History

Master’s and Doctoral Programs

Graduate opportunities

The graduate programs administered by the Department of History at the University of North Texas help you shape the future in higher education, public service and research.

We offer course work leading to a Master of Arts, Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree. On the master’s level, you can focus your studies on U.S. history or European history. On the doctoral level, concentrations are available in U.S. history, European history and military history.

Graduate classes normally include eight to 12 students, allowing you to receive personal attention from the instructor.

Course offerings include those focusing on Latin America, China, and women’s and gender history. Our department has special strengths in Texas and military history. Through extensive reading, writing assignments and specialized seminar classes, you will strengthen your analytical, writing, research and presentation skills. Our classes are taught by professors who have published numerous books and articles, have been awarded many research grants and earned recognition from various historical societies.

Gain new perspectives

In addition to formal course work, other learning opportunities are available. Several nationally and internationally recognized speakers address faculty and students on different topics each year. Fellow graduate students provide useful information as you move through various stages of the degree program such as notices about deadlines, job openings, scholarship opportunities and other general information about graduate work in history.

The UNT chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, organizes scholarly and social events throughout the year. Many graduate students present the results of their research to fellow professionals at regional and national conferences. The department offers travel grants to students on a competitive basis.

Research resources

Our department houses the Kingsbury-Thomason Departmental Library, the Military History Center and an extensive collection of books and films. The Military History Center hosts activities related to the study of military history and is home to the journal Military History of the West.

The university libraries contain more than 6 million cataloged items of printed books, periodicals, maps, documents, audiovisual materials, music scores and electronic media. Willis Library houses the general collection as well as the Oral History Collection, the University Archives, the Rare Book and Texana collections, and government documents.

Additional relevant research holdings in the university libraries include:

• The Béxar Archives collection on microfilm
• British cabinet records (1868-1945)
• Captured German documents (1867-1945)
• Documents on the Nuremberg trials of the 1940
• Federal and state documents
• Large collection of U.S. State Department paper
• Major European newspapers
• Microfilmed papers of U.S. presidents and other important figures
• Parliamentary records of the larger European nations
• Service records of soldiers in the Civil War
• 67 volumes of unedited documents relating to the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere
• Texas newspapers
• U.S. Census records

The Oral History Collection, among the oldest and largest in the nation, contains more than 1,800 bound volumes. Taped and transcribed interviews focus on the political, cultural and business history of Texas, the Pacific theater of World War II, local African American history and various other local and regional topics. Graduate students who take courses in applied history have the opportunity to add to this nationally recognized collection.

Graduate students also have access to several other major libraries and institutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, including Fort Worth’s Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Southwest Branch of the National Archives, the Dallas Public Library, the Dallas Historical Society and the libraries of numerous area colleges and universities.

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

You must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School as well as specific program requirements by Dec. 1. The graduate school’s admission requirements are outlined at gradschool.unt.edu/. The program requirements are:

Master’s programs

• GRE score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal portion
• GRE score of a 4 or higher on the analytical/ writing portion or 40th percentile on the quantitative portion
• 3.0 GPA overall or on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course work
• Statement of purpose for seeking a master’s degree in history at UNT
• Two letters of recommendation addressing your academic qualifications and ability to succeed in an advanced history degree program

Ph.D. program

• GRE score in the 70th percentile or higher on the verbal portion
• GRE score either at the 40th percentile or higher on the quantitative portion or a 4 or higher on the analytical writing portion
• Statement of purpose for seeking a doctorate in history
• Three letters of recommendation addressing your academic qualifications and ability to succeed in an advanced history degree program
• Written master’s thesis
• Formal paper completed as part of master’s-level work (other than the thesis)

Degree requirements

M.A. and M.S. degrees

Thesis option

• 18 semester hours of required course work
• 6 semester hours of research seminars
• 6 semester hours of thesis credit
• 1 semester hour of a historical bibliography course
• Oral defense of thesis
• Reading knowledge of one foreign language (M.A. degree only)

Non-thesis option

• 24 semester hours of required course work
• 6 semester hours of research seminars
• 1 semester hour of a historical bibliography course
• Oral examination on the course work
• Reading knowledge of one foreign language (M.A. degree only)

Ph.D. degree

• 21 semester hours of required history courses
• 12 semester hours of research seminar courses
• 3 semester hours of a historiography course
• 12 semester hours of directed research in preparation for comprehensive examinations
• 12 semester hours minimum of dissertation research
• Reading knowledge of one foreign language
• Comprehensive examinations (oral and written) in four different fields of topical or chronological history
• Dissertation that contributes significantly to the study of history
• Oral defense of dissertation

Financial assistance

The department provides scholarships, teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, research assistantships and other types of financial assistance for graduate students. Applications for financial assistance administered by the Department of History are available in early January and should be submitted by Feb. 15 for the following academic year. For more information, visit www.history.unt.edu and use the forms link.

The university also provides several methods to help you pay for your education. For more information on these opportunities, visit financialaid.unt.edu.