Admission Requirements

• Master of Arts, Master of Arts in the Teaching of History, and Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Requirements

• Master of Arts
• Master of Arts in the Teaching of History
• Doctor of Philosophy

Mailing Address:
Department of History (MC 198)
Room 913, University Hall
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7109

Campus Location: 913 UH
Program Codes: 20FS0342MA (MA); 20FS1757MAT (MAT); 20FS0342PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 996-3141
E-mail: lindavp@uic.edu, histdgs@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/
Chairperson of the Department: Laura Hostetler
Director of Graduate Studies: Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska

The Department of History offers work leading to degrees in History at both the master’s and doctoral levels. In addition to the regular master’s degree program, the department offers a special program, designed to meet the needs of current and future middle and high school teachers, which leads to the Master of Arts in the Teaching of History (MAT). Students must select one of the following major fields for the MA: Africa, Ancient Mediterranean world, East Asia, medieval Europe, early modern Europe, modern Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, Russia, Latin America, and Colonial America and the United States. The PhD major fields are Africa, ancient Mediterranean world, medieval Europe, early modern Europe, modern Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, Russia, Latin America, Colonial America, and the United States. Each major field is further subdivided into minor fields, of which there are more than 60 for the MA and the PhD. Consult the department’s graduate student handbook for more information.

Two departmental concentrations are available to MA (doctoral track) and PhD students: a Concentration in Work, Race, and Gender in the Urban World, and a Concentration in Encounters, Ethnographies, and Empires. The Department of History also participates in three interdepartmental concentrations: the Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies (see Gender and Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information) , the Interdepartmental Concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies (see Latin American and Latino Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information), and Central and Eastern European Studies (see Central and Eastern European Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of the catalog).

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts, Master of Arts in the Teaching of History, and Doctor of Philosophy

• Baccalaureate Field Applicants must have either an undergraduate major in history or a minimum of 16 semester hours in history.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study. A GPA of 3.50/4.00 is recommended.
• Tests Required GRE General. A score of 550 on the verbal portion of the test is the minimum recommended.
• Minimum English Competency Test Score
• TOEFL 550 (paper-based); 213 (computer-based); 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Internet-based), OR,
• IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores.
• Letters of Recommendation Three required, from former professors for the MA, MAT, and PhD, preferably from former professors.
• Personal Statement Required.
• Writing Sample Required.
• Other Requirements for Master of Arts in the Teaching of History Applicants The Basic Skills Test must be passed prior to applying for admission to the program.
• Other Requirements for Applicants to the MA (Doctoral Track) and the PhD in History If they wish to enroll in a departmental concentration (WRGUW or Encounters), applicants must make a concurrent application to that concentration (WRGUW or Encounters) at the same time as they apply to enter the MA (doctoral track) or PhD program in History. For application instructions, please go to http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/graduateII.html.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
• Course Work Two tracks exist, one for students for whom this degree is intended to be final (the MA-only track), and one for whom this degree is intended to lead toward the Doctor of Philosophy in History (the doctoral track). At least 20 semester hours must be at the 500-level, and at least 16 semester hours must be in 500-level courses taught by the Department of History. Courses taken in a field other than history that are to count toward the degree need the approval of the advisor and the director of graduate studies. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student received a grade of less than B.
• Required Courses: 4 hours of the 500-level seminar in the student’s major area. Students majoring in United States history must complete 8 hours of HIST 551 designated as the historiographical / bibliographical colloquium. All entering graduate students are required to take HIST 501.
• Comprehensive Examination Required for students on MA-only track. Students on the doctoral track do not take master’s comprehensive exams.
• Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.
• Other Requirements Students must complete a seminar paper. Students must pass a reading examination in one foreign language relevant to the plan of study. Any additional foreign language (or skills in quantitative methods) requirement will be determined by student’s advisor. After the student has completed 24 hours of course work, a faculty committee representing the student’s major and minor fields will review the record of each doctoral-track MA student in the final semester of her / his MA studies to decide whether it justifies the pursuit of doctoral studies. If the decision is negative, the student will be put on MA-only track, and will be required to take comprehensive examinations and fulfill all other requirements of the MA degree.

