Overview

Letter to New Graduate Students

Congratulations on your admission to the BYU History Department's master's program. You are embarking on an exciting and challenging journey. Graduate work will require the full use of your intellectual and emotional resources. You will be pushed and prodded to grow in ways that are both fulfilling and sometimes stressful. But if you persevere, you will think more clearly, read more perceptively, research more effectively, analyze more sharply, and write more felicitously.

Achieving these levels of proficiency will require hard work, probably the most difficult work you have undertaken in your academic career. The work load can be overwhelming. Furthermore, faculty members will have heightened expectations for the quality of your comments on the readings and of your research, analysis, and writing. Because graduate classes are small, there is nowhere to hide if you are unprepared. Expectations are high, but your admission to the program indicates that you have the potential to succeed. The department did not admit you to fail.

Let me make several suggestions to help you get the most out of your graduate experience. First, think of yourself as a professional, who pursues history because of your own desire and not because your professors are making you work to get a degree. Such an identity and commitment means that you will not only always have the week's work thoroughly under control but that you will want to go beyond the class assignments to learn even more. You will be intellectually curious and dedicated to your work.

Second, establish a support group. Don't isolate yourself, and especially don’t stay apart from your fellow students. Graduate school is much easier with helpful friends who give you emotional support and push you intellectually. Part of the fun of graduate school is engaging in wide-ranging conversations with interesting people, many of whom will become your friends for life.

Third, maintain an active spiritual life. Graduate school, as important as it is, is not the sum of your existence. Make sure that things of greatest worth are not put on the shelf while you're busy with academics.

Fourth, please consult with your advisory chair and read and refer to this graduate handbook often. Many of the problems graduate students encounter come from not knowing what is expected and not accomplishing tasks in order and on time. If you follow the outlined schedule, you will progress through your program quickly.

Enjoy your time in graduate school. Hours are long, and you will sacrifice some things that you might have otherwise done. But if you persevere, the sacrifices will be worth it. I look back on my own graduate years at Duke University with great fondness. They were a time of tremendous growth and became one of the truly defining experiences of my life. Your own intense time of learning and growing intellectually is indeed a time to treasure.

My colleagues and I are excited to work with you in your graduate studies. We wish you the best in your program.

Sincerely,

Kendall W. Brown
Graduate Coordinator

Program Description

The History Department has a small but high-quality graduate program, admitting 10 to 12 students annually. It aims to strengthen the credentials of those teaching history and to produce professional historians.

The strengths of the program are U.S. (especially western American) and modern European history. This reflects the research interests of departmental faculty and the holdings of the Harold B. Lee Library.

The MA degree is offered for those students who desire to do further historical study and research beyond the bachelor’s degree. The advantages of this degree include: opportunities in public history, access to careers in business, greater promotional and employment opportunities for secondary teachers, qualification for teaching positions in many junior colleges, and useful preparation for doctoral work in history, law, government, international affairs, and other relevant fields.

Helpful Hints from Former Graduate Students

Talk with your chair as early as possible to set out a specific guideline of when to take which classes and to learn what they expect in terms of writing. Some courses are only offered at certain times, so it is very important to know the schedule and to plan accordingly. It is important to develop a good working relationship with your chair in preparation for the collaboration you will need on your thesis.
Start thinking about and pursuing possible thesis topics early. Begin looking for sources that might be helpful, and talk to your chair and your other committee members for input. Be sure you are really interested in your topic, because working on a topic you don’t like will kill you!
Interact with other graduate students as much as possible. They can help review your work, and you can find out valuable information about things going on in the department. It helps to know that there are others out there struggling with the same things you are!
Get to know the department faculty members and talk to people who aren’t on your committee who might have insight into your thesis topic. You might find someone who should be on your committee, or who can at least help guide you in the right direction.
Meet all of your deadlines! Review the forms that you need to fill out, and do it sooner rather than later. It’s much easier to meet a deadline than to have to deal with missing it.
Work with your entire committee as you develop and write your thesis. If you don’t work with them as you go, you will probably find yourself having to make a lot of changes and revisions when you thought you’d be graduating.
Before you do anything else, read the instructions! Knowing what’s on the letters and forms you receive and sign will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
When all else fails, check with the graduate secretary. She can often answer questions and solve problems that your chair may not be able to, or when you might have a hard time getting in touch with your committee members. And listen to the answers! They don’t make things up.
Whatever you do, enjoy it! You will definitely have tough courses, and you may not get the grade you want in a class, but so what? Are you learning? Do you still love history, even if you are a 20th century historian who has to write papers every week on colonial America? Every class will teach you something that you can use in your field, even if it’s something as simple as improving your writing. If there’s only one thing you get out of graduate school, enjoy the process, and enjoy learning. You might never have another chance to work with other graduate students and learn like this!

