Accelerated Master of Arts in History
Note: Admission to the Accelerated M.A. program is open to current KU undergraduate students only. If you are a non-KU student interested in graduate study, consult information about our M.A. and Ph.D. programs, respectively.
The Accelerated M.A. program in History enables qualified KU students to earn both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master's degree in history in five years. Students apply to join the accelerated program in their Junior year, and spend the following two years completing a mix of undergraduate and graduate course work.
The M.A. may be pursued as a terminal degree or as preparation to pursue doctoral studies at KU or elsewhere.
Careful course selection and steady progression through the undergraduate career is necessary to ensure all requirements for both degrees be completed within the five-year timeframe. All prospective students should discuss their interest in admission to the accelerated program with both the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies as early as possible but no later than fall of the student’s Junior year.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Prospective students are eligible to apply to the graduate program in their Junior year. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted before the end of the applicant’s junior year. Applications must be received at least 4 weeks prior to start of the student’s second to last undergraduate semester.
The following program requirements must be met by this time:
- Major GPA of at least 3.5 and cumulative GPA of at least 3.00;
- On track to complete all requirements for a B.A. degree in History from KU with one additional year of study beyond the junior year.
Applicants must complete an Application for Graduate Study online. Please submit the inquiry form below and contact the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to starting the application. The following information should be gathered in advance and uploaded with the application:
- 2 letters of recommendation (preferably from professors in the major). Your recommenders will automatically receive an e-mail requesting their letters when you submit the application. It is not necessary for your recommenders to send hard copies of their letters to the department if they submit their letters electronically.
- Résumé or curriculum vitae
- A one-page statement of educational and career objectives
- A writing sample, preferably from an history course, 5-10 pages of text not including the bibliography, endnotes, or images following endnotes.
Upon review of the Application for Admission, the History Department will notify the student of his or her eligibility to begin course work in the program the following fall semester. Final acceptance to the graduate program will be contingent upon the following:
- Successful completion of all requirements for the Bachelor’s degree;
- Grades of B+ or above in all History graduate-level course work taken in the final year of undergraduate study.
- Submission of a Program of Study
Program of Study
- After acceptance to the program, M.A. students will submit an M.A. Program of Study Worksheet. Students are expected to identify three fields of study (geographical, thematic, and chronological) in consultation with their primary advisor. These fields must be approved by the primary advisor and Director of Graduate Study by April 15. The Program of Study Worksheet also designates a Primary Advisor and two other faculty advisors as the official members of the student’s M.A. Committee.
To express interest and request further information about the History Accelerated M.A. Program, click one of the links below to complete a short form.
The course requirements for this accelerated program are fulfilled by a combination of graduate-level courses taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit in Year 4, and graduate credit courses taken in Year 5. Numerous graduate-level courses are regularly offered that fulfill distribution requirements for both the Bachelor’s and M.A. degrees.
Requirements for the B.A. Major
First- and Second-Year Preparation
Prospective majors are encouraged to enroll in one or two introductory courses at the 100 or 200 level in the first two years. Students who come to KU with AP or transfer credit should be aware that only nine hours of history course work numbered 100-299 may be counted toward the major.
Many history courses fulfill Core 34: Arts and Humanities or US & Global Culture requirements
Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| History Major Foundational Knowledge and Skills | ||
| Majors must complete a course in the following area: | ||
| The Historian's Craft. Satisfied by: | ||
| HIST 301 | The Historian's Craft | 3 |
| History Required Electives | ||
| Majors must complete a minimum of 12 hours (4 courses) in both Category I and Category II below. The remaining 6 hours may be taken from either category. | 30 | |
| History Category I: Western Orientation. Satisfied by courses in Ancient, Medieval, Modern Western Europe, Russia/Eastern Europe, United States: | ||
| Introduction to Western History: _____ | ||
| Introduction to History, Honors: _____ | ||
| Environment and History | ||
| Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern and Greek History | ||
| Introduction to Roman History | ||
