Introduction

NOTE:  Course numbers change effectively Fall 2009; the first course number listed is for Fall 2009. The course number in parenthesis is the former number for Summer 2009 use only.

The M.S.ED. maybe be earned in history or in social science through the Department of History at Missouri State University. Most of our M.S.ED. candidates are teaching history in secondary schools around the Midwest. In Missouri our graduates teach in the secondary institutions of Kansas City, St. Louis, Independence, Rolla, Springfield, and countless other communities. Some are now teaching on the college level. Others work in historical societies, libraries, the media, or in industry.

The M.S.ED. in history is designed for students seeking an advanced degree in history and education. The M.S.ED. in social science is designed for students seeking an advanced degree in the social sciences with the choice of two social sciences as a major and a as a minor area of study. Some might have doctoral ambitions; others may wish to continue teaching on the secondary level, enter government service, law school, or archival work, or wish to satisfy an interest without definite career objectives.

There are currently 22 faculty members in the Missouri State University Department of History. Faculty members have earned their doctorates from many different universities and during the past ten years have published dozens of books and articles in professional journals. The department also sponsors a major regional history conference, the Mid-America Conference on History, which is held in Springfield and at the University of Kansas, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Arkansas on alternating years. Some of the nation's leading historians have participated.

The department also sponsors a Phi Alpha Theta chapter. The history honorary society provides an opportunity for graduate students, undergraduates, and faculty members to share their interest in history. Aside from organizing professionally related activities, including the high school History Bowl, Phi Alpha Theta serves a social purpose. The Christmas party and the Spring picnic are two of its regular social events.

Prerequisites

See Graduate College Catalog for additional admissions requirements.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate credit distributed as follows:

1.     General Core:

SFR 750 (650) Philosophy of Education

SFR 780 (690) Introduction to Educational Research

Plus 6 hours of Professional course work (courses should be selected from two of the four areas below*:

a. IMT 650 (565) Selection & Utilization

of Instructional Technology

b. MID 725 (625) Advanced Theory & Practice in the

Teaching of Early Adolescents

c. PSY 705 (605) Psychology of Adolescence OR PSY 710 (610)

Psychology of Education

d. RDG 710 (677) Reading in the Content Fields

e. SEC 701 (601) Secondary School Curriculum or HST 702 (602) Sec Soc Stds Curriculum

design & theory

f. SPE 613 (510) Physical & Health Needs of Students with

Disabilities

 

* Other electives specifically related to classroom teaching

may be identified and substituted for 1 to 4 above in

conference with, and approval of, the degree advisor.

 

2.     Emphasis Area – select one:

a.     History – (Prerequisite A minimum of 24 undergraduate hours in history or equivalent)

HST 701(601) Historiography and Historical Method

Elect one course from HST 720 (620), 740 (640), 760 (660), & 770 (670)

Additional course work in History of 9 hours

Total 15 hrs

b.     Social Science – (Prerequisite - A minimum of 24 undergraduate hours in Social Sciences)

Courses are chosen from two of the following social science areas: Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.*

A minimum of 9 hrs from one of the above disciplines.

A minimum of 6 hrs from a second one of the above disciplines.

Total 15 hrs

*The student is responsible for scheduling any prerequisite courses in order to take eminar courses in the above disciplines.

 3.     Research and Specialized Experience. 2 – 6 hours in one of the following two research options: 

Option I: Completion of a thesis, an extensive seminar paper, or a major creative work. Thesis credit may not exceed six hours of the total program. Students writing a seminar paper may enroll in the appropriate seminar course for their certification area. The seminar, HST 710, 730, 760 or other refer to other social science discipline areas, may have prerequisites. It is the student’s responsibility to plan for these courses.

Option II: SFR 796 (696) Problems in Education or a 700-level seminar course in the emphasis area specialty with the consent of advisor and COE course instructor.

 

Comprehensive Examinations  

A comprehensive examination consisting of one question from the education core and two from the content area must be passed by the candidate before a degree will be granted.

Admission to the Program

Admission to the graduate degree program in the Department of History requires a minimum of twenty-four hours of undergraduate history or its equivalent for the M.S.ED. in History and a minimum of twenty-four hours of undergraduate social science for the M.S.ED. in Social Science. All students seeking the M.S.ED. degree should have taken--or complete after entering the Missouri State program-the following courses: World History or Western Civilizations (6), U.S. survey (6), and upper division courses in two of the following areas: Ancient, Europe, U.S., or Third World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). This will ensure that the M.S.ED. students will at least have the equivalent of an undergraduate minor in history.

