UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Knowledge and awareness of history and society are important ingredients of a liberal education. The Department of History offers general courses for all students, a major and a minor in history, and preparation for students who plan to continue study at the graduate level, to teach history, or to enter related fields.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN HISTORY
A minimum of 36 semester hours in History, including HY 101, 102, 235, 236, one course in African, or Asian, or Latin American History, and 21 semester hours of electives. These electives must include a minimum of fifteen semester hours in courses numbered 300 or above taken at this University, of which six semester hours must be in courses at the 400 level. Majors should seek as broad an acquaintance with the varieties of historical experience as possible. A strong major program should include upper-level courses numbered 300 or above in the history of Europe, the United States, Latin America, and non-Western societies.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN HISTORY
A minimum of 21 semester hours in History. Students must complete a six hour sequence in either Western Civilization (101 and 102) or US History (235 and 236) and 15 semester hours of electives, of which nine semester hours must be taken in courses numbered 300 or above at this University.

GRADUATE STUDIES
The Master of Arts degree in History is designed to meet the varied needs of students. There are three study tracks or plans for completion of the degree: thesis, non-thesis, and the M.A. in History with Class A Teaching Certification.

Normally, those who wish to enter a Ph.D. program, law school, or certain positions in archives, government, and community college teaching positions pursue the thesis option. Other students pursuing positions where a thesis is not needed often study in the non-thesis track. Students who wish to teach in public schools in Alabama, and who already hold a Class B teaching certificate, may pursue the Class A Teaching Certification option.

Applications for admission are considered every semester, in accordance with the guidelines established by the Graduate School. For further information on the M.A. program, see the departmental booklet Graduate Program in History.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
Students are admitted each semester. The following criteria supplement Graduate School criteria (see Categories of Admission):

1. REGULAR ADMISSION
   At least twenty-one semester hours of college work in history approved by the Graduate Committee of the Department of History.

2. An average of B (3.0) or better in the junior- and senior-level history courses presented in fulfillment of requirement 1.

PROVISIONAL ADMISSION
Applicants whose undergraduate preparation in history does not meet the Graduate History Committee's full approval may, at the discretion of the Committee and under the regulations of the Graduate School, be admitted provisionally and may be required to make up deficiencies in undergraduate course work in addition to fulfilling the regular degree requirements listed below.

To qualify for Regular Standing, a Provisional Admission student must satisfy the general requirements of this Bulletin and achieve a grade of A or B in nine consecutive semester hours of acceptable graduate course work.

NON-DEGREE STUDENTS
Students holding baccalaureate degrees from accredited institutions of higher education who are not interested in earning an M.A. degree, or who are not yet ready to apply for Regular Admission may enroll in a Non-Degree status. A suitable background for the courses to be taken is expected. Non-Degree students may enroll only in courses offered at specific times and places. They may not enroll in directed studies courses.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS
A limited number of assistantships and fellowships are awarded to incoming and returning graduate students on a competitive basis. Assistantships include a tuition waiver and a stipend, for which students are asked to work 20 hours a week, usually tutoring, editing, or assisting in the University Archives.

Fellowships include a tuition waiver only, and do not require any extra work load. Applications for each academic year are due in the department no later than April 15, and must include the application form, official transcripts, GRE General Test scores, and three letters of recommendation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE
All candidates for the Master of Arts degree in History, regardless of which of the three tracks they are following, must complete the following requirements:

• A minimum of 33 credit hours with grade of A or B.

• A minimum of 20 credit hours completed at the University of South Alabama.

• A maximum of 12 credit hours of 400-level courses and 12 credit hours of 400/500-level courses may be taken for credit. The combination of the two may not exceed 18 credit hours.

• Take at least 21 credit hours at the 500 level, not all of which must be history courses.

• Complete HY 530 American Historiography.

• Complete HY 540 Modern European Historiography.

• Complete one of the following research seminars: HY 581 or HY 586. (HY 546, HY 553, or HY 578 may be substituted, if a research paper is completed.)

• Choose two of the following fields and complete three courses in each:

Note: A grade of "C" or below is not considered a passing grade by the Department of History. Students receiving such a grade in a required course must repeat the course.

The remaining requirements are dictated by the track under which students choose to study:

Non-Thesis

• Demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language.

• Complete comprehensive examinations in two fields, one in American and one in European History (see list of fields above).

• Complete HY 597 Professional Studies: Directed Field Research or HY 592 The Teaching of History.

Thesis

• Demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language.

• Complete a comprehensive examination in one field (see list of fields above) other than the thesis field.

• Complete six credit hours of HY 599 Thesis.

• Submit an approved thesis prospectus.

• Formally defend their thesis. (Students must be enrolled in at least one hour of HY 599 when they defend.)

• Submit an approved thesis in accordance with Graduate School regulations.

M.A. in History with Class A Teaching Certification
This option is also known as the "Strength in Subject Matter Program." Only students who hold a valid Class B Teaching Certificate are eligible. Normally this applies to students with a B.A. in Education at a university or college in Alabama. Questions regarding eligibility should be directed to the Dean's Office of the College of Education.

Students in this track may pursue the thesis or non-thesis option. In either case they must meet all requirements outlined above, with the following exceptions:

• Students are exempt from any foreign language requirement.

• A Survey of Special Education course (either SPE 400 or 500), if not previously completed.