History, M.A.

Program Requirements (30–33 Credits)

To fulfill degree requirements, M.A. students must complete either 30 or 33 credits in History Department courses. As detailed in the options below, students selecting the Thesis Option must complete 30 credits; students selecting the Portfolio Option must complete 33 credits.

Among the 30–33 hours of course work undertaken to fulfill the general degree requirements, all students must complete three credit hours in each of three geographic areas: African, Asian, Caribbean, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history; Transnational and Comparative History; and U.S. history. One of these courses must cover in whole or substantial part the pre-1800 period (those courses are listed below with * after their numbers).

African, Asian, Caribbean, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history courses include: Medieval Europe (HIST 7210X); Early Modern Europe (HIST 7220X); The Enlightenment (HIST 7230X); The Old Regime and the French Revolution (HIST 7310X); Modern France (HIST 7320X); History of Russia Since 1856 (HIST 7340X); Stalinism (HIST 7350X); Modern Latin America (HIST 7512X); Topics in Caribbean and Latin American History (HIST 7515X); Modern Ottoman History, 1700–1923 (HIST 7530X); Pre-Modern China (HIST 7550X); Modern China (HIST 7552X); Modern South Asia (HIST 7562X); Imperialism and Nationalism in South and Southeast Asia (HIST 7566X); Social Change in Africa, 1750–1945 (HIST 7580X); Themes in European History (HIST 7730X); and Themes in Asian, African, and/or Middle Eastern History (HIST 7770X).

Transnational and/or Comparative, and/or Global history courses include: Main Currents in Contemporary World History (HIST 7110X); Global Environmental History (HIST 7130X); The Industrial Revolutions of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (HIST 7120X); Ancient Explorations (HIST 7140X); Ancient History and Culture On-Site (HIST 7141X); The Imperial World at War (HIST 7370X); Europe Since 1945 (HIST 7380X); Slavery and Freedom: Comparative and Transnational Perspectives (HIST 7517X); Gender, Race, and Empire (19th-20th centuries) (HIST 7568X); Themes in World History (HIST 7780X).

U.S. history courses include: The Colonial Period (HIST 7411X); The American Revolution and the Constitution (HIST 7412X); Civil War and Reconstruction (HIST 7420X); The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era (HIST 7425X); Twentieth-Century America (HIST 7430X); History of American Political Parties (HIST 7440X); American Economic History (HIST 7441X); Modern American Diplomatic History from 1898 (HIST 7442X); American Environmental History (HIST 7444X).

The Environmental History of Urban America (HIST 7445X); The History of the American Presidency (HIST 7446X) American Constitutional History (HIST 7448X); African American History (HIST 7450X).

Race, Ethnicity, and Migration: Histories and Discourses (HIST 7460X); Themes in United States History (HIST 7740X).

Special Topics in History (HIST 7600X) can apply to any one of the categories above, depending on the topic.

Students selecting both Thesis and Portfolio Options must also complete:

1. History 7000X with a grade of A or B. All students must take History 7000X during their first fall semester in the program, and must receive a grade of A or B to satisfy graduation requirements; and
2. History 7050G.

Thesis Option Requirements

Completion of general department requirements and six courses numbered from History 7110X–7780X. After completing both History 7000X and 12 hours of course work, students who select the thesis option must take at least one Independent Reading (History 7840G) or one Independent Research (History 7850G) course with their chosen thesis adviser. A second Independent Study or Independent Research course could, with permission, substitute for the sixth of the courses numbered from History 7110X–7780X. Following the Independent Reading course, the thesis adviser will evaluate the student’s preparedness to write a thesis. A student approved to write a thesis will be required to submit a proposal to the adviser and to complete a Master’s Essay (History 7830G).

Portfolio Option Requirements

Completion of general department requirements and nine courses numbered History 7110X to History 7780X. With the permission of the chair or the graduate deputy, students may replace a maximum of two of these courses with History 7840G and/or History 7850G. Students who select the Portfolio option must provide a portfolio containing two substantial papers written for graduate-level history courses taken in the History Department at Brooklyn College, and must pass an oral defense before a departmental committee of full-time faculty. At least one of the two papers submitted must be a research paper based on an extensive use of primary sources.

Department Recommendations

Students should consult the graduate deputy early in their course of study and each semester thereafter.

Students who intend to study toward a doctoral degree should have completed at least two years of college-level foreign language study.

Students who intend to study toward a doctoral degree should ascertain the matriculation requirements of the graduate school they plan to attend.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced knowledge about key historical concepts (such as “objectivity”) and historical terminology (such as “primary source”);
• demonstrate advanced knowledge about key historical actors and events across the department’s distribution requirements;
• articulate a clear research question, assemble a bibliography, and use citations properly;
• situate an original historical argument within a sophisticated historiographical framework;
• effectively incorporate primary sources into a historical argument; and
• express sophisticated historical ideas in writing using a clear thesis statement, a well-organized argument, and effective evidence.

Admissions Requirements

• Fall Application Deadline: April 15, rolling admission
• Spring Application Deadline: December 1, rolling admission

Supporting Documents for Matriculation

Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.
• Two letters of recommendation (preferably from history professors with whom you have worked)
• Personal statement (explaining your background, interest in studying history, and reason for choosing our program; no more than two pages)
• Writing sample (a formal 5–10 page paper typically written for an undergraduate or graduate history class providing evidence of your writing and analytical skills)

Required Tests

• F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam: TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.

Non-Degree Applicants

This program accepts nondegree applicants. You must submit all documentation required of degree-seeking candidates, but letters of recommendation are waived.

More Information

Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.

Contact

Michael Rawson

1119 Boylan Hall
E: mrawson@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5000, ext. 1166

Or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.4536

Office Hours

Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

To make an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor, visit:

BC Admissions Appointment Tool