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Students interested in pursuing a program of study in History should:
1. Have completed an undergraduate program containing at least 18 semester hours of history (or closely related humanities courses).
2. Have a 3.25 undergraduate GPA or submit GRE scores.
3. Submit to the Graduate Chair a letter of intent (500 word minimum) that describes the applicant’s background, qualifications, academic interests, and career goals in obtaining a Master of Arts degree in History.
4. Submit evidence of the writing and analytical skills necessary for graduate level course work (a history research paper is preferred).
5. Submit to the Graduate Chair at least two letters of recommendation from former professors who are familiar with the applicant’s academic work.
6. Fill out the online application.
Admission deadlines set by the Graduate Office are April 10 for Summer, July 10 for Fall, and November 10 for Spring. Applicants who missed the deadline have the option to apply as a non-degree seeking student. Up to 12 credit hours taken as a non-degree seeking student can be applied to the degree program upon admission. Exceptions to the application deadlines may be possible. Please feel free to contact Amber Alexander at historygradstudies@unk.edu or (308) 865-8766 with any questions.
In the absence of any of the above, admission may be granted on a conditional basis. If an applicant does not have a writing sample or academic letters of recommendation they can apply as a non-degree student and take 1-2 courses in the program. This will allow an applicant to produce a graduate-level paper to submit with their application and request a letter of recommendation from a UNK professor. Up to 12 credit hours can be transferred to a degree granting program from non-degree seeking course work. To apply as a non-degree seeking student go to Online Application.
The application deadlines for the History MA program are August 10 for the Fall Semester, January 10 for the Spring Semester, and a rolling deadline for the summer term.
In some cases closely related Humanities or Social Science courses might count towards the 18 hour minimum. In the absence of this requirement, admission may be granted on a conditional basis. If an applicant does not have 18 undergraduate hours that can be applied, they can apply as a non-degree student and take 1-2 courses in the program. Confer with the Graduate Chair or the Online Program Coordinator if you have questions.
If your undergraduate GPA is below 3.25 GRE scores must be submitted. If you have a MA in another field and that GPA is above 3.25 then the GRE can be waived with the Graduate Chair's permission.
You can apply as a non-degree student and take one or two history graduate courses. This will allow you to request letters of recommendation from UNK professors.
Only if undergraduate GPA is under 3.25.
The department prefers to see a research paper produced in a history course. Research papers in other fields will suffice if you do not have a history paper. If you have nothing to submit then you should apply as a non-degree student and take one course in the program. This will allow you to produce a graduate-level writing sample.
This is your chance to tell the graduate committee anything that may not be apparent in your application or transcripts, including but not limited to information about your background, education, career goals, occupation, and why you want to pursue a graduate degree in history.
Yes, you can apply as a non-degree student and take up to 12 hours of coursework that can be transferred into the MA program upon admission.
Graduate Admissions University of Nebraska at Kearney 1910 University Drive, CMCT 210 Kearney, NE 68849
Official electronic transcripts can be sent via email to: gradstudies@unk.edu
No. However, students do have the option of writing a thesis.
Yes, online students can pursue the thesis option. Those who want to pursue the thesis option must take HIST 894 Introduction to Thesis and apply to the graduate committee for approval.
The first step for those wishing to pursue the thesis option is to complete HIST 894 Introduction to Thesis, which can be taken after completing most of the required coursework of the program including HIST 801 & HIST 803. A 3.5 GPA is also required to take this course. In this course students will seek approval to pursue the thesis option.
Students who work full time usually take 1-2 courses per semester. Full time students take 2-3 courses each term.
Fall and Spring semester courses run 16 weeks. Summer semester courses run 8 weeks.
The History Department has a limited number of graduate assistantships available on a competitive basis. Students interested in graduate assistantships should contact the Graduate Program Chair.
Yes, students admitted to the MA program qualify for financial aid. Students must be half-time (4 hours) to qualify for federal student loans.
Students have 10 years to finish the program.
Students will compile a comprehensive academic portfolio that includes work completed in the program and comprehensive essays in the major and minor fields. Students must submit their portfolio to the History Department during the last semester of course work. A supervisory committee consisting of the graduate program chair and one faculty member each from the major and minor fields will evaluate the portfolio. If the portfolio is not approved, students may revise and resubmit it the following semester.
No, you can take up to two years off before having to reapply for admission.
No, the courses are not independent studies. They run on the same schedule as the on campus courses and require weekly readings, discussions, and writing assignments with the goal of recreating the traditional graduate school environment.
While each professor designs their courses individually, most courses follow a general format of a weekly reading (usually a book or several articles), online discussion with other students, and a writing assignment. You can expect to read the equivalent of 10-15 books for each course and write approximately 45-60 pages of analytical essays.
Students should begin the program by taking HIST 801 America Interpreted, an introductory graduate readings course in American historiography. The class examines the leading schools of historical opinion from the founding of American society through the modern era.
Students are eligible to take HIST 803 Historical Methods after completing at least 9-12 credit hours including HIST 801 America Interpreted.
The public history courses include but are not limited to HIST 848 Public History, HIST 868P Digital History, HIST 848 Museum & Historic Site Interpretation, HIST 848 Public History Administration, HIST 848 National Parks, HIST 848 History and Memory, HIST 848 Oral History, HIST 848 Death and Cemetery Culture, etc.
Some examples of major and minor fields include Early America, Modern America, Early Europe, Modern Europe, Military History, the American West, 19th Century US, 20th Century US, 20th Century Europe, Women’s History, Public History, etc. Please contact the program coordinator with questions about your fields.
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