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    • MA in History
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    • MAT in Humanities, major in History of Ideas
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Guidelines for the M.A. Thesis in History

The MA in History with "research option," which is intended for students who plan to pursue doctoral studies, requires the completion of an MA thesis.

Thesis Proposal

• The candidate presents a five to ten page proposal plus bibliography, first to a three-member thesis committee and, with its approval, to the Graduate Studies Committee for its approval. The proposal indicates the topic and its significance as an example of original research that contributes to historical knowledge.
• In addition to describing the primary sources to be used, the proposal presents a hypothesis and research strategy (methodology).
• The proposal is accompanied by a bibliography of the relevant secondary literature. The bibliography is not part of the proposal proper, but is appended to it (i.e., not counted as part of the 5-10 page length).
• Students must also include a signature page providing the title of the proposed thesis and the members of the proposed supervising committee. Each member of the proposed committee must sign this page to indicate a willingness to serve on the committee. The student's name should appear only on the title or signature page.
• The Graduate Studies Committee will assess the proposal based on an established set of criteria
  

Format

• While there is no specified requirement, typically the thesis will be between fifty and one hundred pages in length.
• All theses include an introduction, one or more substantive chapters, and a full bibliography of all primary sources used and secondary sources cited.
• Other sections (such as a preface, acknowledgements, an epilogue, or appendices) are permissible, when relevant or necessary, but are not required).
• The format for references and citations is the Chicago Manual of Style.

Thesis Committee and Defense

• The thesis committee consists of three tenured or tenure-track faculty members in the School of Arts and Humanities, two of whom must hold appointments in Historical Studies/History of Ideas.
• The committee chair should have qualifications appropriate to substantive supervision of research on the chosen topic.
• When all three members of the committee agree that the thesis is substantively ready for defense, the student supplies each professor with a clean copy of the complete thesis in proper format. Another copy of this penultimate draft should be delivered to the Arts and Humanities graduate desk (JO 4.510), where it is open for faculty inspection at least three working days before its defense. The chair of the master's committee authorizes the graduate coordinator to arrange for a public defense, the date and location of which is then announced to all Arts and Humanities faculty and graduate students by e-mail.
• The chair presides over the defense, a one hour session that begins with a 10 minute student presentation on the general goals and themes of the thesis. Unless the master's committee decides otherwise, public participation in the questioning is limited to Arts and Humanities faculty members.
• After the formal defense, the master's committee will meet in camera to vote on granting the master's degree. The results of its vote are reported to the University's Dean of Graduate Studies through the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

Students submitting a thesis must follow all guidelines and dates for submission established by the Graduate School and the School of Arts and Humanities