| Medieval History | ||
| The Black Experience in the Americas | ||
| Introduction to British History | ||
| Renaissance to Revolution: Europe 1500-1789 | ||
| French Revolution to the Present: Europe 1789-Present | ||
| Russia and its Empires | ||
| The History of Global Capitalism | ||
| History of the United States Through the Civil War | ||
| History of the United States After the Civil War | ||
| Fascisms in History: Past, Present … Future? | ||
| The Global Cold War | ||
| Introduction to Food History: Around the World in Eight Dishes | ||
| First Year Seminar: _____ | ||
| Writing the Past-Category I/Western Topics: _____ | ||
| Speaking the Past-Category I/Western Topics: _____ | ||
HIST 230 | ||
| War and 20th Century U.S. Culture | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | ||
| Headless Men: Conquest and Cultural Exchange Before the Age of Exploration | ||
HIST 303 | ||
| Technological Revolutions and Global Transformations | ||
| Key Themes in Modern Global History | ||
| American Culture, 1877 to the Present | ||
| Globalization: History and Theory | ||
| Ministers and Magicians: Black Religions from Slavery to the Present | ||
| Indian Territory | ||
| History, Women, and Diversity in the U.S. | ||
| From Goddesses to Witches: Women in Premodern Europe | ||
| From Mystics to Feminists: Women's History in Europe 1600 to the Present | ||
| LGBTQ U.S. History, 1600-1900 | ||
| LGBTQ U.S. History, 1900-Present | ||
| History of Women and the Body | ||
| The Spanish Inquisition | ||
| Age of Empires-The Atlantic 1400-1800 | ||
| Sex in History | ||
| Eurometro: Visions of the European Metropolis, 1849-1939 | ||
| The Great War: The History of World War I | ||
| History of Jewish Women | ||
| Ethics, Ideas and Nature | ||
| History, Ethics, Modernity | ||
| The History of the Second World War | ||
| Hitler and Nazi Germany | ||
| The Holocaust in History | ||
| Modern Jewish History | ||
| Hard Times: The Depression Years in America, 1929-1941 | ||
| Environmental History of North America | ||
| History of the Peoples of Kansas | ||
| Antisemitism: A Long History | ||
| The Korean War, 1950-1953 | ||
| At the Movies: U.S. History on the Silver Screen | ||
| History of the American West | ||
| The Vietnam War | ||
| The Black Experience in the U.S. Since Emancipation | ||
| The American Way of War Since World War II | ||
| Perspectives on Science, Engineering and Mathematics | ||
| Taking the Red Pill: Men and Masculinities Today | ||
HIST 365 | ||
| Magic and Superstition in European History | ||
| The History of Modern American Conservatism | ||
| Immigrants, Refugees, and Diasporas | ||
| Everyday Communism in Eastern Europe | ||
| Beyond the Iron Curtain: Soviet Perspectives on the Cold War | ||
| United States in the 1960s | ||
| Alexander the Great: Man and Myth | ||
| Julius Caesar: Man and Myth | ||
| Topics in Western History: ______ | ||
| Topics in (Honors): _____ | ||
| Hitler and Nazi Germany, Honors | ||
| Case Studies in: _____ | ||
| War and Society in Greece and Rome | ||
| Playing with the Past: History in Games and Gaming | ||
| Technology and the Modern World | ||
| Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the North American West | ||
| Technology in American History | ||
| History of the Great Plains | ||
| The American Revolution | ||
| The Civil War in America, 1828-1877 | ||
| Israel/Palestine: The War of 1948 | ||
| Aviation in American Culture | ||
| The Politics of Racial Injustice in the United States | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | ||
| Professional Skills in the Humanities | ||
| Readings in History | ||
| Service Learning in History | ||
| Topics in Western History: _____ | ||
| The Age of Heroes: Early Greece | ||
HIST 503 | ||
| Rise of Athens and Sparta | ||
| Roman Republic | ||
| Early Roman Empire | ||
| Late Roman Empire (284-527) | ||
| Topics in Non-Western History: _____ | ||
| The Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Capitalism and the Black Experience | ||
| The Age of the Renaissance | ||
| The Age of the Reformation | ||
| France and Its Empire: From Acadia to Zidane | ||
| Recent European History, 1870 to the Present | ||
| History of American Women--Colonial Times to 1870 | ||
| History of American Women--1870 to Present | ||
| U.S. Environmental Thought in the 20th Century | ||
| Medieval Russia | ||
| Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union | ||
| Slavery in the New World | ||
HIST 625 | ||
| The United States and the World, 1890-2003 | ||
| History of Feminist Theory | ||
| History Category II: Non-western Orientation. Satisfied by courses in Africa and Middle East, East Asia, Latin America, Native America: | ||
| Introduction to History, Honors: _____ | ||
| Environment and History | ||
| Introduction to African History | ||
| The Black Experience in the Americas | ||
| Introduction to Non-Western History: _____ | ||
| Russia and its Empires | ||
| Premodern East Asia | ||
| Modern East Asia | ||
| Colonial Latin America | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Latin American Culture and Society | ||
| The History of Global Capitalism | ||
| The Global Cold War | ||
| Introduction to Food History: Around the World in Eight Dishes | ||
| Introduction to West African History | ||
| First Year Seminar: _____ | ||
| Writing the Past-Category II/Non-Western Topics: _____ | ||
