/College of Arts & Sciences
Department of History

Empowering Students to Study the Past and Shape the Future

Bachelor's/Master's Program

Combined Bachelor's & Master's Program in History

The History Department offers a 5-year combined Bachelor's/Master's program in history.

This program allows highly motivated undergraduates to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in 10 semesters. These degrees will be awarded consecutively, following completion of the Bachelor of Arts portion of the degree. Students admitted to the program will complete the same course of study required of Master's of Arts students by the end of their fifth year, which is 30 graduate credits.

The program provides a challenging capstone to college, and an opportunity to earn an Master's of Arts degree for a professional or academic track.

Our Bachelor's/Master's of Arts may serve as a terminal degree for employment in any field that values historical research, writing, and analysis; or, it may serve as a springboard for doctoral study in History or a related field. The degree may also be combined with teaching certification in social studies.

Admissions

The program is very selective, and successful applicants normally have a 3.5 grade point average or higher in their History courses and very strong faculty recommendations.

  • Interested students are encouraged to speak with the Director of Graduate Studies as early as possible, and no later than Spring semester of their Junior year.
  • Students must be admitted to the program no later than September 1 of their senior year.
  • Students interested in applying to the program should make every effort to complete the required History 301 and History 401 courses no later than their seventh semester (and ideally by the end of their Junior year).
  • Complete applications are due April 15 of the applicant's Junior year.
  • Application and recommendation forms should be obtained from and returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • Applicants will be informed of admissions decisions before the end of the Spring semester. In special cases, the graduate admissions committee will consider Bachelor's/Master's applications submitted by August 15 for decisions prior to the start of the Fall semester, but students should strive to apply for the April 15 deadline if possible.
  • The Graduate Record Examination is not required.

Requirements

  • Students admitted to the program are only required to complete 111 undergraduate credits, rather than the usual 120 credits, because 9 graduate credits will be counted toward the undergraduate degree.
  • Only two of these courses may be counted towards the satisfaction of the requirements of the History major
  • Students take two graduate courses during their Senior year, and then complete the remaining graduate courses during their fifth year.
  • Performance in these courses will be reviewed at the end of the year, and permission to complete the remainder of the graduate program would be based on satisfactory performance in the two graduate courses.
  • Once students are classified as graduate students (normally Semester 9), they will be subject to the rules of the Graduate School.
  • They will have to pay graduate tuition, and eligibility for undergraduate financial aid and housing may be affected.
  • Students should plan to complete their departmental requirements and relevant Stony Brook course requirements (in addition to any requirements for teaching certification, for students completing that option) in such a way that they are free to enroll primarily in graduate courses by their seventh or eight semester. This normally entails completing 301, 401, and all but 1 or 2 Stony Book course requirements during their first three years, leaving the fourth and fifth years of study available for primarily graduate courses.
*If you decide to leave the combined program, only two graduate courses can be counted toward the undergraduate degree.

Application Materials

(1-2 pages) describing the student's areas of interest within history, the insights or experiences motivating the decision to explore these areas, and the kinds of questions which the applicant hopes to explore; this statement should be as specific as possible about intended topics of study and indicate relevant faculty with whom they envision working. Applicants are encouraged to contact these professors before submitting the application.

Short Writing Sample that illustrates the applicant's writing skills and capacity for research, analysis, and creative thought. The sample should be 10 or more pages, with proper citations and bibliography.

At least two (2) Letters of Recommendation. At least one letter, and preferably multiple letters, should come from Stony Brook History Department faculty with whom the applicant has taken courses. Recommenders should be instructed to submit their letters directly to the Graduate Program Coordinator.