The MA/MS History Program at Texas A&M University-Commerce is designed for both full-time students and working professionals. All courses meet once a week in the evenings or online. The Program has three tracks to accommodate the various needs, interests, and goals of our students:
Track I, Thesis: prepares students for doctoral study in History
Track II, Non-Thesis: provides a well-rounded historical education
Track III, professional track: provides state-mandated qualifications to teach dual credit classes in History and Government.
In addition, the Master’s Program offers a concentration in Public History and certificates in Public History, World History, and the History of Christianity.
You do not need to decide right away which degree track you wish to pursue. You can make that decision in consultation with your faculty advisor after starting the program. Generally speaking, a thesis and an MA rather than a MS is preferred if you intend to pursue a Ph.D. in history.
Students have the opportunity to gain practical experience as graders and teachers of record working under the direction of the Department’s faculty.
The MA (Master of Arts) and the MS (Master of Science) differ in a foreign language requirement. To pursue an MA, you need to meet one of the following conditions:
The program is primarily available via face-to-face courses that meet on our lovely campus located in Commerce, Texas, only an hour away from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Each face-to-face course typically meets one day a week in the evenings during the Monday-Thursday timeframe. The department also offers a number of online courses each year. Up to 49% of the degree may be completed through online coursework.
The plan of study guarantees that all necessary courses for graduation will be offered over the two year period. You can complete the program in two years as a full-time student by taking three courses in each long semester, or two courses each long semester and two courses over the summer terms. Completion in fewer than two years is possible but not recommended.
Fall and Spring - Our fall and spring semesters are normally 16 weeks long unless we have a FLEX semester. FLEX semesters are typcially 14 weeks long.
Summer - Summer is split into two terms, Summer I and Summer II, each five weeks long.
Minis - On occasion we offer mini-terms (May, August, Winter) that are three weeks long.
You can pursue your 18 credit hours as a "nondegree" student without having to pursue a full graduate degree. However, please to keep the following in mind:
For these reasons, the department recommends students pursue for the Track III (professional track) degree plan (which includes 18 credit hours each of political science and history) and/or a graduate certificate program (12 credit hours)
More questions about earning your 18 credit hours? Visit www.tamuc.edu/18hours
The average graduate student pursues 6 credit hours(approximately two courses) each semester. Students can pursue one course or even three courses in some semesters, but students interested in more than three courses a semester should consult with their academic advisor beforehand.
This chart does not include several fees, such as the Distance Learning Fee for online courses, and the Program Delivery Fee for off-campus courses. The Distance Learning Fee is a $50 per credit hour fee applied to each online course. If that course is 3 credit hours, as most are, it would be a $150 Distance Education Fee on top of the base rate. The Program Delivery Fee is a $10-20 per credit hour fee applied to each face-to-face course taken at one of our extended University locations (such as Dallas). If you take a 3sch course, it would be an additional $60 to take a face-to-face graduate course at the Dallas location rather than taking that face-to-face course on our main campus in Commerce, TX. Learn more about these fees HERE.
Questions about admissions? Contact Amanda.Grant@tamuc.edu
Printable application checklist
Non-degree printable checklist
Requirements at a glance:
We do not have an application deadline. Students may start the program in the fall, spring, or summer.