M.A. Program
The Department of History offers a Master of Arts degree organized around areas of specialization that cover a number of fields, including Colonial through Modern US; the Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Worlds; Modern Europe; and Latin America.
Across these fields, students can request, in consultation with their Major Professor, concentrations organized thematically or geographically (e.g. gender, ethnicity, Atlantic World, U.S. West, etc.).
View the entire M.A. program manual here
Admission Requirements
• The university's application for admission is available online at http://admissions.grad.usf.edu/prospective/Graduate_Application.html
• For further information about USF Graduate programs see their website at http://www.grad.usf.edu.
• The application deadlines are January 15 for fall semester 2010 and October 15 for the spring semester 2010. October 15, 2009 will be the last time we will be accepting applicants for the spring semester. After that, the application deadline will be January 15 only.
The minimum requirements for consideration for admission to the M.A. program in history include a recent background in undergraduate history courses and all of the following:
1. A GPA of at least 3.0.
2. GRE scores of at least 500 in verbal, 500 in quantitative, and 4.5 in writing. Only current scores (within the last 5 years) will be accepted.
• For information about GRE testing administered through the USF Division of Evaluation
and Testing, see http://www.outreach.usf.edu/conted/testing/Details.asp?tcode=GRE
3. Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation on behalf of the applicant are required. These letters should come from academic sources familiar with the quality of the applicant’s college-level work and indicate his/her graduate program potential. We require letters of recommendation to be submitted in hard copy, signed, and on official letterhead. Electronically submitted letters of recommendation (i.e., email) will not be accepted. You should use this form when requesting letters from USF faculty.
4. Statement of Purpose: A two-page statement is required that delineates historical and intellectual areas of interest, proposed fields of study, educational and professional goals, the faculty the applicant is potentially interested in working with, and why the applicant sees him/herself as a good fit with our program.
(Items 3 and 4 should be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator at the University of South Florida, Department of History, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., SOC 107, Tampa, FL 33620-8100. No application materials [e.g., letters, writing samples, statements of purpose] will be accepted electronically.)
• A B.A. with a major in History is preferred. The department will consider applicants without a recent background in undergraduate history but they may be required to complete Theory of History (HIS 4104) as well as several upper division and/or graduate level courses in relevant fields with a grade of “B” or higher. These should be chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator or Major Professor.
Graduate Assistantships
• Graduate Assistantships provide a stipend plus nine credits of tuition waiver.
• All M.A. students receiving funding receive the same stipend.
• Graduate Assistantships for M.A. students are one-year awards, distributed on a competitive basis.
•Applications are available from the History Department. A PDF file of the G.A. application can be downloaded here. The deadline for applications is April 1.
•Students awarded Graduate Assistantships for one year must reapply if they wish to be considered for an appointment for the following year.
•First-time applicants for Graduate Assistantships must include two letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
•Returning applicants (those already holding a Graduate Assistantship) must include a recommendation from their Major Professor, teaching evaluations, and a personal statement.
•Complete instructions are included on the application.