Master's Program

The Master of Arts Program in the Department of History at UTEP is a dynamic program offering students a variety of opportunities. There are two concentrations for students interested in an MA in History, the Standard Concentration and the Borderlands Concentration. In both cases, a student can choose the Thesis option (36 hours), Comprehensive Exam option (36 hours), or Public History Project option (36 hours). Under the thesis option, students will register for one thesis writing course, HIST 5398, to expand a previously written research paper and complete the thesis. Under the comprehensive exam option, students will register for HIST 5393 to complete readings and sit for a comprehensive exam in their final semester. Under the public history project option, students will register for HIST 5393 to undertake independent research related to their public history projects. Spanish language competency is also required for the Borderlands Concentration: students must complete fourth semester Spanish with a grade of B or better or successfully complete an approved Spanish language competency examination. 

Students may also pursue a Certificate in Teaching History, which consists of 18 hours of graduate courses in History. To be eligible to teach dual-credit courses (i.e., courses that offer credit for both high school and college simultaneously), teachers must have either 18 credit hours of graduate work in History and a master’s degree in another discipline, or an MA in History. For students who wish to be credentialed to teach at El Paso Community College (EPCC), or as instructors of courses offered for dual credit in Texas High Schools, it is important to note that EPCC, which does all dual credit credentialing in this area, will typically not accept courses in which a student has received a grade below B.

In addition, students may also pursue a Certificate in Public and Oral History, which will train students in the methodology and practice of public history, focusing particularly on museums and oral history. Public history is a broad field that encompasses archives, museums, historical interpretation, and historic preservation, among others. Oral history, which is often classified as a subsection of public history, is the methodology and practice of collecting recorded oral interviews that are historically contextualized and made available for researchers and others. This certificate emphasizes oral history and museum exhibits. If you plan to earn the Certificate in Public and Oral History, please contact Dr. Saniya Ghanoui (sghanoui@utep.edu).

The Department also offers a Fast Track Program for the MA in History. Undergraduate History majors who have completed at least 90 hours of undergraduate coursework with a minimum of 24 of those hours at UTEP and have a GPA of at least 3.30 may take up to 9 graduate credit hours while pursuing their BA. This will allow students to complete the MA degree in 1.5 years.

Here is the current degree plan chart breaking down course requirements for each option. Students may also consult the MA student handbook for more information.

Applications for the M.A. program are available from the Graduate School at https://www.utep.edu/graduate/apply-now/apply-now.html

Candidates for admission to the Master of Arts program and graduate certificate must provide:

• A 2–3 page statement of purpose, describing your background, related skills and expertise, and specific interests and goals in the graduate program
• Transcripts from previous undergraduate and graduate work
• Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the student’s academic abilities
• An academic writing sample, approximately 10 pages in length

Please note that we do not require a GRE score. We only require a TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) / (213 computerized) or higher for international applicants whose first language is not English or who have not completed a university degree in the U.S.

Materials MUST be submitted through the UTEP Graduate School website. Contact Graduate Enrollment Coordinator (915) 747-5491 for additional information.

Deadlines for candidates are:

Domestic students 

Spring: October 1

Fall: March 1

International students

Spring: September 1

Fall: March 1

For more information on the MA in History program please contact:

Dr. Leslie Waters, Director of MA Program, at lwaters@utep.edu, or (915) 747-7049.

Arielle Marquez, Administrative Associate for the Department of History, at aimarquez4@utep.edu or (915) 747-8552.