Master of Arts (MA) in History

The program information below was valid for the fall 2022 term (September 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

Students are responsible for reviewing the general information and regulations section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Graduate research fields

  • Cold War Era History
  • Medieval History
  • World History

Program information

  • Admit term(s) 
    • Fall
  • Delivery mode 
    • On-campus
  • Program type 
    • Joint
    • Master's
    • Research
  • Registration option(s) 
    • Full-time
    • Part-time
  • Study option(s) 
  • Additional program information 
    • The study option for any individual student is made through consultation between the student and the Department in which they are enrolled, but the final decision rests with the Department concerned. All study options are of equal value. At the commencement of their program, students must identify the study option that they intend to complete.

Admission requirements

  • Minimum requirements 
    • The minimum standard for admission to the program is an Honours Bachelor's degree in History with a 77% average calculated on the basis of the student's History courses in the last two years of undergraduate study, excluding any first year level courses which may have been taken during those two years.
    • A statement of historical interest.
  • Application materials 
    • Supplementary information form
    • Transcript(s)
      • From previous institutions.
    • Writing sample
  • References 
    • Number of references:  2
    • Type of references: 

      academic
  • English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Degree requirements

    Thesis option:

  • Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)
  • Courses 
    • Students must complete 4 one-term seminar courses.
    • In order to complete a course satisfactorily students must complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor and receive a minimum passing grade of 70%.
    • Courses in the program are organized as seminars with a common structure of 0.50 credit seminar courses so as to allow students to move freely among the three institutions in the Tri-University Graduate Program.
    • Part-time students will usually register in 1 seminar course in each of the Fall and Winter terms with the possibility of taking 2 credit courses in the Spring term.
    • Course structure: a variety of approaches to the study of history may be followed in the Tri-University Graduate Program:
      • Seminars devoted to the broader historiographical study of the history, development and divergent forms of the discipline as a whole.
      • Seminars devoted to the study of selected secondary readings from the historiography of a specific national or regional period or of a particular thematic subject.
      • Seminars which require students to read and discuss a mixture of secondary historiographical and primary documentary materials.
      • Seminars devoted largely to the methodology, preparation and presentation of research papers based on primary research, which may require a specific, or one of several, historiographical courses as a prerequisite.
      • Individual Directed Studies Courses. No student may take more than one Directed Studies course (0.50) in their program.
      • Students may also enrol in seminars offered by appropriate departments in any of the three universities.
  • Link(s) to courses
  • Master’s Thesis
    • The thesis offers a formal and extended treatment of a historical topic or problem which is grounded in the relevant historiography. Primary source materials must form the basis of thesis research, the goal of which is to contribute to original analysis either by consulting new material or by applying new historiographical insights or methods. A thesis carries the weight of four 0.50 credit courses, and its normal length is approximately 120-150 pages of double-spaced type. An oral defence is required.
    • Students will register for their thesis at the end of the first term. The thesis should be completed no later than the student's third term of full-time registration in the program.
    • Students who register in the thesis option must write a proposal which includes the tentative title, a rationale for the proposed research project and a list of sources to be used. Students will first identify a general area, time period, and/or problem upon which they wish to focus their research. From the list of research interests of the faculty they will then proceed to discuss the possibilities for a topic with the appropriate faculty member(s). Once a faculty member, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, has agreed to act as a supervisor, the student will inform the Graduate Officer who in turn will present this information to the Director of the Tri-University Graduate Program. The student, in consultation with the supervisor, will define the research topic and a viable body of primary sources, and submit a research proposal to the supervisor.
    • No student may register in the thesis option for more than one term without an approved thesis proposal.
    • Students in the thesis option will submit their research proposals and undertake their research projects in consultation with an Advisory Committee consisting of their supervisor and at least two other readers/advisors. An Advisory Committee may be composed from any of the faculty in the Tri-University Graduate Program in History, provided those faculty are members of the Graduate Faculty at their respective institutions. The Advisory Committees will be set up in conjunction with the deadlines established for student submission of proposals for the thesis. The additional members of the Advisory Committee for each individual student will be established by consultation between the local Graduate Officer, the Tri-University Director, the supervisor and the student. To assist in this process the Director of the Tri-University program will maintain up-to-date lists or panels of faculty who might be asked to serve as readers/advisors, identified by historical period, areas of national or regional concentration and thematic focus.
    • The Advisory Committee will assess the student's research proposal to recommend its acceptance, modification or rejection. The Advisory Committee will review the final draft of the thesis and indicate whether it is ready for oral defence by completing the requisite examination request/release form.
    • The regulations of the University at which the student is enrolled will be invoked for the format of a thesis.
    • The procedures of the University at which the student is registered will be invoked for Examination Committees.
  • Other requirements 
    • Students will be expected to be proficient in the language or languages needed for their research. A student writing a thesis will be required to pass a language examination if the Director and the Advisory Committee determine that this is warranted by the nature of the student's research topic.
    • The program will provide a symposium twice each term to bring together students from each of the participating departments. All registered Master's students will be encouraged to attend these symposia in each of the Fall and Winter terms.

