WKU History Graduate Program

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Non-Thesis Option

Requirements

HIST 535: Historiography (3 credits)

HIST 536: Sources and Methods (3 credits)

Nine electives (27 credits)

HIST 598: Comprehensive Exam Preparation (1 credit)

Total: 34 credits

Policies

Students must complete their program of study with a 3.0 average. Each program is individually planned with the Graduate Advisor.

With approval of the Graduate Advisor, a maximum of 9 credits of graduate coursework may be transferred from another institution. See the current Graduate Catalog for requirements on transfer work. 

Graduate students may be permitted to take up to 6 credits of graduate work in a related field in courses approved by the Graduate Advisor. 

Students may enroll in a maximum of 6 credits of independent study (HIST 590) with a member of the History graduate faculty.

All requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in History must be completed within a period of six years from the first term of enrollment.

Comprehensive Examinations (Written and Oral)

The comprehensive exam covers the student's entire graduate program and must be completed during the student’s final semester in the History M.A. program. At least one semester in advance, the student must select three fields of specialization, typically drawn from coursework, and select three faculty members to supervise these fields in the exam committee. The student must then distribute to each committee member a bibliography of historical works in each field. Faculty may require the student to read more works before sitting for exam. The written exam is completed over three days and involves four essays: one for each field and a fourth essay involving primary sources. The oral portion of the exam is two hours long.

Application for Graduation

The Application for Graduation form (www.wku.edu/graduate/documents/) must be submitted prior to the student’s final semester in the M.A. program.