SJSU Catalog

History Department

MA - History

Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing

Admission to classified standing for the MA - History requires that the undergraduate preparation of the applicant be comparable to that of a history major for the BA degree at San José State University. Included in this preparation must be one upper division or graduate course in historical method and a course in historiography may be required. The applicant who does not have this preparation must remove all deficiencies. Students who have a baccalaureate degree in a field other than history will be required to complete up to 15 units in upper division history courses. Units thus taken will not be counted toward the minimum 30 units required for the MA - History. Requirements and regulations change; thus, the department web site always contains the most current information; please reference it.

Requirements for Admission to Conditionally Classified Standing

A student who does not meet all requirements for admission in classified standing for the MA - History may be admitted in conditionally classified status. The graduate advisor will list on the admissions notification all deficiencies and courses which must be taken. Upon completing these requirements, the student must file a petition for a change of status to classified standing.

University Requirements

The applicant must also comply with all requirements of the university as outlined in this catalog and stated in subsequent policy changes (this refers both to admission and graduation procedures). The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies.

Completing the Course Requirements for the MA - History

Following admission to the university and the department, the student should consult the history department website regarding degree requirements and a proposed degree program. Courses in the program are divided into fields. A Candidate must complete from 18-21 semester hours of course work in one of the following primary fields of study: the United States; Modern Europe; and Ancient-Medieval. The remaining 9-12 units may be taken in any field of history. Regardless of the primary field, students may apply one chronologically appropriate World History colloquium (History 220) to his or her primary field. All students must retain a 3.0 GPA average to remain in the program.

Course Requirements
Plan A (with Thesis)			30
Professorial nomination is required.
Colloquia		6-12
Ancient and Medieval Primary Field	3-6
One 209 course (two recommended)
European Primary Field	3-6
One 211 course (two recommended)
Master's Thesis		6
HIST 299
Other 200 Level Courses In History		3-9
One seminar is required (two recommended)
Other Courses		9-12
100 and/or 200 level courses in history
Plan B (without Thesis)			30
Colloquia		12-15
U.S. History	9
HIST 210
European Primary Field	3-6
One or two 211 courses
Other 200 Level Courses In History		6-12
One seminar is required (two recommended)
Additional Courses		9-12
Additional 100 and/or 200 level courses in history or other allied fields
Final Examination
Completion of the final written comprehensive examination
Total Units:			30

Thesis (Plan A) and Examination (Plan B) Options

Students must design their course of study with the final exercise of the degree in mind. Please note the field specific regulations that follow:

All students who choose a primary field in Ancient and Medieval history currently must write a thesis (Plan A), for no examination (Plan B) option is available

Students who choose a primary field in United States or Modern European history must take and pass a culminating examination (Plan B). On the exam the student is expected to demonstrate considerable breadth and depth of knowledge, a familiarity with historiographical issues, and to follow acceptable rules of grammar, spelling and literary style in presentation. The examination will be scheduled toward the end of the fall and spring semesters and students must pass the examination within three attempts or no degree will be awarded.

In some exceptional cases, students in United States or Modern European history may substitute a thesis (Plan A) for this test. A thesis option will be considered only upon the nomination of a professor, who agrees to serve as the first reader. The student must demonstrate to the nominating professor, in a written proposal, that he or she is capable of completing a thesis, both in terms of research skills and writing ability and that he or she has sufficient time to undertake a major research and writing project. In addition, the proposed project must have intrinsic historical value. Demonstrating these points still does not obligate a professor to nominate or to serve as a first reader, and no reason need be given to a student for declining to supervise a thesis in any capacity. Finally, permission to write a thesis is also contingent on finding two other professors, who are willing to be second and third readers respectively; they also serve entirely at their own discretion. After all three readers have signed the thesis, the candidate must submit it to the University for final approval.

A thesis committee has the option of terminating the thesis option if, in the opinion of the three readers, the candidate has shown him- or herself incapable or unwilling to write an acceptable thesis in a reasonable amount of time. In that situation the student will be required to take the Plan B comprehensive examination.

Language Requirement

All candidates for the general M.A. degree in history must demonstrate competency in one foreign language. The sole exception are students whose primary field is U.S. history, who may, if they do not wish to meet the language requirement, take two history graduate level courses in substitution.

The language competency requirement may be met in three ways:

1. Through examination by a history faculty member with expertise in your language. The exam will be a translation of approximately 500 words to be completed in two hours with a dictionary allowed.

2. By taking two years of a foreign language at a university or community college. An average grade "C" must have been attained, and the course work completed within five years of admission to the university.

3. If your primary concentration is Ancient-Medieval, you may also fulfill this requirement by taking one year of Greek and one year of Latin.

4. By taking and passing the Educational Testing Service Graduate Foreign Language Exam.

Graduate Division Approval of Candidacy and Degree Program

At least one semester before a candidate expects to graduate, student must complete an Advancement to Candidacy Application delineating the entire degree program, that is, the courses that the student has completed or expects to complete toward the MA. The candidate must submit the form to the Graduate Advisor and then to Graduate Studies and Research for final approval. Through this procedure, the student's entire program will be examined to determine whether it complies with all departmental and university requirements for the degree, including the university requirement for demonstrated competency in written English.