History, M.A.

Most students with a Master’s degree in history are teachers at the public school, community college, or college/university level. Many serve as public historians, historic preservationists, museum curators, archives/records managers, or analysts with government agencies. The Master’s equips students for further study at the doctoral level.

Advisories

Students must have completed a minimum of six undergraduate hours in history and be prepared to make up any deficits in knowledge.
Students who plan to pursue a doctorate should be aware that doctoral programs require competency in two foreign languages. These students should go the thesis route with the Master’s to prepare them for writing a doctoral dissertation.
Students may transfer in a maximum of twelve semester hours from another Master’s program if the courses are appropriate for this degree and conform to other Wayland graduate transfer policies.
Students must take the comprehensive exam (HIST 5100 ) during the last semester of their program and score a minimum of 80 on it in order to earn the degree.
Students may elect to research and write a thesis (six hours’ credit) or take two additional subject area courses instead.
Students may take any course more than once for credit if the topic is different each time.
Students should take HIST 5301 - Historical Methods as early in their program as possible.

Degree requirements

The master’s degree in history requires 37 hours.

HIST 5100 - Comprehensive Examination 1 hrs
HIST 5301 - Historical Methods 3 hrs

Six hours from:

HIST 5360 - Thesis I 3 hrs
HIST 5361 - Thesis II 3 hrs
or
Two additional courses

27 hours from the following courses:

HIST 5306 - The Intertestamental Period 3 hrs / RLGN 5306 - The Intertestamental Period 3 hrs
HIST 5307 - Church History 3 hrs / RLGN 5307 - Church History 3 hrs
HIST 5310 - U.S. Colonial and Revolutionary History 3 hrs
HIST 5311 - Nineteenth Century America 3 hrs
HIST 5316 - Social and Intellectual History 3 hrs
HIST 5330 - Baptist History 3 hrs / RLGN 5330 - Baptist History 3 hrs
HIST 5331 - History of Science and Technology 3 hrs
HIST 5332 - Environmental History 3 hrs
HIST 5333 - Regional History 3 hrs
HIST 5334 - Public History 3 hrs
HIST 5335 - Political/Diplomatic History 3 hrs
HIST 5337 - Seminar on Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds to the Old Testament 3 hrs / RLGN 5337 - Seminar on Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds to the Old Testament 3 hrs
HIST 5340 - Ethnic and Gender History 3 hrs
HIST 5341 - History of Warfare 3 hrs
HIST 5342 - British History 3 hrs
HIST 5345 - Medieval Europe 3 hrs
HIST 5346 - Early Modern Europe 3 hrs
HIST 5347 - Modern Europe 3 hrs
HIST 5348 - History of the Twentieth Century 3 hrs