Academic Policies for the Histroy MA Program

Non-Degree Student Credit

Students may take no more than 2 graduate course as a special (i.e. non-matriculated) student; matriculation is required before enrollment in a third graduate course. Under university rules, students subsequently admitted to the Graduate Program may apply no more than 6 credits earned as a non-degree student.

Transfer Credit

With the approval of the Graduate Committee, students may apply to the degree requirements up to 6 credits in history graduate work taken at another university. These may not replace the required Research and Methods Seminar or the Colloquium.

The total number of credits applied under the two above provisions may total no more than 6. At least 4 graduate course as well as the thesis must be completed at the University of Massachusetts Boston after the student has been accepted into the degree program.

Independent Study

No more than one Independent Study course may be taken; students must have completed at least half their coursework before taking an Independent Study course. Independent Study courses may be taken only with faculty member of the History or Anthropology departments.

All requests for Independent Study courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Students wishing to undertake Independent Study must receive the prior approval of the faculty member who will be supervising their work; they must then submit to the Graduate Program Director a brief description of the project and a list of the readings to be covered.

Undergraduate Courses

Up to two undergraduate history courses (300-level or 400-level) may be taken for graduate credit in the History track and up to three in the History Teaching track. Students taking undergraduate courses for graduate credit must complete an additional assignment, such as a paper or a review of an additional book, to be determined by the instructor.

Grades

No course below B- can be counted for graduate credit. (Grades of C are recorded on the student’s transcript but cannot be counted for graduate credit in the History M.A. program. Under university rules, graduate students are graded A through C; any grade below C is automatically recorded as an F.)

Incompletes

All incompletes in graduate courses must be made up within 90 days of the date on which the grades were originally due. No individual contract between a faculty member and a student may exceed this limit. (This does not apply to the thesis courses.)

Time Limit

Students entering the program in Fall 1996 and after must complete all the requirements for the M.A. in the History and History Teaching track within five years of matriculation. Students who fail to meet these time limits will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students should plan their academic schedules with these limits in mind.