Master's Degree Requirements
Admission
The department admits very few students specifically to an M.A. program although many graduate students obtain a Duke M.A. en route to their Ph.D. The department also admits J.D./M.A. students, in conjunction with the law school. J.D./ M.A. students, however, generally complete their requirements during the course of their law school degree, since they take courses in both programs concurrently. Their requirements are somewhat different from other M.A. candidates and are described separately, below.
Academic Requirements
Under normal circumstances, academic requirements for the Master's degree must be completed within two calendar years of first registration.
Requirement 1: Courses
All Duke Master of Arts programs require a minimum of 30 units of degree credit. At least 24 of these units must be graded course work. The other 6 units may be credits for "ungraded research." Students must take HST 301-302, or, with the permission of the DGS, a similar course sequence in historiography/theory and research methods, as is available in military history, as well as one course at the graduate level that explores a specific methodology. Students may take graduate courses in other disciplines that relate to their areas of interest.
Requirement 2: Written Work
To demonstrate proficiency in primary research and writing, the department requires successful completion of two seminar papers (of 25 to 35 pages each), normally the product of courses taken by the student.
Requirement 3: Foreign Language
Candidates for the M.A. degree, except those in the joint J.D./M.A. program, must have a reading knowledge of at least one ancient or modern foreign language. For details on meeting the departmental language requirement, see “The Departmental Language Requirement.”
Requirement 4: The Non-Thesis Examination or Master's Meeting.
The Graduate School requires all Duke M.A. candidates to have a final examination administered by the student's M.A. committee. The History Department chooses to consider this a "meeting," rather than a formal exam, and it expects the committee to consist of three professors familiar with a student's work. This meeting should occur after the other degree requirements have been fulfilled and after the required written work has been read and approved by all three committee members. This Master's meeting can be relatively brief, from 30 to 90 minutes in length. After students have set up a time with their committee members, they should contact the DGS Assistant to arrange a place for the meeting. It is up to all four participants to see that this is a positive, informal, and candid discussion of strengths and weaknesses, prospects and possibilities. Ideally, it is an opportunity for professors to receive some feedback on the functioning of the graduate program and for the student to get candid, focused responses about prior and planned work.
The "Intention to Receive Degree" Form
A student must file an "Intention to Receive Degree" form with the Graduate School before, or at the start of, the semester in which he or she intends to complete all four requirements for the Master's degree. The student must turn this form into the graduate school ONE MONTH BEFORE THE FINAL EXAMINATION MEETING, and no later than January 25 preceding the May commencement, July 1 for a September degree, and November 1 for a December degree. Students who intend to finish in a specific semester must be sure to file this form. If plans change and a student is unable to finish, he or she simply completes the same form again for the subsequent semester.
The Non-Thesis Master's Examination Card
Just before the Master's meeting, a student should ask in the DGS Office for a Non-Thesis Examination Card to indicate completion of all requirements for the M.A. degree. After the final meeting, this card, signed by the three committee members, must be returned promptly to the DGS Office as notification. It is then the responsibility of the DGS Office to transmit the properly signed card to the Graduate School Office.
JD/MA Requirements
Requirement 1: Courses:
Twenty-four hours of graded course work in history are required, six of which must be in the department's core courses, History 301 and History 302, or a similar course sequence (in historiography/theory and research methods) with the written permission of the DGS. All Duke MA programs require a minimum of 30 units of degree credit. At least 24 of these units must be graded course work. The other 6 units may be credits for ungraded research.
Requirement 2: Written Work
The department requires successful completion of one substantial research paper (of 25-50 pages, based in primary research), produced in one of the department's research seminars or a similar course, with the written permission of the DGS.
Requirement 3: Foreign Language
JD/MA students are NOT required to pass a foreign language exam.
Requirement 4: The Non-Thesis Examination or Master's Meeting.
The Graduate School requires all Duke M.A. candidates, including JD/MA candidates, to have a final examination administered by the student's M.A. committee. The expectations for the JD/MA exam are similar to those of the MA exam. The History Department chooses to consider the exam a "meeting," rather than a formal exam, and it expects the committee to consist of three professors familiar with a student's work. This meeting should occur after the other degree requirements have been fulfilled and after the required written work has been read and approved by all three committee members. In ordinary circumstances, this meeting would take place some time during the fall semester of a student's second year in the program. This Master's meeting can be relatively brief, from 30 to 90 minutes in length. After students have set up a time with their committee members, they should contact the DGS Assistant to arrange a place for the meeting. It is up to all four participants to see that this is a positive, informal, and candid discussion of strengths and weaknesses, prospects and possibilities. The meeting should occur after all other Master's requirements have been fulfilled, and after the written work has been read and approved by all three committee members.
JD/MA students should follow the guidelines outline above, in the “MA Requirements” section for filing the “intention to receive the degree form” and the M.A. examination card.
