弗吉尼亚联邦大学

The M.A. degree program is designed to be completed in two years for students attending full time, or in less than six years for students attending part time. All graduate students are required to take HIST 601, Historiography and Methodology. Additional requirements depend upon whether a student chooses to write a thesis or not. This decision is made at the end of the first year in the program.

Non-thesis concentration

Students with this concentration must complete 36 credits of coursework, which must include HIST 601 and two research seminars. For the remainder of the coursework, students may choose any other History graduate courses, as well as up to six total credit hours in related graduate programs around the university. Permission for the latter must first be secured from the Graduate Director.

The culmination of the non-thesis concentration is a two-hour oral examination in the final semester of study. Students wishing to sit for the oral exam should notify the Director of Graduate Studies at least six weeks prior to the last day of class for the semester. The student and the Director will consult with each other to form an examination committee, which shall consist of three faculty from the History Department (though in some cases an external person may serve on the committee). All final decisions about the composition of the committee shall rest with the Director, however.

Students preparing for the oral examination should consult with the committee members in advance of the exam. Students who fail the examination on their first attempt shall have one additional chance to sit for it.

Thesis concentration

Students who choose this concentration must complete and successfully defend a thesis, a work that is grounded in primary sources and typically around one hundred pages in length. Students with this concentration must complete 30 credits of coursework, including HIST 601 and 6 thesis credits of HIST 698. For the remainder of the coursework, students may choose any other History graduate courses, as well as up to six total credit hours in related graduate programs around the university. Permission for the latter must first be secured from the Graduate Director.

There are several good reasons to consider choosing the thesis concentration. A thesis is a substantial challenge and thus can provide an exciting intellectual journey into a subject a student finds deeply interesting. Completing the research and writing usually leaves the student with a strong feeling of accomplishment. It is also a visible testament to the student's research, writing, and historical thinking skills.

Students wishing to write a thesis should choose a topic that interests them and that can be completed in a timely manner. Some topics might be interesting, but the primary sources necessary to research the topic might not be easily available.