HSTRY-MA - History (MA)

Per GAP 3.2.1 Residency Policy for Graduate Students, no external units may be transferred to the History MA. All coursework for the MA must be completed at Stanford.

After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request a transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy the requirements for the master’s degree. Transferring courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case-by-case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken before the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The Department of History is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

Upon enrolling, all students plan their work under the direction of a faculty member designated by the Department as their advisor. Entering students should meet with their advisor to discuss the selection of courses, choice of primary and secondary fields, and the overall plan of their graduate programs. Faculty advisors and graduate student advisees meet at least once a quarter to assess the advisee’s course of study, performance over the past quarter, and plans for the next quarter’s program of study. Students should consult with their advisors on all academic matters. Faculty should help their advisees plan for orals, research grant applications, research projects, and the dissertation. Until a student is advanced to candidacy, the Director of Graduate Studies reviews the student’s quarterly transcript and the advisor’s evaluation. 

Usually, the original advisor remains in this capacity during a student’s period of graduate study. However, if a student wishes to change the admitting advisor, they may do so after consultation with and approval of the two faculty members involved. The necessary forms are available from the Graduate Program Coordinator.

The Director of Graduate Studies supervises the Graduate Program in the Department. The Director’s duties include approving the committees for the University Oral Examination, dissertation prospectus, and dissertation, certifying graduate students’ progress to degree and completion of university and department requirements, and chairing the Department’s Committee on Graduate Studies.

See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.