    • Master's Research Paper option:

  • Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)
  • Courses 
    • Students must complete 6 one-term seminar courses.
    • In order to complete a course satisfactorily students must complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor and receive a minimum passing grade of 70%.
    • Courses in the program are organized as seminars with a common structure of 0.50 credit seminar courses so as to allow students to move freely among the three institutions in the Tri-University Graduate Program.
    • Students will take 3 seminar courses in each of their first and second terms.
    • Part-time students will usually register in 1 seminar course in each of the Fall and Winter terms with the possibility of taking 2 credit courses in the Spring term.
    • Course structure: a variety of approaches to the study of history may be followed in the Tri-University Graduate Program:
      • Seminars devoted to the broader historiographical study of the history, development and divergent forms of the discipline as a whole.
      • Seminars devoted to the study of selected secondary readings from the historiography of a specific national or regional period or of a particular thematic subject.
      • Seminars which require students to read and discuss a mixture of secondary historiographical and primary documentary materials.
      • Seminars devoted largely to the methodology, preparation and presentation of research papers based on primary research, which may require a specific, or one of several, historiographical courses as a prerequisite.
      • Individual Directed Studies Courses. No student may take more than one Directed Studies course (0.50) in their program.
      • Students may also enrol in seminars offered by appropriate departments in any of the three universities.
  • Link(s) to courses
  • Master’s Research Paper
    • University of Waterloo students must complete a Master's Research Paper. Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Guelph students must complete a Cognate Essay or Major Paper instead of the Master's Research Paper. An oral defence is required.
    • The Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper is a research project on a historical or historiographical topic designed to explore a body of sources, demonstrate a thorough grasp of the secondary literature on the topic and permit the author to arrive at an independent conclusion. The Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper carries the weight of two 0.50 credit courses and its normal length is approximately 60-80 pages of double-spaced type.
    • Students will register for their Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper with a view to developing their research topic. The Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper should be completed by the end of the student's third term of full-time registration in the program.
    • Students who register in the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper option must write a proposal which includes the tentative title, a rationale for the proposed research project and a list of sources to be used. Students will first identify a general area, time period, and/or problem upon which they wish to focus their research. From the list of research interests of the faculty they will then proceed to discuss the possibilities for a topic with the appropriate faculty member(s). Once a faculty member, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, has agreed to act as a supervisor, the student will inform the Graduate Officer who in turn will present this information to the Director of the Tri-University Graduate Program. The student, in consultation with the supervisor, will define the research topic and a viable body of primary sources, and submit a research proposal to the supervisor.
    • Students who register in the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper option must submit a research proposal in their second term of registration and have approval for their proposal by no later than the end of the second term of registration.
    • Students in the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper option will submit their research proposals and undertake their research projects in consultation with an Advisory Committee consisting of their supervisor and at least two other readers/advisors. An Advisory Committee may be composed from any of the faculty in the Tri-University Graduate Program in History, provided those faculty are members of the Graduate Faculty at their respective institutions. The Advisory Committees will be set up in conjunction with the deadlines established for student submission of proposals for the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper projects. The additional members of the Advisory Committee for each individual student will be established by consultation between the local Graduate Officer, the Tri-University Director, the supervisor and the student. To assist in this process the Director of the Tri-University program will maintain up-to-date lists or panels of faculty who might be asked to serve as readers/advisors, identified by historical period, areas of national or regional concentration and thematic focus.
    • The Advisory Committee will assess the student's research proposal to recommend its acceptance, modification or rejection. The Advisory Committee will review the final draft of the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper, and indicate whether it is ready for oral defence by completing the requisite examination request/release form.
    • The regulations of the University at which the student is enrolled will be invoked for the format of a Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper.
    • The procedures of the University at which the student is registered will be invoked for Examination Committees.
  • Other requirements 
    • Students will be expected to be proficient in the language or languages needed for their research. A student writing a Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper will be required to pass a language examination if the Director and the Advisory Committee determine that this is warranted by the nature of the student's research topic.
    • The program will provide a symposium twice each term to bring together students from each of the participating departments. All registered Master's students will be encouraged to attend these symposia in each of the Fall and Winter terms.

