Master's Program

The Master of Arts Program at the Department of History at UTEP is a dynamic program offering students a variety of opportunities. MA students may specialize in two concentrations: the Standard Concentration that draws from a variety of historical areas and the Borderlands Concentration with a majority of the courses focusing on the borderlands. In each case, a student can choose a Thesis option (30 hours) or Revised Paper option (36 hours). Under the thesis option, students will register for two thesis writing courses, HIST 5398 & HIST 5399, to complete the thesis. Under the revised paper option, students will revise and expand a previously written research paper in HIST 5393.

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. Yolanda Chávez Leyva (yleyva@utep.edu).

Here is the current MA Degree Plan Chart breaking down all of the courses requirements for each option. 

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, and we only require a TOEFL score of 213/550 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.