WKU History Graduate Program

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Thesis Option

Requirements

HIST 535: Historiography (3 credits)

HIST 536: Sources and Methods (3 credits)

Six electives (18 credits)

HIST 599: Thesis Research and Writing (6 credits)

Total: 30 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 (including thesis) 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.

Road Map for the Thesis

1. Identify a Faculty Mentor: No later than the third semester prior to graduation, the student should ask a faculty member to serve as mentor during the thesis-writing process. The student must consult with the faculty mentor to develop an appropriate thesis topic. The mentor must be a member of the History Graduate Faculty and will serve as the student’s thesis director.
2. Identify a Thesis Committee: With the mentor’s guidance, the student must also invite two other faculty to serve on the thesis committee. Students may select a scholar from outside the university to serve on the committee (but not as director). After three faculty have agreed to serve on the thesis committee, the student must submit the Thesis Committee Selection form (https://www.wku.edu/graduate/students/committee_selection.php) to finalize this process
3. Select a Thesis Structure: The History M.A. program allows two options for thesis structure. Students should work with the faculty mentor to select the most appropriate option.
   1. Traditional Thesis: This option varies widely in length from approximately 60 to 120 pages and is divided into 4-5 chapters.
   2. Journal Article: This option requires that students produce a submission-ready article for a peer-reviewed academic journal. This version of the thesis must be 10,000-14,000 words in length, including notes.
4. Write a Thesis Proposal: Before beginning work on the thesis itself, the student will provide each member of the committee with a five-page thesis proposal which (a) indicates the nature and scope of the proposed topic and (b) indicates the major sources of research materials which will be used for the study. See Thesis Proposal Guidelines on page 5 for more details.
5. Apply for Research Funding: If you plan to travel for research, consider writing a research grant proposal for funding from the Graduate School. This step is encouraged but not required.
6. Enroll in History 599 (Thesis Research/Writing): When the thesis proposal has been approved, the student is eligible to enroll in HIST 599. Typically, the 6 credits for HIST 599 are split across the student’s final two semesters in the History M.A. program.
7. Write the Thesis: The thesis director will work closely with the student as he/she completes each draft chapter of the thesis. For a traditional thesis, each draft chapter should be approved by the thesis director as it is written. Following approval by the thesis director, each draft chapter should be circulated to the entire committee.
8. Defend the Thesis: A complete draft of the thesis is circulated to all members of the committee at least 45 days before the date of graduation. The thesis must adhere to the formatting guidelines set forth by the Graduate School. The student may not proceed to the oral defense until the final draft of the thesis has been approved by the thesis committee. The oral thesis defense is part of the oral portion of the comprehensive examination.
9. Submit the Approved Thesis: After the thesis committee has determined that the student has successfully fulfilled the requirements for the thesis, the student must submit the thesis (https://www.wku.edu/graduate/students/thesis/index.php) in accordance with the formatting guidelines of the Graduate School.