Master of Arts in the Teaching of History

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 54 (entering without certification); 32 (entering with certification). Students seeking teacher certification must complete a minimum of 54 semester hours, which includes hours taken in the Department of History and the College of Education. Students not seeking certification must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours.
• Course Work At least 16 hours must be in 500-level history courses. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B.
• Students must complete 16 hours in graduate-level readings courses across the three fields of U.S., European, or world history, with at least four hours in each of these, and a focus of eight hours in one of these fields. These hours are to be drawn, where possible, from 500-level colloquia. Students must complete 8 hours in courses that focus on the teaching of history and the social sciences, HIST 420 and 500. HIST 420 has a prerequisite of 9 hours in social sciences.
• Students seeking teacher certification must take 30 hours in required courses toward certification: CI 504; ED 402 or 403; 421 or 445; 432; SPED 410; HIST 475 and 476.
• Students not seeking certification must take a minimum of 8 additional hours in a specific field of history of their choosing in consultation with their advisor.
• Additional Requirements for Teacher Certification In addition to specified course work, students seeking teacher certification must fulfill certain other requirements as well as maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in history course work, and a 3.00/4.00 in required education courses. For detailed information, see the advising documents and other information available on the program’s Web site, http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/TeacherEd/index.html.
• The teaching certificate is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of certification and degree requirements. Before the certificate is issued, the candidate must file an application for the Illinois teaching certificate in the Council on Teacher Education. The candidate must also pass a series of examinations required by the Illinois State Board of Education. The Content Area Test must be passed before the candidate is allowed to be placed for student teaching. The Assessment of Professional Teaching must be passed prior to certification. For information on application procedures, contact the Council on Teacher Education located in 3015 EPASW or http://www.icts.nesinc.com.
• Comprehensive Examination Required.
• Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate.
• Course Work Candidates must complete at least 64 semester hours of graduate work beyond the master’s degree exclusive of HIST 501. Of this amount, 16 are in didactic courses, and 48 are in thesis research. Eight hours of didactic course work are in HIST 591 to be taken after all other requirements for didactic course work have been met. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B. All entering graduate students are required to take HIST 501. See the History Department Web site, Graduate Study in History at UIC (http://www.uic.edu/depts/hist/graduateIV.html#IVC) for further details. PhD students are not required to repeat any specific course offered by this department that they have successfully completed as MA students. Students entering the PhD program with a master’s degree from a department in another discipline may be required to complete additional hours of didactic course work, as appropriate and specified upon admission.
• PhD Concentration in the History of Work, Race, and Gender in the Urban World (WRGUW): The WRGUW Concentration offers students a foundation in labor, immigration, and business history; race and African-American history; and/or gender, women’s and gay and lesbian history. Framed around a modern U.S. history core, the program nevertheless encourages a transnational perspective on its core themes. Moreover, of the three required minor fields for students concentrating in WRGUW, two will address non- U.S. or comparative topics. In addition to their department-based course requirements, students concentrating in WRGUW entering with a BA must satisfactorily complete four WRGUW-themed courses (HIST 593, 16 hours), while those entering with an MA must complete three such courses (12 hours). Participation in the WRGUW Concentration involves no increase in the total credit hours needed to graduate. Students work closely with their advisors in designing their program of study. Completion of all requirements for the PhD is necessary to graduate with a Concentration in WRGUW.
• PhD Concentration in the History of Encounters, Ethnographies, and Empires (Encounters): The Encounters Concentration draws upon the expertise of faculty with regional specializations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the United States. The concentration offers students specializing in any one of these areas the opportunity for comparative study and research on topics related to encounters between different peoples, cultures, and continents. Framed around a core in World and European history, with attention to both the early modern and modern eras, Encounters is designed to help students in the concentration become conversant with issues that cut cross across regional specializations. In addition to their department-based course requirements, Encounters students entering with a BA must satisfactorily complete four Encounters courses (HIST 594, 16 hours), while those entering with an MA must complete three such courses (12 hours). For students concentrating in Encounters, of the minor fields required of PhD students, one will be World History, and students concentrating in Encounters must take a graduate course in World History. Participation in the Encounters Concentration involves no increase in the total credit hours needed to graduate. Students work closely with their advisors in designing their program of study. Completion of all requirements for the PhD is necessary to graduate with a Concentration in Encounters.
• Examinations Comprehensive Examination: None.
• Preliminary Examination: Required; written.
• Dissertation Prospectus Required; written and oral.
• Dissertation Required.
• Other Requirements Students must pass a reading examination in one foreign language relevant to the plan of study. Any additional foreign language (or skills in quantitative methods) requirement will be determined by student’s advisor.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies after consulting with their graduate advisor. See Central and Eastern European Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies after consulting with their graduate advisor. See Gender and Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies. See Latin American and Latino Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.