MAT in History

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

  • Baccalaureate Field Applicants must have either an undergraduate major in history or a minimum of 16 semester hours in history.
  • Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study. A GPA of 3.50/4.00 is recommended.
  • Minimum English Competency Test Score
    • TOEFL iBT 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21, OR,
    • IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four subscores, OR,
    • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
  • Letters of Recommendation Three required, from former professors, for the MA, MAT, and PhD.
  • Personal Statement Required.
  • Writing Sample Required.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 54 (entering without license); 32 (entering with license). Students seeking a teaching license must complete a minimum of 54 semester hours, which includes hours taken in the Department of History and the College of Education. Students not seeking a license must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours.
  • Coursework At least 16 hours must be in 500-level history courses. Credit toward the degree is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B.
  • Students must complete 16 hours in graduate-level readings courses across the three fields of U.S., European, or world history, with at least 4 hours in each of these, and a focus of 8 hours in one of these fields. These hours are to be drawn, where possible, from 500-level colloquia. Students must complete 8 hours in courses that focus on the teaching of history and the social sciences, HIST 420 and HIST 500. HIST 420 has a prerequisite of 9 hours in social sciences.
  • Students seeking licensure must take 30 hours in required courses toward licensure:
    Required Courses
    CI 504
    		Secondary Literacy
    ED 402
    		Philosophy of Education and Urban School Policy
    or ED 403
    		 Policy Issues in the History of American Education
    ED 421
    		Advanced Educational Psychology
    or ED 445
    		 Adolescence and the Schools
    ED 432
    		Instruction and Assessment in the Urban Secondary Classroom
    SPED 410
    		Exceptional Learners
    HIST 475
    		Educational Practice with Seminar I
    HIST 476
    		Educational Practice with Seminar II
  • Students not seeking licensure must take a minimum of 8 additional hours in a specific field of history of their choosing in consultation with their advisor.
  • Additional Requirements for Teaching License In addition to specified coursework, students seeking licensure must fulfill certain other requirements as well as maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in history coursework, and a 3.00/4.00 in required education courses. For detailed information, see the advising documents and other information available on the program’s website.
  • The teaching license is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of licensure and degree requirements. Before the license is issued, the candidate must file an application for the Illinois teaching license in the Council on Teacher Education. The candidate must also pass a series of examinations required by the Illinois State Board of Education. The Content Area Test must be passed before the candidate is allowed to be placed for student teaching. For information on application procedures, contact the Council on Teacher Education  or the Illinois Licensure Testing System web page.
  • Comprehensive Examination Required.
  • Thesis, Project, or Coursework-Only Options Coursework only. No other options are available.