Graduate
Broad and Unique
The U offers South Dakota's only master's program in History. We also offer a cooperative M.A. with Morningside College in Sioux City, IA.
Admission Requirements
The department requires a minimum of 18 hours of undergraduate history, 12 hours of which must be upper division, an undergraduate GPA of 3.0, and GRE scores.
Options for an M.A. in History:
- Plan A (followed by students who intend to pursue a Ph.D.) requires 30 hours of course work, including six hours of thesis, six hours of graduate seminars, and six hours outside of history.
- Plan B requires 32 hours with a minimum of eight hours outside history.
Students in both plans must take a reading seminar and are limited to three hours of individual readings. Both plans require 50 percent of the course work to be 700 level. Consult the graduate catalog for specific requirements and procedures. Double majors may complete 18 hours in each major and four to six thesis hours in Plan A, or 24 hours in each major in Plan B. Other requirements remain as above.
J.D. Degree
Students already enrolled in the USD School of Law may pursue a joint M.A.- J.D. degree, applying nine hours of law courses to the master's degree in History. You may choose the thesis or non-thesis plan. For more information, contact the School of Law.
Classics
Classics courses are offered for graduate credit through the History Department and may be used for supporting course credit or as electives. Classic course work available to Graduate Students includes Classical Humanities, Greek and Latin.
Resources
Library holdings for graduate research are especially strong in regional, American Indian, and twentieth-century United States history. The Oral History Center contains over 5,200 tapes on American Indian and South Dakota history.
Graduate Assistantships
The history department awards four graduate assistantships. Besides a stipend, these assistantships also carry a reduction of tuition to one-third the in-state rate. The application deadline for graduate assistantships is March 1. Visit the graduate school Web site for more information.
Please send applications to:
Dr. Robert Hilderbrand, Graduate Advisor
Department of History
414 East Clark
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, SD 57069
For more information, contact the Graduate School.
Judith L. Sebesta, Department Chair
605-677-5218
Robert Hilderbrand, Graduate Director
605-677-5569