Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• recognize, demonstrate, and apply in-depth knowledge of the world’s civilizations and peoples as well as their political, economic, social, and cultural histories;
• relate the events in their particular historic story to the general history of the topic; and relate their interpretations to existing historiography;
• demonstrate the ability to independently develop original scholarly inquiry, systematically researching the topic using appropriate primary and/or secondary sources;
• use primary and secondary sources to independently construct an original historical interpretation: demonstrating competency in identifying a problem, posing a hypothesis, proposing a methodology, offering an interpretation of the evidence, and making an original contribution to scholarly debates;
• compose and present clear, well-organized, properly documented, and grammatical prose in a form appropriate for scholarly publication;
• appraise alternative readings of the past and connect them to their research in new holistic interpretations that offer new avenues for research or application to other studies;
• apply the ethical standards that govern the practice of public history in their scholarly and professional work (public history emphasis only);
• demonstrate the ability to execute a public history project (public history emphasis only);
• demonstrate the ability to interpret history for public audiences (public history emphasis only);
• demonstrate the ability to collaborate on a public history project (public history emphasis only).

The courses offered for this program are the same as for the already existing BA and MA programs. All that will differ is the recommended order of enrolling in the courses as well as the allowance of 9 MA student credit hours to count toward the BA (substituting for HISTORY 301WI, HISTORY 498WI, and one 300/400-level elective). Please note that the BA/MA with Public History emphasis requires much of the same coursework as the BA/MA with the exception of dedicating MA elective courses to public history coursework and 200 hours of fieldwork. Please contact the History Department for sample degree plans for the BA/MA and the BA/MA with Public History emphasis programs.

Program Length: 5 years

Application Process

The Department of History offers a combined BA/MA Accelerated History Program that allows qualified students to complete the requirements for the Master of Arts degree just one year after completing their Bachelor of Arts in History (five years for two degrees).

Students must apply to this program prior to the beginning of their fourth year of baccalaureate study by Nov. 1 (for Spring enrollment) or March 1 (for Fall enrollment). 

Prospective students must have a 3.75 GPA in undergraduate history courses and an overall GPA of 3.5 to be considered for the program. 

Before You Apply

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to consult with the Department of History’s Master of Arts Program Coordinator and MAP Mentor before applying.

Current Bachelor of Arts in History students should review the Graduate and Professional Program Application Process through UMKC Admissions and the Graduate Admissions Requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) prior to completing their application.

Applying to the Program

Students in their junior year of undergraduate studies are encouraged to apply to the accelerated BA/MA. To apply, students should submit the following materials to the history department's administrative assistant:

• A brief statement of purpose that includes their academic and career goals.
• Letters of recommendation from two members of the UMKC Department of History faculty.
• An academic, research-based writing sample from a UMKC history course.

UMKC Department of History faculty will need to include the Internal Recommendation Form along with their recommendation letter. 

Once a student has finished their undergraduate portion of the accelerated program, or is ready to graduate with their Bachelor's degree, they must complete the Dual Degree Program: Transition to Graduate Study application. That will matriculate students into their graduate-level record. Learn more about this program in the Academic Catalog.