Note: students earning a master’s degree in the UNT history department must follow the thesis option to qualify for admission in the department’s doctoral program.

History major (thesis option), 33 hours

1. A graduate major in history consists of 27 hours of graduate work in history (including the required historical bibliography class and at least two research seminars) and a 6-hour thesis. The 27 classroom hours may be selected from any courses offered by the department as long as they include the two seminar and historical bibliography requirements above; the 6-hour thesis may be written on any topic approved by the student’s advisory committee.
2. If a student wishes to have an outside (e.g. minor) field, the student may substitute 6 hours in a related field approved by the student’s major professor and the department chair for 6 hours of graduate course work in history.
3. A candidate for this degree must successfully complete an oral examination on the course work and the thesis.

History major (non-thesis option), 33 hours

Students choosing this option will not be eligible for admission to the History Ph.D program at UNT, as we require a completed MA/MS degree with thesis.

1. A student selecting this option must take any two research seminars in history and the required historical bibliography class. The remaining 24 hours may be all in history or may include a minor up to 6 hours in a related field approved by the department chair.
2. A candidate for this degree must successfully complete an oral examination on the course work.
3. Either version of the MA requires that the student demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language relevant to the student’s major research focus. This is usually accomplished by taking at least 12 undergraduate hours of a foreign language with a 2.7 GPA or passing a proficiency exam administered by the UNT World Languages and Literature department or similar accredited program. This requirement must be met before defending the thesis or sitting for oral exams.