College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: gradsec [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~histweb

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts, Master of Arts for Teachers, dual Master of Arts and Master of Library Science (jointly with the School of Library and Information Science), and Doctor of Philosophy

Program Information

The graduate program in history at Indiana University includes formal course work and opportunities for independent study in nearly all recognized fields, both chronological and geographi­cal. Moreover, the department is strongly committed to inter­disciplinary programs, and it works closely with area studies programs, journals, and historical organizations. The graduate program is designed to help students in the development of their knowledge and of their critical and analytical skills. Cours­es and programs in the Department of History prepare students for work as professional historians in a variety of settings: in public history, editing, librarianship, and government service, as well as in historical research and teaching at all levels.

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Master of Arts Degree

Admission Requirements

(1) Bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution, including 24 undergraduate credit hours in history, an overall under­graduate B (3.0) average, and a superior record in history; (2) at least one score above 600 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test; (3) three letters of recommendation; (4) a personal statement concerning intellectual interests and pro­fessional aspirations; and (5) a sample of written work, such as a term paper, thesis, or any other piece of writing that indicates ability to communicate well in nonfiction prose. Ideally, a writ­ing sample should also demonstrate the applicant’s ability to conduct historical research. The History department discourag­es applicants who wish to pursue terminal M.A. degrees except in the case of the M.A./M.L.S, M.A.T. programs, and students wishing to pursue Ancient Language Study.

Grades

No grade below B– (2.7) in history courses will be counted toward this degree.

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours; at least 20 of these credit hours must be in the Department of History. Students are required to complete H601 and at least one seminar and two colloquia; the remaining credit hours in history must be completed in gradu­ate colloquia, seminars, or readings courses. Graduate students will be allowed to receive credit for undergraduate courses only in special cases (such as in the study of fields not commonly available at the undergraduate level, or in small fields).

Foreign Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one of the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, or another language ap­propriate to the student’s program of study, if approved by the University Graduate School.
Students may demonstrate proficiency by any of the three methods normally sanctioned by the University Graduate School or by passing a reading examination prepared by mem­bers of the history department faculty. The examination in­cludes two texts of approximately 400 words each, one drawn from primary historical sources and the other typically drawn from historiographical sources. A student will be expected to translate the first text and answer critical questions about the second.

Field Review

M.A. candidates wishing to enter the Ph.D. program and those terminating their program with the master’s degree must be recommended for the M.A. degree by the appropriate field committee. Graduate students who enter with an M.A. from another institution will be reviewed a year after pursuing graduate work at IU.

Master of Arts for Teachers Degree

Admission Requirements

Same as for the Master of Arts degree except that reading abil­ity in a foreign language is not required.

Grades

No grade below B– (2.7) in history courses will be counted toward this degree.

Course Requirements

Requirements are a total of 20 or more credit hours in history and 36 credit hours in all courses. Students are required to complete H601 and at least one seminar and two colloquia; the remaining credit hours in history must be completed in gradu­ate colloquia, seminars, or readings courses. Graduate students will be allowed to receive credit for undergraduate courses only in special cases (such as in the study of fields not commonly available at the undergraduate level, or in small fields). M.A.T. students are strongly encouraged to complete one of the peda­gogy courses offered by the History Department: H580, H591, or H593.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Final Examination

None.

Dual Master of Arts and Master of Library Science Degrees

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 50 credit hours rather than the 66 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately. Students take 20 credit hours in history as outlined above under course requirements for the Master of Arts degree and 30 credit hours of library sci­ence. For specific requirements, see the entry for the School of Library and Information Sciences in the Indiana University Graduate Bulletin. Admission to each of the two areas of study is approved separately on the same basis as for other appli­cants not in the dual program.

Foreign Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one of the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, or another language ap­propriate to the student’s program of study, if approved by the University Graduate School. Proficiency may be demonstrated by the means indicated under the heading “Foreign Language Requirement” in the section on the M.A. degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Admission Requirements

(1) Completion of the M.A. degree at Indiana University or another recognized institution, (2) a superior record in his­tory, (3) certification in at least one foreign language, and (4) review and approval by a field committee consisting of faculty in the student’s major field. For students with an M.A. degree from Indiana University, this review must take place by the end of a student’s third semester of full-time graduate study; for other students, this review is done by a subcommittee prior to admission. For those with M.A. degrees from another institu­tion, a writing sample, a personal statement and three letters of recommendation are required.

