Program Information

The Department of History offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Arts degree with fields of specialization in African, European, Latin American, and United States history and the Doctor of Philosophy degree with fields of specialization in African, European, Latin American, and United States history, or with a dual major which allows students to combine two minor fields to create their own major fields. We offer minor concentrations in the thematic fields of Atlantic, Gender, Legal, Religious, and World History.

Master of Arts: This degree serves to prepare students for admission to a Ph.D. program, for a teaching career in high school or community colleges, or for a career in government or business.

Fields of specialization:

• African (East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa)
• European (medieval, early modern, or modern)
• Latin American (colonial Latin America, post-Colonial Latin America, Brazil, and the Caribbean or Spanish America)
• United States history (early America, 19th century, 20th century)

Thesis option requirements:

• A minimum of 30 credit hours
• At least 15 graduate-level regular course credit hours in your major field. In European, you must take at least two seminars in your area of specialization. In U.S. history, you must take the 19th-century America readings seminar, either the 20th-century or early America readings seminar, and at least one research seminar. In Latin American and African history, you must take the relevant readings seminars in your area of specialization, one other readings seminar, and at least one research seminar.
• At least 6 graduate-level regular course credit hours outside the major field (but in the Department of History). We recommend that you invest these regular course hours in readings seminars.
• Take 3 hours of historiography (HIS 6061 Introduction to Historiography (3 cr.)) by the fourth semester of graduate study.
• Take 3 regular course credit hours from outside the Department. These should be graduate-level hours, but undergraduate 3000 or 4000 level hours may be taken subject to approval by your adviser.
• Complete a master’s thesis of original historical research. The semester you graduate, you must be registered for a minimum of 3 thesis research hours (HIS 6971 Research for Master's Thesis (1-15 cr.)) in the fall or spring terms or 2 in a summer term. Your thesis should demonstrate your ability to handle the primary-source material of your field, and a working knowledge of the secondary literature; and should demonstrate your ability to present research results in a coherent, well-written study. The student must complete the thesis and make it available to readers 2 weeks before the oral examination, complete the application for the degree at the Office of the University Registrar before the deadline, and take the examination.
• Each student must pass a final comprehensive oral examination at the end of the program.

Non-thesis option requirements:

• A minimum of 30 credit hours.
• At least 15 graduate-level regular course credit hours inside your major field. In European, you must take at least two seminars in your area of specialization. In U.S. history, you must take the 19th-century American readings seminar, either the 20th-century or the early America readings seminar, and at least one research seminar. In Latin American or African history, you must take the relevant readings seminars in your area of specialization, one other readings seminar, and at least one research seminar.
• At least 6 graduate-level regular course credit hours outside your major field (but in the Department of History). We recommend that you invest these regular course hours in readings seminars.
• Take 3 hours of historiography (HIS 6061 Introduction to Historiography (3 cr.)) by your fourth semester of graduate study.
• Take 3 regular course credit hours from outside the Department; these should be graduate-level hours, but undergraduate 3000 or 4000 level hours may be taken subject to approval by your adviser.
• Complete a research seminar and/or a non-thesis project in history. Your primary goal in either is to complete an article-length essay (approximately 35 to 40 pages) of publishable or near-publishable quality. The essay should be based largely on primary sources.
• You must pass a final comprehensive oral and written examination conducted by your supervisory committee.

Supervisory committee for the M.A.: The committee normally consists of the chair and two other members of the graduate faculty. Additional members may be added if desirable. The committee assists in planning and supervising the student’s program and conducts the final examination. The chair is also the thesis director if that option is chosen.

Duration: The M.A. program can be completed in 3 semesters of full-time registration but may take longer. The Department believes that normally no more than 4 semesters of full-time registration should be spent on the degree. These semesters need not be consecutive. The Board of Education has established 60 credit hours as a maximum for the master’s degree. Up to 6 credits of graduate-level courses taken at another school with a grade of B or better may be transferred into the master’s program if approved by the Graduate School.

Bachelor’s/master’s program: The Department offers a combination 4/1 degree program that enables outstanding undergraduates to obtain both the B.A. and M.A. degrees in history after successful completion of 150 credit hours. The program is designed for the students who wish to continue their education in history past the bachelor’s level but do not intend to pursue a doctorate in history, or for students who wish to expand their training in a specific field before moving on to a doctoral program. The department offers a 4/1 degree program in the standard M.A. fields of study as well as oral history. Please see the Department website for more information. Students in this program are not eligible for departmentally controlled financial aid.

Doctor of Philosophy requirements:

• Professional mastery of your major field, or major fields for students pursuing a dual degree.
• Professional competence in a minor field, which may be drawn from the approved major fields of specialization for the doctorate (African, European, Latin American, or U.S. history), from approved minor fields (Atlantic history, gender, legal history), or may be self designed as a thematic research or teaching field. It must include at least 3 hours outside the historical area that defines your major field. Note: Students pursuing a dual major do not take a department minor field.
• At least 3 regular course credit hours from outside the Department; these should be graduate-level hours, but undergraduate 3000 or 4000 level hours may be taken subject to approval by your adviser.
• Pass a set of written and oral qualifying examinations testing competence in major and additional fields and your knowledge of the nature of history and the historian’s task.
• A dissertation of original historical research for which credit is given in HIS 7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation (1-15 cr.).

History/law joint degree program: The Department of History and the College of Law offer a program in legal history leading to either the M.A. or a Ph.D. degree in history and the J.D. in law. Because the faculties of history and law stress interdisciplinary training, students admitted to the joint degree program will be allowed to count a significant number of hours toward both degrees. Applicants must be accepted by both the Graduate School and the College of Law. Normally, students will complete the course and examination requirements of both degrees in 4 years. Students may begin their first year of work in either history or law, but they must complete the first year of law school within 1 year and they must do so within the first 2 years after admission to the joint degree program. For further information write to the:

Legal History Coordinator
Department of History
University of Florida
Box 117320
Gainesville, FL 32611-7320.

Degrees Offered with a Major in History

• Doctor of Philosophy
  • without a concentration
  • concentration in Historic Preservation
  • concentration in Women's/Gender Studies
• Master of Arts
  • without a concentration
  • concentration in Historic Preservation
  • concentration in Jewish Studies

Requirements for these degrees are given in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog.

History Departmental Courses

history (PHD)

SLO 1     Knowledge        
Students will identify, define, and describe major issues in the history of their fields of study as well as mastery of the relevant body of historiography

SLO 2     Skills     
Students will design and teach courses as teaching assistants or primary instructors

SLO 3     Professional Behavior   
Students will contribute to the international community of historians in their field through the publication of their research, and through presentations at seminars, workshops and conferences

SLO 4     Skills and Content Knowledge   
Students will apply and demonstrate the methods and practices of historical research and writing

History (MA)     

SLO 1     Knowledge        
Students will identify, define, and describe major issues in the history of their fields of study as well as mastery of the relevant body of historiography

SLO 2     Professional Behavior   
Students write journal quality papers

SLO 3     Skills     
Students will describe, define and apply methods and practices of historical research and writing