    • Coursework option:

  • Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)
  • Courses 
    • Students must complete 8 one-term seminar courses.
    • This option also involves a research requirement to write a research paper, as define below, in at least 3 of the 8 courses in which the student is enrolled.
      • The research paper is a research project on a historical or historiographical topic designed to explore a body of sources, demonstrate a thorough grasp of the secondary literature on the topic and permit the author to arrive at an independent conclusion. It differs from the Master's Research Paper/Cognate Essay/Major Paper primarily in depth of research and in length. A research paper is developed as part of the requirements of a seminar course, is designed to explore a more narrowly defined body of sources and is normally approximately 20-25 pages in length.
    • In order to complete a course satisfactorily students must complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor and receive a minimum passing grade of 70%.
    • Courses in the program are organized as seminars with a common structure of 0.50 credit seminar courses so as to allow students to move freely among the three institutions in the Tri-University Graduate Program.
    • Students will normally take 3 seminar courses in each of the Fall and Winter terms. They may complete 2 seminar courses in the Spring term if they wish to complete degree requirements in three consecutive terms. Otherwise they will enrol in their 2 remaining courses in their fourth term.
    • Part-time students will usually register in 1 seminar course in each of the Fall and Winter terms with the possibility of taking 2 credit courses in the Spring term.
    • Course structure: a variety of approaches to the study of history may be followed in the Tri-University Graduate Program:
      • Seminars devoted to the broader historiographical study of the history, development and divergent forms of the discipline as a whole.
      • Seminars devoted to the study of selected secondary readings from the historiography of a specific national or regional period or of a particular thematic subject.
      • Seminars which require students to read and discuss a mixture of secondary historiographical and primary documentary materials.
      • Seminars devoted largely to the methodology, preparation and presentation of research papers based on primary research, which may require a specific, or one of several, historiographical courses as a prerequisite.
      • Individual Directed Studies Courses. No student may take more than one Directed Studies course (0.50) in their program.
      • Students may also enrol in seminars offered by appropriate departments in any of the three universities.
  • Link(s) to courses
  • Other requirements 
    • Students will be expected to be proficient in the language or languages needed for their research. No language examination will be required for students in the coursework option.
    • The program will provide a symposium twice each term to bring together students from each of the participating departments. All registered Master's students will be encouraged to attend these symposia in each of the Fall and Winter terms.
Department of History website
Master of Arts (MA) in History future students program page