Advising and Committee Selection

When you enter the M.S.ED. graduate program, you will be assigned to the departmental general adviser of M.S.ED. students. It is his responsibility to advise you before your first registration and to help in the selection of your permanent adviser and supervising committee. You should select a committee prior to the completion of fifteen hours in the department and, preferably, before the end of your first year as a graduate student. Your committee ought to be faculty members with whom you have taken (or will take) at least two courses in your graduate program. The function of the committee is to supervise your progress toward the degree. It will examine and approve your application for admission to candidacy and any departures from the program outlined there. It will review and approve your seminar or thesis paper and will administer your comprehensive examinatio

The choice of your committee involves several considerations. The chairperson, your permanent adviser, must be a member of the Department of History who is a specialist in the area of your major interest. If you write a thesis, the professor chosen to supervise the thesis should be your adviser. If you do not write a thesis, ask a member of the graduate faculty with whom you will have several courses, including a seminar or proseminar, to serve as your chairperson. One of the members of the committee should be a faculty member from the College of Education and two members of the committee should be faculty members working in your discipline area(s)(normally one with whom you took a proseminar) of study.

Courses Offered

The minimum number of hours required for a M.S.ED. degree in the Department of History is thirty-three. The general requirements for all degrees prescribe that at least six of the eleven courses be open to graduate students only, that is, courses at the 600 level.  

Courses numbered 600-699 (500 – 599) are open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Graduate students in these courses will normally be required to do work in addition to, or different from, the work required of undergraduates. Exactly what this requirement will be is left to the discretion of the professor.  

Courses numbered 700-799 (600 – 699) are open to graduate students only. In this department, such courses, excepting History 601, fall into three categories: proseminars, seminars, and problems courses. History 601 is the introduction to graduate study in history. It is required of all graduate students in the department and should be taken during your first semester.

Proseminars are variable content courses of reading and discussion in the literature of a particular period or topic. You are exposed to a variety of interpretations will be expected to develop a critical understanding of the nature of historical writing. The subject of each course will be announced in the schedule of classes for each semester.  

Seminars are courses of intensive training in the techniques of historical research and writing. Under the direction of a graduate faculty member, you will do research in primary and secondary materials, and then write a scholarly paper. The essay is criticized by the professor and the other members of the seminar. The subject of each course will be announced in the schedule of classes for each semester. 

Great care should go into the selection of a research topic to ensure that adequate primary materials are available and that the topic has not been overworked by other scholars. You will be expected to make an original contribution as a result of your work. You will also be expected to revise your work after the seminar to ensure that it meets the standards of the seminar director and members of the advisory committee who will read the paper and make suggestions for improvement.

The problems course, HST 796 (696), is an individually directed course of readings. It is reserved for students who have been admitted to candidacy and who wish to read more extensively than the proseminar permits. The program for a problems course must be approved by the professors involved and the department head before the student registers for the course.  

If you wish to take a problems course you must consult with the professor who specializes in the area of your interest. If the professor agrees to direct your reading, the professor will prepare a course of study for you. When the course of study has been approved, you may obtain a "Permit to Register" signed by the department head or the graduate adviser. You will not be permitted to register without this permit, so you should see about these courses during the semester before you wish to enroll in a problems course. 

The department recommends the reading of twelve hundred to eighteen hundred pages per credit hour (approximately four to six books of three hundred pages).  The problems course proposal must contain a list of reading assignments (books or articles) and also indicate the other procedures, i.e., how often the student will meet with the readings director and the nature of the written work.   Some combination of discussion and written work should be included such as short reviews or bibliographical essays.  

A thesis, HST 799 (699), is a sustained research effort of a semester in duration that provides an original contribution through its use of primary sources and/or new interpretations. A thesis is usually one-hundred pages or more in length.  (see thesis guidelines under Graduate College). Refer to other social science discipline areas for their course offerings. [Insert links to other social science depts.]

Advisor Approved Program of Study

After you have chosen a permanent adviser and committee you should obtain from the office of Graduate College an advisor approved Program of Study form for admission to candidacy. Fill out the form in consultation with your committee when you have completed between fourteen and eighteen hours of course work. Be sure that the program meets the requirements listed in the Graduate Catalog under the heading "General Requirements for All Degrees" and those listed under the Department of History.  

Return the form to the office of Graduate College. When the form is approved by your committee, it becomes the course of study leading to your degree. It can be changed with the consent of your committee, but the office of Graduate College must be notified in writing of all such changes.

The Comprehensive Examination 

The comprehensive examination includes a written and an oral exam. The written portion is composed of questions submitted by the members of your committee. The examination will focus on the major and minor areas of your course work on the M.S.Ed. level. It is graded by the committee, and you must receive a passing mark on each portion of the written examination before you take the oral examination. If you do not pass part of the written examination you may request re-examination over the portion failed during the next semester. The written examination will be scheduled at least five days before the oral examination. It will be given on one day for a three-hour period. Be sure to check with the office of Graduate College about applying to take the comprehensive examination. This should be done at the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take the examination. The comprehensive examination can not be scheduled until your committee has approved your revised seminar paper.  

The oral examination will last for at least one hour, with questions drawn from your major and minor areas of study. It is conducted by the members of your committee, but other members of the graduate faculty may attend the examination. Only the committee members, however, certify "pass," "fail," or in case of superior performance, "high pass." If you fail any segment of the exam, the entire oral must be repeated.  

To prepare for the comprehensive examination, you should consult with the members of your committee early in the semester in which you plan to graduate and get their recommendation for review. They may provide you with a short reading list related to the work over which you will be examined.