| Speaking the Past-Category II/Non-Western Topics: _____ | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | ||
| Modern Africa | ||
HIST 303 | ||
| Modern Africa, Honors | ||
| Key Themes in Modern Global History | ||
| Globalization: History and Theory | ||
| Indian Territory | ||
| Indigenous History of the Western Hemisphere | ||
| The Premodern Middle East | ||
| The Modern Middle East | ||
| Sex in History | ||
| Ethics, Ideas and Nature | ||
| History, Ethics, Modernity | ||
| History of the Peoples of Kansas | ||
| American Indian and White Relations to 1865 | ||
| American Indians Since 1865 | ||
| Indigenous Peoples of North America | ||
HIST 365 | ||
| A History of Afro-Latin America | ||
| Immigrants, Refugees, and Diasporas | ||
| Beyond the Iron Curtain: Soviet Perspectives on the Cold War | ||
| Alexander the Great: Man and Myth | ||
| Topics in Non-Western History: _____ | ||
| Topics in (Honors): _____ | ||
| Made in China: Chinese Business History | ||
| History of Sushi | ||
| From Mao to Now: China's Red Revolution | ||
| The Samurai | ||
| Indigenous People of the Great Plains | ||
| Case Studies in: _____ | ||
| Playing with the Past: History in Games and Gaming | ||
| The Rise of Civilization | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Travelers' Tales of the Middle East | ||
| From Harem to the Streets: Gender in the Middle East, 1900-Present | ||
| Readings in History | ||
| Service Learning in History | ||
HIST 503 | ||
| Topics in Non-Western History: _____ | ||
HIST 511 | ||
| Foodways: Latin America | ||
| France and Its Empire: From Acadia to Zidane | ||
| Liberation in Southern Africa | ||
| Medieval Russia | ||
| Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union | ||
| The Middle East After World War II | ||
| Pre-Hispanic Mexico and Central America | ||
| Ancient American Civilizations: The Central Andes | ||
| Slavery in the New World | ||
| The Andean World | ||
| Global Indigenous History | ||
| The History of Brazil | ||
| Economic History of Latin America | ||
| Modern China | ||
| Sexuality and Gender in African History | ||
| History of Tibet | ||
| Contemporary Greater China | ||
| History Capstone Seminar | ||
| Majors must complete a capstone research experience in which they research and write an original thesis based on primary sources. It normally is taken during the senior year. Alternatively, students with a Major GPA of 3.5 or above may choose to write a senior honors thesis. Satisfied by one of the following: | ||
| HIST 696 | Seminar in: _____ | 3 |
| or HIST 690 & HIST 691 | Honors Course in History and Undergraduate History Honors Seminar | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
History Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 36 hours of major courses. No more than 2 HIST 492 Readings in History courses may be applied to the major. Only courses taken in the Department of History or cross-listed in other units are accepted for credit toward the major.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 27 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. Of these 27 hours, at least 6 hours (two courses) must be taken at the 500-699 level (in addition to HIST 696 ).
Major Junior/Senior Graduation (300+) GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
Graduation Plan
With careful planning and commitment to a full-time course load, you can graduate with a degree in History in four years. Consult with an Advising Specialist for help in creating your graduation plan.
Double Majors
Many history majors choose to pursue a second major. Fulfilling the requirements of 2 majors in a timely fashion requires careful choice of courses. Consult with an Advising Specialist for help in creating a graduation plan that fulfills all requirements.
Proficiency in a foreign language is required for the M.A. degree if pursuing an MA with a focus outside the United States. Students in the accelerated program should complete at least the fourth semester of a relevant foreign language with a grade of B or better by the end of Year 4 or be prepared to demonstrate proficiency by passing the department’s language proficiency exam at the beginning of Year 5. Should the student not pass the proficiency exam, they will be expected either to enroll in the appropriate level of language study or establish a plan for passing the language exam at the start of the second semester of Year 5.
Master’s Degree Requirements
In addition to the 12 credit hours of graduate coursework taken during the Senior year, students must complete an additional 18 credit hours of graduate coursework once fully admitted to the master’s program. These include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 802 | Seminar in: _____ | 3 |
| HIST 805 | The Nature of History | 3 |
| 4 History elective courses numbered 700+ | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
M.A. Examination
In the final semester of enrollment, M.A. students complete a portfolio and oral examination with their faculty committee. The portfolio covers the student’s research fields and the papers prepared in the undergraduate capstone seminar (HIST 696 or HIST 690and HIST 691) and the graduate research seminar (HIST 802). The committee must meet the requirements outlined in the Office of Graduate Studies' Master's Student Oral Exam Committee Composition policy.
