Applicants for admission to the University of San Diego graduate programs must hold the bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited and approved institution. Selection for admission to the USD Graduate School is competitive and is based on evidence that the applicant will be able to pursue successfully a program leading to a post-baccalaureate degree in one of the fields offered at USD. The applicant's undergraduate training should reflect breadth as well as appropriate preparation for advanced study in the field selected. The University does not admit applicants on provisional status to graduate programs. A department may recommend that an individual take additional coursework or examinations prior to further consideration for admission, or it may require additional courses beyond program requirements as a condition for granting the degree.
Application for admission must be made directly to the: Office of Graduate Admissions University of San Diego Founders Hall 104 5998 Alcaia Park San Diego, California 92110-2492 (619) 260-4524 or (800) 248-4873
The Department of History at the University of San Diego offers graduate-level preparation for careers in teaching, public history, and historic preservation. The historian has traditionally been a generalist, schooled in the humanistic disciplines and accomplished in the skills of research and writing. In the modern world, however, many government, business and educational agencies employ historians who have had traning in specific areas of specialized historical research. Therefore, the graduate program in history at the University of San Diego combines the humanistic tradition with specific professional training and practice in the art of problem solving.
Initially, students who select Program Option I (Preparation for teaching and further graduate work) are required to schedule an advising appointment with Dr. James Gump; students choosing Program Option II (Public History/ Historic Preservation) are required to arrange a similar meeting with Dr Raymond Brandes.
Community college Preparation/ Preparation for doctoral studies/ Preparation for law school/
Students in this specialization may choose to study the history of the United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa, all appropriate courses of study for those interested in becoming teachers of history or in continuing on to doctoral work in history. This program is also open and recomended to qualified students who are interested in traditional academic history and who wish to broaden their educational background.
Government and business: research and policay analysis / Motion picture history and screen writing / Business, archives, and records management / Historic site archaeology / Historic interpretation: museum or historical sociey work / Park service employment Preparation for doctoral studies /
Public History is an exciting field, encompassin g many areas of non-Academic history: government and urban plalning, political analysis and research; business archives and records management; and the production of historical documents in television, radio and films. Training in this field combilles a sound historical background with skills in demand by business and govemment: the ability to do thorough research and analyze complex problems under tight deadlines; the ability to write clearly and precisely; and the ability to bring an historical perspective to a current problem. Training in this field prepares students for employment as urban planners, research analysts for state legislators, assistants to mayors or city mallagers, public information officers, or corporate information specialists.
Teaching Seminar 201 (should be taken in the student's first year) (3)
Elective courses (to include at least 15 units of graduate-level courses and no more than 6 units of undergraduate upper-division courses) (21)
Thesis (6) (see below)
Foreign language proficiency (if warranted by research topic, consult advisor)
Public History Seminar 200A (taken during the first semester) (3)
Public History Seminar 200B (taken before the intenship) (3)
Elective courses (to include at least 12 units of graduate-level courses and no more than 3 units of undergraduate upper-division courses) (15)
Intenship: one semester working in an approved local business or govemment agency with a final written report. The nature of the project will be defined in advance by the agency and the student's faculty advisor (3)
Thesis (6) (see below)
Foreign language proficiency (if warranted by research topic, consult advisor)
Computer skills proficiency (if warranted by research topic, consult advisor)
Candidates for the master's degree in history must write a thesis showing proficiency in research, independent thought and expression or they must produce a videotaped program or other media production. The thesis topic is to be approved by a faculty committee of three. Following approval of the thesis topic by the faculh committee, students will enroll in History 264, Thesis, until the 6 unit requirement is met. If students have not completed the thesis by the time all required courses are completed (including 6 units of HIST 264), they must continue to register for 1 unit of thesis each semester (excluding summer and intersession) until the thesis is accepted by the Graduate School. A pamphlet entitled "Detailed Instructions for the Preparation and Submission of the Master's Thesis," is available for sale in the University Bookstore.