additional
Requirements for Admission
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the
1) A GPA of 3.5 or better in all Master's level courses.
2) Above average performance on the math and verbal portions of the G.R.E.
3) Submission of the applicant's M.A. thesis or a substantial research paper.
4) The
student must complete applications to both UNC Charlotte and the
Degree
Requirements
The joint Ph.D. in History requires successful completion of a dissertation proposal, a qualifying examination, and a doctoral dissertation. Course work for the joint Ph.D. will consist primarily of directed reading and research in preparation for writing the dissertation.
All degree requirements, including the dissertation defense, should be completed in 3-4 years. All requirements must be completed within six years of enrolling in the program.
Assistantships
Teaching and research assistantships are available at both universities on a competitive basis. Applications for assistantships at UNC Charlotte should be submitted simultaneously with those for admission to the joint Ph.D. program.
Advising
Students may not register for graduate-level courses without
the permission of the Department of History, which means that the graduate
coordinator must register them for courses each semester. Regular advising by
the graduate coordinator is especially essential to arrange continuous funding
for doctoral students in
Qualifying
Examination
Students are required to complete both written and oral qualifying examinations during their second semester at UNC Charlotte. The written examination will consist of a dissertation proposal; the oral examination will cover both the student's general field of specialization and the proposed dissertation topic.
Language
Requirement
Although students are not required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, they must possess the foreign language skills necessary to do primary research in their intended field of specialization.
Dissertation
Defense
Doctoral dissertations are not to exceed 100,000 words in
length. The dissertation defense is a final oral examination at which a student
presents and defends his/her research before a committee of
Courses in History
(Doctoral students
only)
HIST 8894.