The Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate track in the History MA program allows highly qualified undergraduate majors in history to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master's degree while completing their baccalaureate program. See “Track Details” below.
Participation will enable completion of the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in five instead of six years for students enrolled in full-time course work.
The History MA program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 12 credit hours of required courses, 18 credit hours in an area of concentration, and 6 credit hours of electives outside of the area of concentration. Students must pass a foreign language competency test, pass a written examination in two fields, and successfully complete and defend their thesis. No graduate credit is given for any grade lower than "B- ."
Track Prerequisites
The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in history (for UCF History majors only) allows highly qualified UCF students to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master's degree while completing their baccalaureate degree program. Students apply for admission to the combined undergraduate and graduate program toward the end of their junior year or after 12 hours of upper-level history course work.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses (Core)
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- HIS6159 - Historiography (3)
- HIS6905 - History Capstone Class (3)
Required Courses (Specialization)
18 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
- Students may specialize in one of the two areas below. Specialization courses must be approved by the student's adviser.
Eastern Hemisphere: African, Asian, European, or Middle Eastern- 18 Credit Hours- Complete at least 6 of the following:
- AFH5259 - Colloquium in African History (3)
- AFH5806 - The Historiography of Slavery in Africa (3)
- ASH5229 - History of the Middle East (3)
- ASH5408 - Colloquium in Modern China (3)
- ASH5485 - U.S. China Relations (3)
- ASH5925 - Colloquium in South Asian History (3)
- ASH6936 - Seminar in US-China Relations (3)
- EUH5419 - Colloquium in Roman History (3)
- EUH5459 - Colloquium in French History (3)
- EUH5546 - Colloquium: British History (3)
- EUH5579 - Colloquium in Soviet Russia (3)
- EUH5905 - European Imperialism (3)
- EUH5925 - Colloquium in Medieval Europe (3)
- EUH5208 - Colloquium in Early Modern History (3)
- EUH6939 - Seminar in European History (3)
Western Hemisphere: Caribbean, North American, or South American - 18 Credit Hours- Complete at least 6 of the following:
- AMH5116 - Colloquium in Early American History (3)
- AMH5169 - Colloquium in the American Early Republic (3)
- AMH5176 - Colloquium in Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
- AMH5296 - Colloquium in 20th Century U.S. (3)
- HIS5503 - History of Technology (3)
- AMH5391 - Colloquium in U.S. Cultural History (3)
- AMH5406 - Colloquium in American South (3)
- AMH5636 - Colloquium in US Environmental History (3)
- AMH5925 - Colloquium in US Military History (3)
- AMH6346 - Seminar in the History of American Automobility (3)
- AMH5077 - Colloquium in Twentieth Century Tourism (3)
- AMH6429 - Seminar in Community and Local History (3)
- AMH6939 - Seminar in U.S. History (3)
- HIS5067 - Introduction to Public History (3)
- HIS5083 - Cultural Heritage Management (3)
- HIS5925 - History in the Digital Age (3)
- HIS6096 - Seminar in Historic Preservation (3)
- HIS6165 - Digital Tools for Historians (3)
- HIS6167 - Spatial History (3)
- HIS5088 - Readings in Curation and Public History (3)
- HIS6094 - Seminar in Curation and New Media (3)
- LAH5920 - Colloquium in Latin American History (3)
- HIS5926 - Colloquium: History of Women and Gender (3)
- HIS6592 - Seminar in Oral History (3)
Elective Courses
6 Total Credits
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Students will choose history courses outside their area of specialization.
Thesis
6 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
Hours- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: HIS 6971 - Thesis The culminating event of the program is a minimum of six credit hours at the 6000-level developing and sustaining a historical argument in writing according to the accepted professional and ethical standards of the discipline.
Defense- The final step in completing the thesis requirement is a one-hour oral defense before the thesis committee.
Comprehensive Examinations
0 Total Credits
- Each candidate for the Master of Arts in History must pass written examinations in two fields upon conclusion of regular course work and before beginning a thesis. These examinations must be taken and passed as part of the requirements for the capstone course. Students are provided two attempts at successfully passing the examinations. Each student will also submit a thesis prospectus and preliminary bibliography, which the three members of the student's thesis committee judge acceptable as the preliminary step to beginning the thesis. An oral defense of the written exams and the thesis prospectus and bibliography is also a requirement of the capstone course.
Foreign Language
0 Total Credits
- Students will also be expected to demonstrate reading competency in one foreign language translation examination. The foreign language examination (FLE) must be completed one semester prior to the thesis defense. For detailed information on the History Foreign Language Exam requirement and process, please see the department's MA program handbook.
Grand Total Credits: 36
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Additional Notes on the Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in History
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Students must earn at least a "B-" in each undergraduate and graduate history course for them to be counted toward the major.
- Students must compile a portfolio of their written work in history (completed inside and outside the classroom).
- Students admitted to the combined bachelor's/master's program may take one 5000-level course the first semester of their senior year.
- After successfully completing one 5000-level course, students will be eligible to take HIS 6159 - Historiography and another 5000-level course or the 6000-level seminar following the 5000-level colloquium they have already completed.
- Students may substitute these 9 hours of graduate-level work for 9 hours of 3000- or 4000-level undergraduate work
- Students need to pay fees at the graduate rate for the graduate courses they take.
Schedule for Students Enrolled Full-time
- Students complete 9 hours of graduate-level courses in their senior year.
- Students enroll in at least 3 credit hours of graduate-level courses the summer after they receive their bachelor's degree.
- Students enroll in 9 hours of graduate-level courses in both spring and fall semesters during their master's program.
- Students complete the Capstone course, pass their preliminary exams, and fulfill their foreign language requirement by the end of their first year in the master's program.
- Students complete and defend a master's thesis in 6 hours.
Undergraduate Requirements
Please see the current edition of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Graduate Requirements
The History MA program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 12 credit hours of required courses, 18 credit hours in an area of concentration, and six credit hours of electives outside of the area of concentration. Students must pass a foreign language competency test, pass a written examination in two fields, and successfully complete and defend their thesis. No graduate credit is given for any grade lower than "B- ."
