Graduate Program

Seventeen years ago, we created three exciting nodes of excellence. They are Agricultural, Rural and Environmental History (ARE); War, Power, and International Affairs (WPIA); and History of Science and Technology (HOST). A few years ago we added a fourth specialty: Ideas, People and Places (IPP). Each doctoral student takes a field in at least one of these four specialties. The vast majority of theses and dissertations encompass some aspect of one or more of those fields.

We conceive of our nodes of excellence broadly. For example, subjects as diverse as military history, international relations, municipal police agencies, paramilitary organizations--particularly prominent in southern history--and homeland security fit comfortably within WPIA. Rural enclaves, environmentalism, agribusiness, plantation society, farming practices, tenant farming, agricultural price support policies, logging and community studies are done under the ARE rubric. HOST entails studies of eugenics, technical education, medical theories, aerospace, cancer research, national science policy, health care, popular science, and local industries.

At least as exciting has been the crossing over between two or more of these nodes. Topics such as adoption of technology among African-American sharecroppers combine several departmental strengths. So too does the relationship among colonial European powers and the conquest of tropical disease or Confederate soldiers and naval shipyards. The attempt to establish chemical industries using agricultural products in rural Mississippi during World War II brings together several nodes. So too does Jimmy Carter's embargo on agricultural products-grain and technology--to the Soviet Union.

Each node is organized around a fundamental seminar. Other course offerings to prepare graduate students in the nodes of excellence are selected with the individual in mind; courses required in each case depend on a discussion among the graduate student and graduate committee members.

Our graduate program is totally distinct from our undergraduate program. Graduate students take only graduate classes. Each of our graduate classes is limited to eight students. Keeping classes to eight or less enables us to offer significant individual attention to each student in a class. Graduate classes, moreover, are NOT based on lecture. They are of two forms: Colloquium and Seminar. The colloquium is arranged around what historians have written on a particular subject or field. It can emphasize new approaches to the study of the past, new interpretations of longstanding issues or new insights that open a new field of study. They are based on a shared experience as the common theme allows each graduate student to learn from each of the other students in the course. The seminar is where original research occurs. Graduate students learn about how to do research, how to write papers, and how and where to present or publish their efforts. And they do it. In some seminars, presentation at a professional meeting or publication in a professional journal becomes essentially the final exam. In any case, seminars are where original research is undertaken and new knowledge is created.

Admissions

MSU Admission Requirements

Each applicant must submit the following materials to the Office of Graduate Studies

1. Completed application form
2. Statement of purpose for graduate study
3. Letters of recommendation
4. Transcripts

For more information, visit Office of Graduate Studies

Additional History Department Requirements

The History Department expects applicants to have a GPA of 3.00 in their last two years of undergraduate study.

The prerequisite for admission to a graduate program in history is a minimum of 18 hours of undergraduate history courses; for a graduate minor in history, 12 hours of undergraduate history courses are required.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program may take the Graduate Record Examination. If that option is selected, applicants should ask the Educational Testing Service to send the scores directly to Mississippi State University.

Each applicant to the Ph.D. program must submit a writing sample directly to the Graduate Coordinator of the History Department. Examples of acceptable writing samples are publications, chapters from a thesis, or a seminar paper.

Applicants should understand that the History Department uses the Statement of Purpose as a major factor in making admissions decisions. It is to the applicant's advantage to take special care in completing this statement. Applicants should add additional pages to the Statement of Purpose if necessary.

Completed applications should be received in the History Department by November 1 for admission for the spring semester and by April 1 for admission for the fall semester. Normally, applicants will receive an admission decision within 30 days after the recepit of all required materials.

Categories of Admission

Regular Admission:

The applicant must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, and meet the History Department's requirements for admission.

Provisional Admission:

An applicant not satisfying the History Department's minimum requirements can be admitted on a provisional basis, but must earn a 3.00 grade point average in his or her first nine hours of graduate work at MSU to be converted to regular admission.

Contingent Admission:

This category of admission is reserved for students not meeting a specific requirement, but who seem likely to meet it in the near future. This category is most often used for applicants who have completed the requirements for degrees which have yet to be formally awarded.

