MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE REQUIREMENT
The requirements for the M.A. degree are a total of 30 hours of course work, including at least three seminars (80000 level), HIST 50960 Historiography and Bibliography, and 6 hours of thesis (History 70980-70990--each taken in a 3-hour block). Students must complete all work for the M.A., including the thesis within five years from the date of first enrollment.

The Masters candidate must select one of the following plans of course work: (Note - Hist 70980 and 70990 Thesis hours count towards the major field and Hist 50960 counts toward the minor field)

1. Thirty hours of history, 9 of which must be selected from outside the student's major field (for example, 21 hours of American history, including the thesis, and 9 hours of European history).
2. Twenty-one hours of history and 9 hours from an approved discipline outside the history department (for example, 21 hours of American history [including the thesis] and 9 hours of graduate coursework in American literature).
3. Twenty-one hours of history and 9 hours from approved courses in a related field or fields outside the history department (for example, 21 hours of American history [including the thesis], and 9 hours of graduate coursework distributed as follows: 3 hours in American literature, 3 hours in American religion, and 3 hours in American art).

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THE M.A. THESIS
The areas in which a master's candidate may write a thesis are Ancient, Asian, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe (with an emphasis in France or Britain), Latin American, United States, Military, and Women's History.

The student must secure a Major Professor; then the student and advisor must agree on the thesis subject. The student should report the thesis topic to the Graduate Committee. The Major Professor will determine procedure, such as whether the advisor wishes to receive the student's work one chapter at a time or the complete draft.

The student is responsible for insuring that the thesis meets all the requirements of the History Department and the AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences. DO NOT follow the style of any previous thesis. Students should obtain a copy of the Graduate School instruction sheet for theses. Theses should also follow the forms specified in the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian's A Manual for Writing of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Be advised that using a professional typist or any word-processing program does not release you from responsibility to meet all format and content requirements. Graduate students must write theses in English.

The final requirement in the M.A. program is defense of the M.A. thesis in an oral examination conducted by the student's M.A. committee. This exam tests the student's ability to defend the contents and conclusions of the thesis.

Only under exceptional circumstances will the exam be scheduled during the summer, and then only if all members of the thesis committee can be present.

Following the examination the Graduate Committee members review the student's entire graduate record. If, in their opinion, the student should not attempt advanced graduate work, they shall recommend in writing that the M.A. be a terminal degree.

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PREREQUISITES
Students entering the Ph.D. program with a bachelor's degree must complete the M.A. in history enroute to the Ph.D. For admission to the doctoral program students must present a strong course record at the M.A. level. Even though a student has earned the M.A. degree at TCU, he or she must apply for admission to the doctoral program. New students must submit letters of recommendation and GRE scores with the application for admission.

The Ph.D. program requires mastery of history in certain fields (listed below) demonstrated by completing at least 54 credit hours (not including dissertation hours) and passing testable and non-testable supporting fields as well as written and oral major field examinations. A Ph.D. student must take the following courses at TCU if not already completed in previous graduate work: 50960 (Historiography and Bibliography) and 80083 (History as a Profession). Students who have previous experience in any of the above may request a waiver from the History Graduate Committee. Graduate students must complete at least six 70000 or 80000-level seminars. The Graduate Committee recommends that students take as many 70000 and 80000-level courses as possible.

Doctoral students must complete at least one year of full-time study in residence, which is defined as a course load of 9 graduate hours per semester during a regular fall-spring semester sequence. All students receiving financial aid must be in residence. Full-time students receiving financial aid should not hold outside employment.

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THE Ph.D. REQUIREMENTS
The Ph.D. program requires mastery of history in certain fields demonstrated by completing at least 54 credit hours (not including dissertation hours), satisfying a language requirement, passing testable and non-testable supporting fields, passing written and oral major field examinations, as well as writing and defending orally a dissertation that represents an original contribution to historical knowledge. Requirements for the Ph.D. must be met in the following sequence:

I. The Language Requirement.

The student must acquire a reading knowledge of one approved modern foreign language, usually French, German, or Spanish. With the consultation and approval of the chairman of the Advisory Committee, the student should choose the language most appropriate to the research and areas of concentration.

The student may meet the language requirement by earning at least a B average in the undergraduate sophomore year of the language; by earning a B in a graduate-level course in the language, or by achieving an appropriate score on a language exam such as the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).

As the language requirement is frequently time-consuming, initial steps toward meeting it should be taken at once. Minor/Supporting field exams MAY NOT BE TAKEN until the foreign language requirement has been satisfied. Many graduate students find it beneficial to begin work on the foreign language requirement during their M.A. program.

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II. Qualifying Exams.

Each student will have to pass a written minor field exam as well as a written and oral major field exam before being admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. Exams will be given once each semester, normally about two-thirds of the way through the fall and spring semesters. The exact dates will be announced by the History Graduate Advisor. Minor field exams will be taken on Monday and, provided the student passes, the major field exam will be taken on the following Monday, with orals exams to follow within one week. Qualifying exams generally will not be administered during the summer.

A. Minor Field Qualifying Exam.
Minor and Major field qualifying exams are written exams and are given only once each semester. The examination period will be no longer than eight hours for the minor field exam, and will consist of three questions. Exams will be written in blue books or typed on computer.

The purpose of the minor field qualifying exams is to certify the ability to teach college-level survey courses in each field. Students are not expected to enroll in more than nine hours in each supporting field; one of the courses must be an 70000 or 80000 level seminar. The exams will test knowledge of field content, historiography, and bibliography, not solely courses taken. A student who passes the exam on Monday, will then take the major field exam the following Monday and Tuesday. Students who fail the minor field exam will not be permitted to take the major field exam. A second failure will result in expulsion from the program.

Minor field examinations are prepared and graded by at least two faculty members in that field and consists of three questions. Minor field exams will be graded before the major field exam is taken and the student will be informed in writing of the results. The examination will become part of the student's permanent file.

B. The Major Field Exam.
Doctoral students, in consultation with the major professor, will select an advisory committee of at least four faculty members, who will serve as the student's exam advisors in the major field and as the dissertation committee. The members of the advisory committee must be approved in advance by the Graduate History Committee. Whenever possible, at least three of the committee members must be in the major field.

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REGISTRATION
The Graduate Advisor oversees registration for History graduate students, acts as advisor to all new students until they secure Major Professors, generally advises all students regarding procedural matters, maintains departmental records of students' progress, and has on hand most of the forms required by the Department and the Graduate School. Since student registration is through electronic means, the student is responsible for the actual process of registering for class.

ONCE ENROLLED:
At the beginning of the fall semester, prior to registration, there will be a mandatory meeting of all graduate students. Before enrolling, students must consult with the Graduate History Advisor concerning their graduate program. Full-time students must decide on an area of specialization by the beginning of the third semester and secure the approval of a faculty member who will serve as the major professor. Students should consult with their major professor regarding their specific program, language needs, and research plans. Students must inform the Graduate History Advisor when selecting or changing their major advisor.

After the major professor has agreed to direct your work, you and that professor should decide on the faculty members most appropriate to form your Graduate Advisory Committee--at least three faculty members for M.A. candidates and at least four for Ph.D. candidates. A majority of the committee must be in the student's major field, and the student must ask the professor to serve. The Graduate History Committee must approve the composition of the student's committee.

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