Essential Information
This page is to assist current graduate students with information needed to complete the Master's of Arts in History degree program.
The Office of Graduate Studies and Research provides guidance and support on a range of topics and includes a university-wide graduate student handbook.
The official catalog provides information on university policies, procedures and programs. Students admitted before Fall 2025 should contact the Program Director or view the catalog year of their admission for information.
Enrollment Services coordinates university documents and policies regarding registration, enrollment, transcripts and graduation.
Students meet periodically with the Program Director about degree requirements and policies and guidance on navigating those policies. In addition to meeting with the Program Director, students seek out advising from faculty with expertise in their area of historical interest.
Student Engagement in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (SERSCA): The mission of the SERSCA Program is to provide California State University, Stanislaus students with resources and opportunities that may not otherwise be possible to engage in a comprehensive, multi-faceted, co-curricular experience led by faculty mentors. The SERSCA Program is available to both undergraduate and graduate students across all disciplines University-wide. Through Assistantships, Mini-Grants, the Student Research Competition, and Travel Grants, the SERSCA Program provides student support for engagement in research, scholarship and creative activity (RSCA) from idea conception through dissemination. It is not required to participate in one aspect of the SERSCA Program to be eligible for other aspects, but the program is designed so that potentially a student could be guided by a faculty mentor and supported by the SERSCA Program through all stages of an RSCA project.
Students may apply up to 9 units of 4000-level courses to their M.A. degree. Extra work, as specified by the instructor, is required in order for 4000-level courses to count toward the M.A. degree. The only 4000-level classes not appropriate for graduate students are HIST 4940, HIST 4960, and HIST 4980. Students choosing to count a 4000-level course to their degree must complete a Verification of Upper-Division Content form and return it to the Graduate School within the first two weeks of the term.
Historians increasingly work in many non-teaching positions that present history to the public, including in museums, archives, historical societies, etc. Stanislaus State is proud to partner with many local institutions to offer internships in which students can apply what they have learned in the classroom in these public settings. Graduate students can apply for paid and voluntary internships. Interested students must begin the process by applying to the internship provider before the start of the semester. Once placed, students can enroll in HIST 5940 History Internship. See more information here. Students wishing to participate in an internship should first take a course in public history.
Individual Study allows students to work one-on-one with a faculty member on a topic of mutual interest. Individual Study typically involves more independent reading and research than a traditional seminar course. Students wishing to enroll in units of Individual Study will identify a topic of study and request instruction from a faculty person with expertise in that field by directly contacting them. The faculty person may or may not agree to the request. Individual Study requirements will be specified by the instructor. The faculty and student agree on these requirements, complete the Individual Study Request form before the start of the term, and send it to the Program Director to begin the approval process.
*Students may apply a grand total of 6 units of HIST 5940 and HIST 5980 toward the M.A. degree.
Students must pass the “Culminating Experience” to receive the M.A. degree. The culminating experience is how a student demonstrates achievement of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and University learning goals. It is an opportunity to produce an artifact that embodies their work in the program and that they may use in their career. The culminating experience is either a project (HIST 5962) or a thesis (HIST 5990).
The thesis is recommended for students pursuing a PhD and those with intense interest in a specific subject. The project is recommended for students who are planning careers in public history, teaching, and other professions that need demonstrated communication, research, and analytical skills as well as a broad base of knowledge.
About MA Thesis
An MA thesis is a substantial piece of original historical scholarship. A completed MA thesis is usually more than 100 pages. Students who wish to write a thesis should complete the following steps once they have earned at least 22 units, with at least 21 units at the 5000-level.
1. Register for comprehensive exams.
2. Complete the Thesis Registration Form and return it to the Graduate Director.
3. Enroll in 5990 to begin earning a maximum of 8 units for writing the thesis. Generally, these 8 units of 5990 are spread over two semesters, with the first four units taken simultaneously with comprehensive exams, but the exact parameters of the thesis are determined entirely by the thesis committee.
4. If you do not complete your thesis within two semesters, you must maintain continuous enrollment in 7005 until the project is complete.
5. In completing an MA thesis, be sure to follow the University’s Master’s Thesis Preparations Guidelines
Updated: September 09, 2025