Prospective Student FAQ

If you are interested in the History graduate program at ETSU you should initially contact the Department's graduate coordinator, Dr. Dinah Mayo-Bobee. The graduate coordinator will be able to give you specific advice regarding the program and the application process, and will also be able to direct you to faculty members working in your areas of interest.

The contact information for the graduate coordinator is:

Dr. Mayo-Bobee

 

Graduate School Contacts:

Admissions: gradadmissions@etsu.edu.  

Forms and Current Students: gradschoolforms@etsu.edu.  

The minimum requirements for admission are:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Completion of a minimum of 27 credit-hours of study in history.
• At least a 3.0 grade point average in upper-level history courses.
• Letters of recommendation from three (3) undergraduate (preferably History) instructors.
• An application essay of 250-300 words which conforms to accepted standards of good, written English and which addresses specific fields of historical interest and reasons for wishing to pursue study in the History graduate program at ETSU.

Applicants who do not meet these requirements may be admitted to the graduate program on condition with departmental permission but may be required to complete successfully prescribed undergraduate graduate courses or undergraduate courses without graduate credit.

This information may also be found in the Admissions section of this website, or in the Graduate Catalog.

No. The History Department does not currently consider GRE scores in assessing candidates for admission.

No. Most of our applicants have an academic background in history, and a minimum of 27 hours of undergraduate work in history is expected. However. the admissions committee examines all parts of the application in considering prospective students. Many successful historians come to the profession with other academic or work backgrounds, and an especially promising candidate may be admitted contingent upon completion of appropriate leveling classes.

Yes. The graduate program considers applications from domestic students for the Spring Semester. The majority of students begin the program in the fall, but we frequently have one or two new students who begin in the Spring. These students will be required to take HIST 5950: Introduction to Historical Research in their second semester, rather than in their first semester. It is important to note that students entering the program in the Spring seldom receive funding in their first semester; Tuition Scholarships and Graduate Assistantships are assigned in the spring for the forthcoming year. Students may apply to be considered for such an award beginning in the Fall Semester of the next year.

The History Department does not currently accept applications from International Students for entry into the program at the Spring Semester.

Yes. We understand that circumstances differ from person to person, and that not all prospective graduate students are able to pursue a degree full-time. The History Department allows students to enroll part-time. However, part-time graduate students are ineligible for departmental funding, and must still complete the program within six years of the date of enrollment. For more information about matriculation limits, see the Graduate Catalog.

The Department of History offers a number of Graduate Assistant (GA) and Tuition Scholar (TS) positions to eligible students. A Tuition Scholarship covers the student's tuition, while a Graduate Assistantship position covers tuition and provides with a small stipend of $7,000 for the year. Both awards cover either in-state or out-of-state tuition, and neither include fees (such as Student Activity Fees, parking passes, etc.).

Both awards require the recipient to work for the Department. GA positions come with the expectation of 20 hours of work per week, while a TS requires 8 hours of work per week. Students are generally assigned to work with a faculty member, and may be asked to assist with classroom work, with research, or with other administrative functions. The University has very specific guidelines regarding the use of graduate assistants. You will be given a copy of these guidelines during your orientation and class assignments.

If the Department is unable to provide funding, prospective students are encouraged to apply for other GA and TS positions available at ETSU. The University posts current vacancies here.

The application process has several deadlines, depending on the applicant's need for funding and desired semester of entry into the program.

	Fall		Spring
	Funding	Final	Final
U.S Applicants	March 15	June 1	November 1
International Applicants	March 15	April 29	n/a

In order for an applicant to be considered for funding, all required application materials must have been received by the Graduate School by the March 15th deadline. The Department generally is unable to offer funding to students who apply to begin the program in the Spring semester; those students may apply to be considered for funding for the following year.

International applicants are suggested to have their materials submitted to the Graduate School well before the March 15th deadline, in order to allow time to apply for a student visa.

The department does not currently accept applications from international students for entry into the program for the Spring Semester.

History masters students pick from three general areas of concentration: U.S. History, European History, and World History. Each student is expected to choose a major field of study, and a minor field as well.

Yes. The program offers students the choice of pursuing either a thesis or a non-thesis option, though the Department strongly suggests that students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree after graduation choose to write a thesis. Those students choosing the non-thesis option take more elective classes than those choosing to write a thesis. Non-thesis students are also required to take, and pass, a comprehensive written and oral examination before being allowed to graduate. More information may be found in the Requirements section of this website, or in the Graduate Catalog.

Yes. The graduate program requires that all students take two classes: HIST 5950: Introduction to Historical Research and HIST 5940: Studies in Historiography . The Historical Research class is offered in the Fall, and is taken by most students in their first semester of graduate work. Historiography is offered in the Spring, and is generally taken in the second semester of work. More information may be found in the Requirements section of this website

No. At present the Department does not require graduate students to demonstrate ability in a foreign language. However, those students hoping to continue to doctoral work are encouraged to include foreign language acquisition in their curricula of study. ETSU offers classes in modern French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese, as well as classes in classical Greek and Latin. For more information about foreign languages at ETSU, see the Department of Literature and Languages.

Yes. The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) offers support and community for graduate students from across the campus. The GPSA also provides funding, on a competitive basis, for graduate students to travel to academic or professional conferences. For more information, see the GPSA website.

A masters degree in History from East Tennessee State University can help to prepare students for work in many different fields. Our students have gone on to doctoral programs, earned teaching positions at four-year and two-year institutions, and found employment in the public and private sectors. For more information about the success that our graduates have achieved, see our Recent Graduates page.