A detailed presentation of departmental degree requirements and regulations is included in the department’s Graduate Student Handbook, available online at https://history.ku.edu/graduate-resources.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Options | ||
| HIST 705 | Globalization in History | 3 |
| HIST 720 | The Modern Museum: Institutions, Knowledge and Audiences | 3 |
| HIST 721 | Museum Education and Public Engagement | 3 |
| HIST 722 | Preventive Conservation in Museums | 3 |
| HIST 723 | Introduction to Museum Exhibits | 3 |
| HIST 725 | Introduction to Collections Management and Utilization | 3 |
| HIST 727 | Archival Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HIST 728 | Managing Museums | 3 |
| HIST 800 | Readings in: _____ | 1-8 |
| HIST 801 | Colloquium in: _____ | 1-6 |
| HIST 806 | Studies in: _____ | 3 |
| HIST 810 | Colloquium in Nationalism Studies | 3 |
| HIST 811 | Colloquium in Comparative Empires | 3 |
| HIST 862 | Indigenous Archives and Tribal Historic Preservation | 3 |
| HIST 878 | Colloquium in Global Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 879 | Colloquium in North American Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 881 | Slavery in the Atlantic World | 3 |
| HIST 883 | Ethnohistory of the Americas | 3 |
| HIST 891 | Colloquium in 19th Century U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 892 | Colloquium in 20th Century U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 893 | Colloquium in Military, War, and Society | 3 |
| HIST 895 | Colloquium in the History of Gender | 3 |
| HIST 896 | Colloquium in United States Women's History | 3 |
| HIST 982 | Colloquium in the History of the American West | 3 |
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 | BA Quantitative Reasoning1 | 3 |
| Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE)030 | 3 | Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 |
| Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 | Core 34: Communications (SGE)020 | 3 |
| 1st Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 5 | 2nd Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 5 |
| HIST 100-200 Elective Category I (1 of 4) | 3 | HIST 100-200 Elective Category II (1 of 4) | 3 |
| 17 | 17 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| 3rd Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 3 | 4th Semester Language, or 1st semester of Another Language (BA Second Language)3 | 3 |
| Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 | Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE)040 | 4-5 |
| Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 | Lab Science (BA Lab Requirement) | 1 |
| HIST 301 (Major Requirement) | 3 | Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070 | 3 |
| HIST 100-200 Elective Category I (2 of 4) | 3 | HIST 300+ Elective Category II (2 of 4) | 3 |
| 15 | 14-15 | ||
| Year 3 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 |
| HIST 300+ Elective Category I (3 of 4) | 3 | HIST 300+ Elective Category II (4 of 4) | 3 |
| HIST 300+ Elective Category II (3 of 4) | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Year 4 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 500+ Elective Category I (4 of 4) | 3 | HIST 696 or 691 (Capstone, Major, MA Requirement) | 3 |
| HIST 500+ General Elective (1 of 2) | 3 | HIST 500+ General Elective (2 of 2) | 3 |
| HIST 690 (Honors Thesis First Course; or Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours)2 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours2 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Year 5 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 805 | 3 | HIST 802 | 3 |
| HIST 800+ Elective | 3 | HIST 800+ Elective | 3 |
| HIST or outside department 800+ Elective | 3 | HIST 800+ Elective | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Total Hours 138-139 | |||
- 1
Visit this page for a list of courses that fulfill the BA Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
- 2
Hour requirements (incl. 45 jr/sr hrs) are typically met through Core 34, degree, major, second area of study and/or elective hours. Students completing the BGS with a major must choose a secondary area of study. Individual degree mapping is done in partnership with your advisor.
- 3
For students completing the language requirement via the 3+1 language option, note that many first semester languages are 5 credit hours.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Synthesize and assess information gathered from primary and secondary source materials.
- Construct an historical question.
- Conduct historical research and develop informational literacy through the navigation of libraries, databases, and archives.
- Effectively compose and communicate an historical, evidence-based argument to both specialists and a general audience.
- Appreciate and examine diverse perspectives across time and space.
- Formulate a distinctive insight into a historical question and demonstrate analytical rigor in discovering and interpreting data to answer that question.
- Effectively compose and communicate historical, evidence-based arguments in written and oral form to varied audiences.
- Mobilize qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies to access and evaluate historical sources to identify patterns, formulate and support interpretations.
- Recognize, analyze, and contextualize the diversity of human experiences and perspectives across time and space.
- Maintain the highest standards of intellectual integrity in our discipline.