Time-line

The History MA program is designed to be completed in 2 years, or 4 semesters assuming full-time status. A normal chronology for an MA student would include the following:

Fall Semester: Student enrolls in 9.0 credit hours. By the end of September, the student has met with their advisory chair and completed their Program of Study Form (see App. 3). Consideration is given to a thesis topic and two additional members of the thesis advisory committee. Student also begins to seek funding for research and prepares application for Graduate Research Fellowship
Awards (deadline early January).

Winter Semester: Student enrolls in 9.0 credit hours and continues with course work. Further clarification and definition is given to the thesis research topic. By the end of April, the student has written a research prospectus for the thesis, finalized selection of committee members and held a prospectus defense with the full committee. When the full committee has approved the research prospectus in its final form, student submits the signed Prospectus Approval Form (see App. 9) to the department. He or she is then cleared by the department to register for thesis hours (699R).

Spring/Summer: Coursework optional. Student begins preliminary research toward the thesis prospectus and eventual thesis.

Fall Semester: Student enrolls in 6.0 credit hours to complete coursework and 3.0 hours of thesis credit (699R). Student begins research and writing on thesis topic and works closely with advisory committee.

Winter Semester: Student enrolls in 3.0 credits of thesis hours (699R) and continues full-time research and writing. Student works closely with committee members and is expected to give his/her committee periodic written updates of their progress on the thesis. Drafts of each chapter should be submitted to all committee members for comment as completed. When the student has a completed and polished draft (not a rough draft), the student may approach the committee to schedule the oral examination. It is imperative that each member of the committee approves this next step and feels the student is prepared. The student may then submit the Scheduling of Final Oral Exam Form (see App. 14) to the department. A final draft of the thesis should be given to all committee members at least two weeks prior to the scheduled defense. Following the thesis defense, the student makes any final revisions to the thesis, then prepares and submits the copies for binding. Before leaving the University, student checks with the History department for final check out and housekeeping items.

Checklist

First Year

April 30. Acceptance of Admission and intent to register due to History Department.

April/May. Contact History department about Fall assistantships, parking passes.

April to August, contact Advisory Chair about selecting elective course for Fall.

April to August, Register for Fall semester courses.

April to August, If you've been assigned an assistantship, contact the professor/instructor with whom you will be working.

August. Contact History Department for employment contract.

September. Meet with advisory chair. Complete Study List and submit to Department.

September to February. Meet with advisory chair as needed to develop thesis topic and select members of committee.

October. Register for Winter semester courses.

November. Contact the History Department about Winter assistantships.

December. Prepare application for Graduate Research Fellowship Award (optional).

January. Submit application for Graduate Research Fellowship Award (optional).

January. Register for Spring/Summer term courses (optional).

February/March. Write thesis prospectus.

March. Contact the History Department about Spring/Summer assistantships.

March/April. Present written thesis prospectus to all members of thesis committee. Schedule oral defense/discussion of prospectus with full committee.

April. Submit signed Prospectus Approval Form with copy of thesis prospectus to History Department.
April/May. Contact History department about Fall assistantships, parking passes.

April to August, Register for Fall semester courses. (Note: registration for thesis hours is restricted until thesis prospectus is approved.)

April to August, If you've been assigned an assistantship for Fall, contact the professor/instructor with whom you will be working.

April to August. Begin research for thesis.

Second Year

August. Contact History Department for employment contract.

September to February. Meet regularly with advisory chair and committee members as needed to develop and review thesis chapters. Continue research and writing for thesis.

October. Register for Winter semester courses (Note: registration for thesis hours is restricted until thesis prospectus is approved.)

November. Contact History Department about Winter assistantships.

January. Register for Spring/Summer term (optional).

January. Apply for April graduation (Form 8a).

January/February. Full time research and writing for thesis.

February. Schedule oral defense of thesis.

March. Hold oral defense of thesis prior to University deadlines (see App. 12)

March. Submit final copies of thesis for binding.

April. Graduation.

Overview

Links

Graduate Handbook