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Graduate Program - General Information

The Department of History at the University of Houston offers graduate degrees in European, Latin American, Public, and U.S. History. It also offers courses in African, Asian, and World History.

In addition to public history and these geographic concentrations, our faculty specializes in a wide variety of areas with focus on several major themes: Energy, Environment and Urban Development; Ethnicity and Race; Gender and Family; Labor History; Medicine, Health and Society; and War, Revolution and Diplomacy.

Please see the People section of this website for information on particular areas of expertise of our faculty.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) Program offers a range of degree plans which allow students to pursue their interest in history while acquiring specific skills useful for professional employment or further academic work. M.A. degrees are offered in European, Latin American, Public, and U.S. History.

M.A. Plan I: Thesis Track
M.A. Plan II: Public History Track
M.A. Plan III: Non-thesis Track

Expedited M.A./Ph.D. Track

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Program

M.A. Plan I: Thesis Track
Plan I has a teaching and research focus, and requires the completion of a thesis. Most students follow this track. Students who expect to continue their graduate work in history beyond the M.A. degree should consider this option.

M.A. Plan II: Public History Track
Plan II students also complete a thesis, but the degree is designed for students who intend to pursue careers in such fields of public history as institutional history, cultural resources management, historical policy and analysis, community history, historical editing, historical archives and records management, and the creation, interpretation, and management of historical exhibits. Many students in Plan II will work toward the M.A. as a terminal degree, but some may choose to pursue the Ph.D. Admission to Plan II requires the approval of the Director of the Public History Program.

M.A. Plan III: Non-thesis Track
Plan III is designed for students who desire advanced preparation in History (especially teachers seeking to strengthen their mastery of their subject fields), but who do not expect to pursue work toward a Ph.D., and who do not wish to take advanced training in historical research. Admission to Plan III requires approval in writing from the Director of Graduate Studies in History.

Expedited M.A./Ph.D. Track ("fast-track") We now offer an Expedited M.A./Ph.D. track for selected students who wish to move rapidly through the Master’s level directly into the Ph.D. program. Students accepted into this track complete 30 hours at the M.A. level, then enter the Ph.D. program without a further application. Students interested in this program should apply to the M.A. program; admission to the Expedited M.A./Ph.D. track occurs after the student is enrolled for the M.A.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Program is designed to provide the training necessary for careers in college/university teaching and historical research. The department offers the Ph.D. degrees in the fields of United States, European, and Latin American history. The department provides a traditional Ph.D. for students who have already completed an M.A. as well as the expedited M.A./Ph.D. listed above. We have designed a program that offers both breadth of study and specificity of content that have placed graduates in teaching jobs in a variety of colleges and universities across the country.

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