Research Requirements
Research is a critical part of the Master of Arts in History program.
As a graduate student, you'll demonstrate your ability to conduct independent historical research that combines both primary and secondary sources.
Research seminars (non-thesis option/thesis option)
All graduate students (both non-thesis and thesis options) will need to complete a research seminar, obtaining a B grade or above as part of the program’s core curriculum.
Research seminars are offered as part of a readings/research seminar sequence, but not all reading seminars are tied to research seminars. The readings/research seminar sequence begins with a reading seminar in the fall semester, which leads to a research seminar offered in the spring semester.
If you want to take a research seminar without having to take the corresponding readings seminar, you'll need permission from the professor. (Professors will usually only grant that permission if you have taken a course with them previously or if you can demonstrate that you have a viable research plan.)
Thesis option only
If you've chosen the thesis option, in addition to the requirements above, you will have to complete and successfully defend a thesis in an oral thesis defense examination.
A thesis is an extended piece of original research (usually 80 to 100 pages in length), focusing on a topic of the student’s choice conducted under the supervision of a member of faculty (the thesis supervisor).
Thesis option admission
Admission to the thesis option is not guaranteed and is dependent on:
- The Department of History's ability to offer supervision in your chosen field.
- The quality of your thesis proposal.
- Your academic record.
- The feasibility of your thesis project.
Find a thesis supervisor
To complete your thesis, you will need to develop a research project and find a thesis supervisor.
When searching for a supervisor, keep in mind:
- Faculty status: Thesis supervisors must be members of the faculty in the Department of History and have graduate faculty status. Lecturers and adjuncts may not serve as thesis supervisors.
- Coverage of study topic: We recommend that you ensure our department can offer supervision in your area of interest.
- Students seek out faculty: It is your responsibility as a student to approach the member of the faculty with whom they wish to work. Faculty are not obliged to take on students and any project must be within the thesis supervisor’s general field of expertise.
- Project success: When approaching a potential thesis supervisor, you'll need to be able to demonstrate the viability of your project. Most members of faculty will expect to see a preliminary thesis proposal before they agree to supervise a thesis.
Thesis proposal requirements
A preliminary thesis proposal should contain the following information:
- A clear outline of the historiographical question with which the student intends to engage.
- An outline of the primary sources that the student intends to utilize in their thesis.
- A preliminary bibliography of academic works related to the topic of the thesis.
You should also ensure that you will have access to the primary source sets that you intend to use. You'll need to be able to demonstrate that you have any required linguistic and/or technical competencies.
Once a member of faculty has agreed to serve as a thesis supervisor, you should arrange with them to register for six hours of HST 799. This can be taken over the course of two semesters (in 3-hour increments), although it doesn't have to be taken in consecutive semesters.
Thesis completion
Done with your thesis? Your next step is to successfully pass an oral thesis defense examination.
After you pass the examination, you'll submit a copy to the Graduate College in order to graduate.