GUIDELINES FOR MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM
These guidelines are
intended to supplement the Graduate Studies catalog. Please consult the catalog, the graduate
coordinator, or relevant offices on campus about issues that are not addressed
here.
Goals of the Program
This program provides
students with a well-rounded background in history, historiography, and
research methods. To that end, the
department offers a variety of courses in
Advisement
It is important for students
to communicate with the graduate coordinator and individual professors about
their career interests, questions on specific courses, and other
questions. The graduate coordinator is
the advisor for all graduate students. Students should be especially sure to
consult with the graduate coordinator as they prepare to begin their last year
of studies to ensure that they have completed all requirements.
Degree Candidacy
Upon completion of their
first nine credits, it is required that students be interviewed by the graduate
coordinator to measure academic progress.
Upon successfully completing this interview, students enter into formal
status as candidates for the M.A.
Style
The History Department has
adopted a policy stipulating that the most recent edition of the
For Master’s Theses, the format
requirements for the copy that will be handed in to the graduate office are
established by that office and may be obtained from them.
The Thesis and Non-thesis Options
Students may elect to
complete three courses at the 600 level, or two courses at the 600 level and a
three-credit thesis. Generally, students
who are interested in pursuing further graduate work in history, or who have an
interest in a specific topic, are encouraged to consider the thesis
option. Students who are interested in
acquiring a broader historiographical background in a given area may prefer the
non-thesis option. Students should consult with the graduate coordinator and individual professors
to determine which option is most appropriate to their goals. The thesis option
is a demanding one that will require more work than that associated with a
normal course.
The M.A. Thesis
Students choosing the thesis
option should identify a topic which they have a strong interest in exploring
and which they, working with an advisor whose specialty is in this field,
determine can be adequately researched.
A thesis is defined by its extensive use of primary-source documents,
the presentation of an original interpretation of a topic, and discussion of
the existing research on the topic.
Committee
The M.A. will be examined by a three person
committee. The committee is chaired by a
faculty member in the department who will be the student’s primary thesis
advisor. Normally, all examiners are
faculty in the History Department with an expertise in the subject. When appropriate, one outside examiner may
substitute for one of the department members.
This is done to provide special expertise but must be approved by the
thesis adviser.
Timetable
It is advisable for a
student planning to research and write a thesis to begin work on the project a year before the anticipated completion
or, at the very least, at the start of the previous
semester.
Generally, students should
register for three credits of thesis study the semester before they plan to
graduate. If they do not complete the
thesis during this semester, they will receive a grade of incomplete, and will finish
the thesis the semester that immediately precedes their graduation.
Once the student has a sense
of what he or she would like to work on, the first step should be to discuss
the topic being considered with the faculty member who would be the appropriate
advisor given his her own scholarly interests and research experience.
Once the actual topic is
selected the student, with input from the advisor, should select the other
members of what will be the thesis defense committee. Committee members should be selected based on
what they can contribute to the discussion of the topic, i.e. their academic
specialties.
Following the successful
formation of the committee the student should prepare and distribute to the
committee members a prospectus that should include:
As the student proceeds, any
substantial changes in this plan should be communicated to all members of the
committee.
It is essential for students
to communicate regularly with the committee members. In addition, students should communicate
progress to the principal thesis advisor at least twice a month.
Also at the start of the
semester during which the student is planning to defend a preliminary date
should be set with the committee for the thesis defense. Because the committee may require revisions
after the defense, the date should be set no
later than one month prior to the date when the thesis must be deposited at the
graduate office.
A preliminary draft of the
thesis should be distributed to all members of the committee at least two months before the defense. Faculty will make every effort to comment on the
draft and suggest areas for further research or analysis within two weeks of
receiving the draft. If substantial
changes are recommended, the thesis adviser may request another preliminary
draft prior to the final defense.
Faculty on the committee should
be given a copy of the defense copy at least two weeks before the scheduled
defense.
In the case of an
unsuccessful defense the student may, with advice from the committee, continue
work on the thesis and schedule one additional defense.
Oral Examinations
Each student in the M.A.
Program must pass an oral examination.
The exam is a comprehensive test of student knowledge of a given
field. The exam must be taken no later
than two weeks before the final deadline for completing coursework in a given
semester.
The exam may be in the
following areas:
--American History,
including Colonial, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century. These represent the areas covered in the
required courses Hi 501, 502, and 503.
--European History,
including three of the four following fields:
Medieval, Early Modern (1500-1789), The “Long Nineteenth Century” (1789-1914),
and 1914-present. These represent the
Medieval History elective, and the areas covered in the required courses Hi
505, 506, 507.
While we have identified
courses that relate to the testing areas the examination is not an examination on the courses per se
but is a field exam that may range over the entire breadth of the relevant
field.
In special circumstances a
student who has taken a variety of courses in non-American and non-European
subjects may petition the Graduate Coordinator and Committee to be examined in
a special field related to those courses.
In deciding on whether to grant the petition the committee must be
guided by consideration of 1] the coherence of the field suggested, 2] the
student course preparation for the field, 3] the availability of three faculty
qualified to examine in the field.
Committee
The student is responsible
for arranging for an oral examination committee and setting a time for the exam
that is convenient for the members of the committee. There must be a faculty member representing
each of the three examination periods for that field.
The Examination
The format of the exam is
for each faculty member to ask the student questions about the period of his or
her expertise. Normally the sequence of
faculty questioning will reflect the chronological sequence of the periods
being examined. After the first round of
questions, faculty members may ask additional questions.
Students may bring paper and
pencil into the exam and jot down notes to assist them in organizing their
thoughts for an answer. No other
materials may be brought into the exam.
As they prepare for the
examination students need to discuss the orals with each faculty member on the
committee. Some faculty members may
provide students with lists of sample type questions, or may suggest particular
readings. No such assistance represents
a limit on questions. Faculty members
are free to ask any question about any area of the field.
Students
who fail the exam may retake it once.