Unclassified Admission:

This admission status is normally reserved for students desiring graduate study for purposes other than earning an advanced degree. It may be used, however, by students who have not completed the formal admission process, but who wish to begin taking history courses immediately. A student may take graduate courses at Mississippi State as an unclassified student without going through the Office of Graduate Studies or departmental screening process. If an unclassified student is later admitted to a degree program, he or she may transfer up to nine hours of credit into that program. Taking courses does not in any way signify or guarantee admission to the History Department's graduate program.

International Students:

International students intending to pursue a graduate degree in history must meet all regular requirements and, in addition, present a Test of English as a Foreign Language score of 550 or higher. This requirement does not apply to international students with degrees from an American institution, nor to students from countries where English is the primary language.

Graduate Degrees in History

The Department of History offers graduate fields in a wide variety of areas, the principal fields are listed below.

Nodes of Excellence:

Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History

War, Power, and International Affairs

History of Science and Technology

Ideas, People, Places

On the Masters Level:

Regional:

• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
• United States
• Latin America

Topical:

• African-American
• Southern
• Diplomatic
• Intellectual
• Military

Economic

• Imperialism, Colonialism, and Decolonization
• U.S. Gender

Not all of the fields listed above are available for dissertation research or as the major field for a Master of Arts degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The History Department offers the Ph.D. degree with a primary emphasis in either United States or European History. The student will choose a primary field of emphasis in either United States History or European History.  Students are required to prepare for examination in four fields of emphasis. Two fields of emphasis will be chronological fields within the primary area of emphasis (U.S. or European). A third field of emphasis will be drawn from the department’s four core areas (War, Peace, and International Affairs, History of Science and Technology, Agricultural, Rural, and Environment History, or Ideas, People, Places). The final field of emphasis will be a topical or regional field or in a discipline other than history. Fields of emphasis outside of the History Department must include at least 12 hours. The student should refer to the History Department’s list of available fields of emphasis for more information. Each student must hold a bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution of higher learning and possess qualifications indicating ability to do graduate work on a doctoral level, as determined by the department’s Graduate Committee.

The department expects that the student will normally complete at least 60 hours of coursework (40 classroom hours and 20 research hours) beyond the bachelor’s degree for the Ph.D. degree in history. Credit earned in a master’s degree program at Mississippi State or up to 20 credit hours earned elsewhere may be used to satisfy requirements for the doctoral program if it is appropriate to the candidate’s doctoral fields and acceptable to the student’s graduate committee. Each student pursuing the Ph.D. degree in history must demonstrate proficiency in at least one research skill by the end of the fourth semester of his or her enrollment in the program. This requirement may be fulfilled by demonstrating a reading knowledge of a foreign language or by demonstrating proficiency in another research skill appropriate to the student’s field of study. Each candidate is required to complete, or have completed, HI 8923 at Mississippi State and two research seminars. Each student is also required to select a specialization in one of the History Department’s four core areas: 

• International Security and Internal Safety, or
• History of Science and Technology, or
• Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History, or
• Ideas, People and Places

Doctor of Philosophy in History (United States Emphasis)

¹ 

Or an equivalent acceptable to the graduate committee. 

² 

Chosen in consultation with the student’s graduate committee. 

Doctor of Philosophy in History (European History Emphasis)

¹ 

Chosen in consultation with the student’s graduate committee. 

The prospective Ph.D. candidate must understand that work toward a Ph.D. degree is different from other academic work he or she may have undertaken. The holder of a Ph.D. degree is assumed to have mastered his or her field of study and to have developed an ability to do original research and to make original contributions to knowledge. It is the responsibility of the student’s major professor and committee members to determine when this level of understanding has been reached. It cannot be measured by the number of courses completed, and the exact amount of coursework required of each student in the History Department may vary.

Each student must have a graduate committee composed of at least four graduate faculty members. The chairman must be from the student’s major field of emphasis and must be a full member of the graduate faculty. He or she will normally be the student’s future dissertation director. The committee will include a second reader, who will assist the dissertation director, and at least two other members. Four members of the committee must be members of the History Department’s graduate faculty.

When the student and his or her major professor agree that adequate preparation has been made, the major professor will schedule a comprehensive examination. Full-time Ph.D. students should normally take their comprehensive examinations within three years of enrollment, and part-time Ph.D. students should take their comprehensive examinations within four years of enrollment. The student must have either completed all coursework or be within 6 hours of completing the coursework. The student must have fulfilled the research skill requirement and must have met all other History Department and Graduate School requirements. Each student will take four written comprehensive examinations. Students will be allowed one day for each field, and the four examinations must be completed within a two-week period.  Faculty members who have collaborated in preparing a student for a particular field of emphasis may contribute to one examination. The student’s committee will then decide if the quality of the written examinations warrants proceeding to the oral examination. If a student fails either the written or oral part of the comprehensive examination, she or he may retake it after the passage of four months. A second failure will result in termination from the program.

