Master of Arts

Admission:

February 1 is the deadline for MA program (The Department of History accepts applications for fall admission only).  Applications accepted after October 1.      

  • Applications for the MA in history are processed through the University of Arkansas Graduate School. All application materials are processed through the University's UA Connect online system. Applicants are required to complete an application and submit official transcripts through the UA Connect system. Applications can be accessed online and are available here.
  • Submit contact information on UA Connect for three references who will upload letters of recommendation directly to UA Connect.
  • Upload the following documents to UA Connect:
    • Departmental Application in PDF Format
    • CV or Academic Resume in PDF Format
    • Statement of Purpose in PDF Format of no more than 1,000 words. Think of this document as a type of intellectual biography.  Convey how/why you became interested in History, what you have enjoyed learning about and why, and what you think you'd like to study as an M.A. student - and with which faculty member(s) - and why.  This is your opportunity for us to get to know you a bit better, including what motivates you to want to continue studying History at the graduate level at the University of Arkansas.
    • A scholarly writing sample of no more than 10,000 workds in PDF Format.  Ideally this would be a paper/article that utilizes primary sources

All prospective MA students are evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of History and are judged on a case-by-case basis, looking at a variety of factors including GPA, GRE scores (optional for 2021), letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and the appropriateness of our current faculty and other resources to student interests.

For admission to the master’s program, graduate work at the master’s level presupposes an undergraduate major in history of approximately thirty semester hours, although the Graduate Studies Committee will consider outstanding applicants with undergraduate degrees in related disciplines.  In the past, strong applicants have presented at least an overall cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or a grade point average of 3.25 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work, a verbal GRE score in the sixty-fifth percentile, and an analytical writing GRE score of 4.0.  Students who present a minimum of 30 hours in history courses may be admitted without deficiency. Students who present between 18 and 30 hours in history may or may not be admitted with deficiency, subject to determination by the department’s Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). Students who present less than 18 hours of history may not be admitted without deficiency. The GSC will determine deficiency requirements. It is expected that students who are applying in fields where the primary research language is not English must demonstrate reading proficiency early in their program. 

Degree Requirements:

Students seeking the Master of Arts degree must complete at least 30 hours of history at the 5000-level and above.  These should include:

 

  • HIST 7023 Historical Methods
  • 6 hours of HIST 600V Master's Thesis,  
  • 12 hours of 7000-level seminar courses (either reading or research)

 Only three hours of independent study may be counted towards the degree.  HIST 7043 Historiography can be used to partially fulfill the seminar requirement.   Master’s candidates must complete and satisfactorily defend a master’s thesis in history as judged by a panel of departmental faculty. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in all course work for the MA degree.