Grades

No grade below B– (2.7) in history courses will be counted toward this degree.

Course Requirements

The minimum course requirements for the Ph.D. degree are six colloquia (courses H600-H699) distributed in two or more fields, two seminars (courses H700-H799) taught by differ­ent instructors, one of which must be in the major field; H601 Introduction to the Professional Study of History during the first semester at IU; and courses to complete the outside minor. For those students transferring M.A. credits, a minimum of four colloquia and one seminar must be completed on the IU Bloomington campus. Students may take dissertation credits (H899) to fulfill the 90 credit hours required by the University Graduate School to complete the Ph.D. Students enrolled in the dual concentration program in cultural history must complete H680 and H780 in addition to the requirements listed above.

Foreign Language Requirement

The number and type of languages required will be determined by the student’s major field of study. All students, regardless of field, must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language. Several fields require students to demonstrate pro­ficiency in additional languages; students should consult their advisors or the appropriate field chair for guidance. Students may demonstrate proficiency in the following languages: Ara­bic, Chinese, French, German, ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, or others appropriate to the student’s program of study, if approved by the University Graduate School. Proficiency may be demonstrated by the means indicated under the heading “Foreign Language Require­ment” in the section on the M.A. degree.

Qualifying Examination

(1) A rigorous oral examination of no longer than three hours will be required. The purpose of the examination is to demon­strate general command of the major and minor fields of study. The examination should assess students’ scholarly preparation to teach courses in their fields through the demonstration of the ability to discuss key issues and problems in these areas. At least two representatives of the student’s major field and at least one representative of his/her inside minor field must be present at the examination. The faculty representative for the student’s outside minor has the option of participating or waiv­ing participation. Students enrolled in the dual concentration in a time/place field and cultural history should have at least two representatives from the time/place field and two from the cultural history field on their examination committees. (2) There will be a public defense (open to all faculty and gradu­ate students) of the student’s dissertation prospectus, which the student’s exam committee will preside over. The defense can take place as early as one week, but no later than six months, after the student passes the oral examination. Because the prospectus defense is meant to be an open forum, provid­ing feedback from colleagues as well as the exam commit­tee, then these defenses should normally be held during the academic year (fall and spring semesters) when the majority of faculty and students are available to participate. The prospec­tus will be distributed at least one week in advance of the defense. It should be substantial and should take the form of a grant proposal. It should explain the potential significance of the proposed dissertation project and place it in historiographi­cal context. Students must receive passing grades on both parts of the examination in order to advance to Ph.D. candidacy. The student’s examination committee grades both parts of the examination.

Termination of Enrollment in the Doctoral Program

If a doctoral student fails the oral qualifying examination two times, falls below a 3.0 (B) grade point average, fails to meet the language requirement by the time 30 credit hours of post-M.A. credit have been earned, or fails to complete the oral qualifying examinations by the end of the approved length of time, the director of graduate studies, in consultation with the advisory committee, can initiate steps to terminate the stu­dent’s enrollment in the program. The student, however, may make a formal appeal to be given a third chance to pass the qualifying examinations or to be given additional time to raise the grade point average or to complete the qualifying examina­tion. If the appeal is denied, the director of graduate studies will recommend to the dean of the University Graduate School that the student’s enrollment in the doctoral program be termi­nated.

Final Examination

Oral defense of dissertation.

Ph.D. Minor in History

Students in other departments may minor in history by com­pleting, with a grade point average no lower than B (3.0), at least 12 credit hours of course work in history, including one colloquium. No more than 6 credit hours of work transferred from another university may be applied toward this require­ment, and such credit must be approved by the director of graduate studies in the Department of History.

To arrange for a history minor, students should consult the director of graduate studies, who will recommend a member of the faculty to serve as an advisor. In consultation with the advi­sor, a program of study will be outlined and a copy of the plan filed with the director of graduate studies. Upon completion of the course work, the student should ask their history advisor or the director of graduate studies to attest to the successful completion of the outside minor.

Further information regarding departmental regulations gov­erning advanced degree programs may be found in A Guide to Graduate Studies in History, available on from the department’s graduate Web page: www.indiana.edu/~histweb.