After passing comprehensive examinations, the student must submit a dissertation proposal which must be approved in writing by all members of the student’s graduate committee before the student will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. The dissertation proposal must include at least the topic, historical question to be answered, hypothesis answering that question, and sources to be consulted. The dissertation proposal must specify both the director and the second reader. No candidates will be granted a dissertation fellowship until the approved dissertation proposal is on file in the History Department office.

The composition of the candidate’s graduate committee for the dissertation need not be identical to the committee which conducts the comprehensive examination. The second reader of a dissertation will be actively involved in the dissertation process. The second reader will be kept informed of the progress the candidate is making in the research and will comment upon drafts of outlines and chapters as the candidate writes them.

The dissertation must show the candidate’s mastery of research methods in history and must make an original contribution to scholarship in the candidate’s field. The dissertation must reflect at least 20 semester hours of dissertation research. The candidate’s graduate committee must approve the dissertation and administer a final oral examination (defense). The dissertation must be provided to the members of the committee at least fourteen days before the defense.

For additional information contact the Graduate Coordinator.

Master of Arts Degree

The History Department offers the Master of Arts degree with an emphasis in United States, European, Latin American, African, Asian, or World History.  A student may choose between a thesis and a non-thesis degree program. Each student will choose a primary and a secondary area of emphasis. The primary area of emphasis will be drawn from one of the following subject areas: United States, European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History. The secondary area of emphasis for a thesis student will be drawn from either another one of the above subject areas, or a topical field related to a particular region or historical phenomenon. Students can minor in a field outside of history; a minor outside of history must include at least nine semester hours. 

A degree candidate with a thesis must also demonstrate proficiency in one research skill which may be either reading proficiency in a foreign language or proficiency in quantitative methods or some other relevant research skill as determined by the student’s graduate committee. The non-thesis program is designed for students planning to enter secondary education or who want to develop a broad understanding of history for a variety of other reasons. The secondary area of emphasis for a non-thesis degree candidate must be drawn from a geographic region other than the one the student has selected for the primary field. The non-thesis program does not require a research skill.

Each student must have a graduate committee composed of three graduate faculty members who will oversee the student’s progress toward the M.A. degree and conduct a written comprehensive examination and an oral defense of it at the conclusion of the student’s graduate studies. At least two of the committee members must be members of the History Department’s graduate faculty. If a minor from outside the department is selected, one member must be from the minor area of study.

Each master’s degree candidate will complete a comprehensive examination at the completion of graduate studies. The examination will cover both primary and secondary fields and will be taken at a time and in a format determined by the student’s graduate committee. The student choosing the thesis option will also be expected to provide an oral defense of the thesis at the conclusion of her/his graduate studies.

Master of Arts in History (United States Emphasis) - Thesis

Master of Arts in History (United States Emphasis) - Non-Thesis

Master of Arts in History (European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History Emphasis) - Thesis

Master of Arts in History (European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History Emphasis) - Non-Thesis

Master of Arts in History for Accelerated Program Students

The History Department offers undergraduate students with an interest in history the opportunity to complete a Master of Arts in History with an additional year of post-baccalaureate study. This program offers both the thesis and non-thesis options outlined in the regular Master of Arts degree program.

Requirements

Students in this program must meet the same expectations regarding primary and secondary fields of emphasis, research skills, and forming a graduate committee as students in the regular M.A. program. Each candidate for the degree must complete the required coursework for either the thesis or non-thesis M.A.

Master of Arts in History (United States Emphasis) - Thesis

Master of Arts in History (United States Emphasis) - Non-Thesis

Master of Arts in History (European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History Emphasis) - Thesis

Master of Arts in History (European, Latin American, Asian, African, or World History Emphasis) - Non-Thesis

Program of Study as an Undergraduate

In the course of completing the requirements for the student’s undergraduate degree the student may enroll in up to 9 hours of graduate courses which will count toward both the student’s undergraduate degree and the M.A. in history. These courses can be at either the 6000 or 8000 level, and the student should enroll in them for graduate credit. Once the graduate course has been completed, the student and advisor will apply to the Registrar to have the course count for undergraduate credit. Once this application is granted, the course will appear on the student’s undergraduate transcript. A split-level course will appear as the 4000-level equivalent of the 6000-level course. An 8000-level course will appear on the student’s transcript as a 4993 Special Topics course with the same name as the 8000-level course. The student may opt out of the program at any time and complete a regular undergraduate major in history. Once the student has opted out, however, no further courses will be allowed to count for both graduate and undergraduate credit.

