History
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
College
College of Arts and SciencesGraduate Coordinator
Dr. Andrew Langalang@history.msstate.edu
Overview
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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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
Master's
Master of Arts
College
College of Arts and SciencesGraduate Coordinator
Dr. Andrew Langalang@history.msstate.edu
Overview
The Department of History offers programs leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Fields for the master’s degree are: United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and World. Fields for the PhD. Degree are: United States and Europe. A student may choose a minor field of study outside the History Department with concurrence of their advisor. Not all of the fields listed above are available for dissertation research or as the major field for a Master of Arts degree.
Requirements
The History Department expects an applicant to have either an overall GPA of 3.00 or a GPA of 3.00 in the 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. Ph.D. applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and must submit a writing sample with their application packet to The Graduate School. Applicants who received the M.A. in History from MSU are not required to take the GRE. Examples of acceptable writing samples are publications, chapters from a thesis, or a seminar paper. An international student 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. The applicant 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. The applicant should add additional pages to the statement of purpose if necessary. To facilitate the selection of an advisor the applicant should explain their field(s) of interest in the statement of purpose. An applicant whose quantitative credentials meet the stated criteria may still be denied admission because of qualitative factors. Normally, applicants will receive an admission decision within 30 days after the receipt of all required materials by the department.
