Graduate
Admissions
History
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, dual Master of Arts and Master of Library Science, dual Master of Arts in History and Philanthropic Studies.
The M.A. program in History on the Indianapolis campus offers three areas of concentration: United States history, European history, and public history. United States and European history are traditional areas of concentration and will serve the needs of persons intending to pursue a doctoral program, those seeking a collateral degree to complement such other fields as education or library science, and individuals seeking personal fulfillment. Public history is designed to prepare persons interested in pursuing careers as historians in such settings as historical societies, museums, historic preservation organizations and historic parks, governmental agencies, and business corporations. With its proximity to a large number of such institutions, the Indianapolis campus is an ideal location at which to pursue a degree in public history.
Special Departmental Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
Master of Arts Degree
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (B) and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in the student’s undergraduate major (an undergraduate major in history is not required, but applicants without such a background may be required to take additional course work in history at the undergraduate level as a condition for acceptance into the program);
- Appropriate level of achievement on the Graduate Record Examination General Test (applicants with a post-graduate degree are not required to submit GRE scores); and
- Three letters of recommendation.
Foreign Language
There is no foreign language requirement for the degree per se. However, those students who will incorporate foreign language documents in their graduate work (especially those concentrating on European history) will be expected to translate non-English sources. They must thus demonstrate an appropriate level of competence in the relevant language before they begin work on their thesis. The Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s advisor may require the student to take additional coursework.
All students concentrating in European history should expect to demonstrate competence in a foreign language, ideally upon application to the program. (Competence is defined as two years of undergraduate coursework with a grade of B or better in the final semester, or demonstration of an equivalent reading proficiency in an approved foreign language exam.). Students considering the possibility of going on for a Ph.D. should recognize that competence in at least one and sometimes two foreign languages is often a requirement in history doctoral programs.
Grades
No grade below B– (2.7) in history courses will be counted toward this degree.