Registration for a graduate course requires the undergraduate student to complete the Undergraduate Request to Enroll in Graduate Courses(s) form. The student can access the form at http://www.grad.msstate.edu/forms/pdf/accel.pdf and must submit the completed form to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will inform the student by email when he/she can register for the graduate course.

The student will receive the bachelor’s degree after the requirements for that degree have been met. On completion of the degree the student will be admitted into the regular graduate program provided the student has received no grade lower than a C in any course taken for graduate credit and not received more than one C in the courses taken for undergraduate credit; in either of these cases the student will be dismissed from the graduate program. If the student’s GPA in graduate-level courses is below a 3.00 the student will enter the graduate portion of the program on academic probation and may be removed from the program if the overall GPA does not rise above 3.00 at the end of the student’s first full semester in the graduate program.

Program of Study for the Student’s Post-Baccalaureate Year

In the student’s post-baccalaureate year he or she will be expected to complete either the thesis or non-thesis degree program. Students who do not complete the program by the end of the summer following their first post-baccalaureate year will be automatically transferred into the regular M.A. program.

Exam Information

Common Examiners and Dates for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

Professor Lang- Early America

Professor Barbier- Modern America

 Feb 10-21, April 3-17.

For 2025-2026 (Dates in October, February and April to be determined)

Professor Messer- Early America

Professor De Stradis- Modern America

Financial Aid for Graduate Students

Financial Assistance administered by the Office of Financial Aid:

1. College Work-Study
2. Mississippi Guaranteed Student Loans (Stanford Loans)
3. Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)

Information about the above forms of financial aid may be obtained from:

Department of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
P. O. Box AB
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Financial Assistance administered by the Office of Graduate Studies:

Information about Minority and McNair Fellowships may be obtained from:
Office of Graduate Studies
P. O. Box G
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Financial Assistance administered by the History Department:

Teaching and Research Assistantships, Dissertation Fellowships

The History Department awards a number of teaching, dissertation, and research assistantships each year to its most outstanding students.

Applications for assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships administered by the History Department must be submitted directly to the History Department before March 1, and awards will be made later that month.

Application Form:

For more information about Departmental Financial Aid, Contact Graduate Coordinator, Andrew F. Lang.

Financial Aid available through the Social Science Research Center:

History graduate students are also eligible for research assistantships in the Social Science Research Center (SSRC). Graduate students awarded an SSRC assistantship will typically assist faculty members out of the history department engaged in large-scale collaborative projects.

Information about these assistantships may be obtained from:
Social Science Research Center
P. O. Box 5287
Mississippi State, MS 29762

Funding for Graduate Students to Present their Research at Professional Meetings.

Both the Graduate School and the Arts & Sciences college both provide money to graduate students to present their research at professional meetings. Both programs REQUIRE students to apply during two distinct windows. The first window for the graduate school is October 1-February 8 for travel between January 1 and June 30. The second application window is April 1-September 30 for travel between July 1 and December 31.  For more information, see https://www.grad.msstate.edu/tuition/travel-grants/

Arts & Sciences is different. Its windows are May 15 for July 1-December 31 travel and November 15 for January 1-June 30 travel. Please see https://www.grad.msstate.edu/students/graduate-student-development/trav… for further rules and regulations.

The department of history in some years may be able to help graduate students present their research at professional meetings. But money for these activities differs from year to year and sometimes even month to month.

In any case, to be eligible for department funding, a graduate student MUST apply for money from both the graduate school and the arts & sciences college. Without those two applications, the department will provide no money.

The amount of help the department can provide varies and it varies beyond the money available. Excellent, though expensive, meetings likely will require more departmental support than inexpensive regional presentations. The quality of the meeting also matters. A major national meeting of a landmark organization is likely to be supported more heavily that a graduate student gathering in a nearby city.

In any case, you will need to make a formal application for department funds after you have applied for funding from the graduate school and A & S college. There are no specific department windows through which to apply.