Degree Flow Chart. A Master’s Degree Flow Chart has been developed to aid the student in visualizing the degree process. It is available at:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/pdf/maflow.pdf
Credit Requirements. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 45 graduate credit hours and a minimum grade point average of 3.0. At least 30 graduate credit hours must be taken in History, and 24 of the 30 hours must be graded. Additional credit requirements include:
1. at least 3 credit hours each quarter (except summer quarter), including the quarter when the thesis defense is held,
2. at least 30 graduate credit hours (24 or them graded) taken in residence over at least two quarters, and
3. a maximum of 15 graduate credits accepted in transfer credits.
Field Requirement. Students must declare a major focus of study. The focus of study can be defined in one of two ways:
1. by choosing a field from the list of fields given in the Fields of Study; or
2. by creating a “custom” field in consultation with their faculty advisor.
Plan of Study Requirement. By the end of their first quarter, students are required to file a Plan of Study, signed by their advisor, in which they must state their major focus of study, list all anticipated coursework, and specify their language requirement(s). This Plan of Study may be modified later by written agreement of both student and advisor. The Plan of Study will be reviewed and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, and placed in the student’s academic file. The Plan of Study form is available on the History Department GradWeb at:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~history/newgrad/pdf/ma.pdf
Research Compliance. University policy requires that students who intend to engage in research that involves human or animal subjects receive approval of their research procedures before beginning to collect data. Approval is typically given for history projects, but forms must be filed. Research compliance forms and further instructions are available on the Graduate School website at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/forms/gs_910.pdf
Writing Requirements. There are two options for satisfying the major writing requirement for the M.A.
Option 1: Thesis Option
Students complete a Master’s thesis in their major focus of study and pass an oral defense of the thesis before a committee of three faculty members. The chair of this committee will be the faculty advisor; of the other two members, at least one must be a member of the Department of History. Members of the committee will be chosen in consultation between the advisor and the student. Students must register for at least 9 credit hours of HIST 503, Thesis. Copies of the thesis (and thesis abstract) must be in the hands of the thesis committee at least two weeks before the oral defense and must meet Graduate School requirements.
After the oral defense the chair of the committee will write a memorandum to the Director of Graduate Studies stating that the student has successfully defended the thesis.
When the date and time of the oral defense has been determined, the student needs to notify the Graduate Coordinator so the information can be made public.
In addition, a student who writes a thesis must complete the following procedures.
Review the Checklist for Writers of Masters Thesis at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/forms/gs_760a.pdf
Also review the Required Clearance for Master’s Thesis Project or Doctoral Dissertation at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/gs_910-a.html
Obtain a current copy of the University of Oregon Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/style_manual_intro.html
Only theses meeting the standards of style and form discussed in this manual are accepted.
Find out the exact number of copies of the thesis to submit to the Graduate School. See:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/departmental_copies.html
Submit three copies of an abstract (150-word maximum) to the Graduate School.
Look at Manuscript Review of Theses and Dissertations at: http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/manuscript_review.html
Option 2: Research Papers
Students complete two substantial research papers and pass an oral defense of these papers before a committee of three faculty members. The chair of this committee will be the faculty advisor; of the other two members at least one must be a member of the Department of History. Members of the committee will be chosen in consultation between the advisor and the student. For the purposes of this option a research paper is defined as a paper of 25 pages or more, based on primary-source research. Normally, one of these papers would be written in HIST 614; the other would be written in a graduate seminar.
When students are doing research papers in lieu of a thesis, they should sign up for HIST 601, Research, not HIST 503, Thesis. If the student signs up for HIST 503 and then decides to do research papers instead, they must contact the Graduate Coordinator immediately.
The History Department does not require a minimum number of HIST 601 credit hours. When the date and time of the oral defense has been determined the student needs to notify the Graduate Coordinator so the information can be made public. In the case of the two research papers, prior to the oral defense the Graduate Coordinator will forward to the committee chair an Oral Defense of Two Research Papers for Master of Arts Degree form for the committee members to sign. Students who are completing two research papers must hold their final oral defense by the eighth week of the term in which they intend to graduate.
No more than two weeks following the defense, final copies of both research papers must be turned in to the History Department Graduate Coordinator; no copies should be turned in to the Graduate School.
Statement of Completion. The Graduate Coordinator and the Director of Graduate Studies will review the student’s academic file to determine if the student is eligible to graduate. If there are any discrepancies, the Director of Graduate Studies will contact the student to discuss them. If all department requirements have been met, a Statement of Completion form will be sent to the Graduate School. It is the department’s responsibility to complete the form, not the student’s.
In the case of completing a degree with a thesis, the Statement of Completion form indicates student is writing a thesis. Upon approval of the thesis by the Graduate School, the Graduate School will approve the Statement of Completion and contract the Registrar. The Registrar later awards the degree after the term is over and at the same time changes any HIST 503, Thesis, credit hours from Incomplete to Pass.
If the student is completing a degree with two research papers, the Statement of Completion will read “cleared for degree by History Department pending passing research papers oral defense.” The Graduate Coordinator will notify the Graduate School in writing when the oral defense has been approved by the student’s committee.
Time Limit. Students must complete all work for the master’s degree within seven years, including transferred credits, thesis, and the language requirement for an M.A.. If a student is granted On-Leave status by the Graduate School, their concession does not extend the student’s seven-year completion deadline. Generally, in the student’s sixth year of study a letter is sent to the student reminding him/her that the seven-year time limit is approaching.
Students needing a one-year extension must file a petition with the Graduate School after securing department approval. The petition should include a Plan of Completion. The petition form is available at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/onleave_inabsentia_intro.html
Progress Review. Each student’s progress is reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies at least once a year. Students and their advisors will receive written Progress Reports. The reports are designed to help keep the students on-track and inform the advisor of any potential problems.
Academic Disqualification Procedure. Every graduate student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. Unsatisfactory progress (or failure to make satisfactory progress) is usually accompanied by warning signs that include the accumulation of an excessive number of W's or I's, failure to keep in contact with a faculty advisor or register for classes, negative evaluations of a student's classroom performance submitted by history department faculty, and/or failure to complete degree requirements in a timely fashion.
If the student’s performance is judged “unsatisfactory”, the student will receive a written report to that effect from the Director of Graduate Studies.
The student must meet with his or her faculty advisor within two weeks of the date of this report to produce a written plan for immediate improvement. This plan, which must include specific deadlines, must be signed by both student and advisor, and placed in the student's file. If a student's progress is judged "unsatisfactory" for two quarters in a row, the Director of Graduate Studies may recommend to the Department Head that the student be disqualified from the history graduate program. Recommendations for disqualification will be based on academic performance; in making such recommendations, the Director of Graduate Studies will, of course, take into account special hardships, such as extended illness, as necessary. Recommendations for disqualification will be made in writing, with copies sent to the student, the student's faculty advisor, and the Department Head.
Students who wish to appeal a recommendation for disqualification will have three weeks from the date of receipt of the disqualification recommendation to submit relevant materials to the History Department Advisory Committee. After consulting the student, the faculty advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies, the Advisory Committee will consider the appeal, and make a recommendation to the Department Head. The Department Head will either affirm or overturn the recommendation. The Head's action will be reported in writing to the student, the student's faculty advisor, the Advisory Committee, and the Dean of the Graduate School.