History, MST with Social Science Concentration

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

This graduate program is administered by the Department of History and International Studies .

In consultation with your adviser, plan a program that best meets your professional needs. If you wish, you may specialize in a specific field of history.

After consulting with your education and history advisers, you determine your Program of Study in your area of specialization. If you wish to make exceptions to these history requirements, the history chair, graduate committee, and graduate program coordinator must approve them.

Please note: Entry of new students into this program has been suspended as of March 1, 2022.

To earn your degree:

Achieve 3.25 GPA

Achieve 3.25 GPA in 30 credits of graduate work.

History, 12 credits

Earn 12 credits in history, at least 9 in courses numbered 700 and above.

Social Sciences, 12 credits

Earn 12 credits, with your adviser’s approval, in one or more of the social sciences.

Required courses

HIST 701 - Seminar in Global and Comparative History Credits: 3 or
HIST 716 - Seminar in Non-Western Regional History Credits: 3 or
HIST 756 - Seminar in European History Credits: 3 or
HIST 776 - Seminar in United States History Credits: 3

Education Courses

Earn 6 credits in 700 level education courses.

Culminating experience

Thesis option

If you choose to write the thesis, select a topic in consultation with your adviser and inform the graduate coordinator. After you submit the completed thesis, take an oral examination on it conducted by your thesis adviser and two other members of your department chosen by your adviser in consultation with you. Your adviser and one other member of your committee must approve both your thesis and your responses. You must also take a written comprehensive examination consisting of one question in education. For further information on the thesis, contact the History and International Studies Department Office.

Research paper/comprehensive exam option

If you choose to submit a research paper, you must also take a written comprehensive examination in history and education. If your degree is in history, you must display thorough factual and bibliographical knowledge of at least one area of history. If your degree is in history with a social science concentration, you must display the same knowledge of one area of history and one social science. In addition, you must write two comprehensive questions for the component of the MST in the School of Education .

Portfolio option

The third option for the culminating experience consists of the creation of a professional portfolio compiled under the supervision of a committee chaired by one department member whom you select, the graduate coordinator, and a third member of the department. The portfolio will consist of three parts:

A resume and a statement of your teaching philosophy.
Academic materials (exams, papers, book reviews, etc.) produced in your graduate history courses.
A detailed course proposal and sample of accompanying materials (i.e., lectures, in-class exercises, and homework assignments) that emerges out of your graduate coursework in history.

In addition, you must write two comprehensive questions for the component of the MST in the School of Education .

Requirements for all Master of Science in Teaching (MST) Degrees

In addition to the general requirements of all master’s degrees, the MST degree has the following requirements:

Be eligible for teacher certification in your area of specialization (biology, English, history) in Wisconsin or another state.
Complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits distributed among:
Group I: Major area of specialization, 18-24 credits. These courses provide additional depth in your teaching field and increase familiarity with new knowledge, problems, and trends.
Group II: Professional education, 6-9 credits. These courses enhance your understanding of education and improve performance in the art of teaching.
Group III: Liberal studies, 0-6 credits. These courses are taken outside the content area of your specialization and broaden your knowledge and outlook.
Complete, at minimum, the equivalent of a major in your area of specialization at the completion of the graduate program.
Have a minimum grade point average of 3.00 in your area of specialization at the time of graduation.