Program/Course Requirements

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Faculty of Arts requirements, the Department requires:

a) A minimum of 24 units of coursework:

HTST651 as preparation for the Major Research Essay (MRE)
HTST653, in which the MRE, normally around 9,000 words in length (including notes, charts, tables and appendices, but excluding bibliography), is written. The MRE must be written like a scholarly research article, and it will be marked by the student's advisor and one additional faculty member.
HTST690
15 units of History graduate courses over two semesters; in instances where there are no graduate courses being offered in the student's field of study, students may, with permission of the supervisor and graduate program director, take one 500-level undergraduate History course on the understanding that extra coursework will be required.

b) Normally, a demonstration of reading proficiency in a language other than English and related to the student's research interests before the MRE can be accepted. Please refer to the subsection below for further details.

Language Requirements

Both the master's and the doctoral degrees normally require a demonstration of reading proficiency in a language other than English and related to the major field of study or research area. This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:

1. Passing the Department language exam, which is set twice a year and tests the ability to understand the general meaning of an academic text in a language other than English with the help of dictionaries (English and language which is examined). It can be repeated if failed.

2. Documentation establishing reading proficiency in a language other than English. It is the responsibility of the student to supply evidence of reading proficiency or evidence that course work in a language other than English at another university meets the requirement. Students not meeting the requirement upon entry should consult with the graduate program director before classes begin.

Students may, with permission of the supervisor and the graduate program director, replace reading proficiency with oral proficiency.

Copyediting

The graduate program in the Department of History does not permit the use of third-party editors in the preparation of papers and theses.

Additional Program Information

Completion requirement

Advanced Credit

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

The Department of History will allow students to pursue the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for courses offered outside of the program.

Students may choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.

The use of the CG grade will not affect students’ eligibility for internal awards.

Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Refer to Program/Course Requirements.

Time Limit

Expected completion time for full-time students is 12 months, and maximum completion time is four years.

Financial Assistance

Completion requirement

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their online applications to the Department by the deadline posted on the department website.

Master of Arts (MA) Course-based in History

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