History Department

Department Chairperson: David I. Burrow, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Coordinator: Molly P. Rozum, Ph.D.

Department of History
East Hall, Room 207
414 East Clark Street
Vermilion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-677-5218
history@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/history 

FACULTY

Professors:

Kurt H. Hackemer, Ph.D., Texas A&M University. Specialization: 19th-Century U.S., Military, Civil War.

Associate Professors:

Elise Boxer, Ph.D., Arizona State University. Specialization: Native American Studies/History, Mormon History and 19th/20th Century American History.
David I. Burrow, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin. Specialization: Russia and Modern Europe.
Sara E. Lampert, Ph.D., University of Michigan. Specialization: Colonial and Early U.S., Women & Gender, American Cultural History.
James Naylor, Ph.D., York University. Specialization: Canadian History, North American Social History, and the Politics of Protest in Canada.
Molly P. Rozum, Ph.D., University of North Carolina. Specialization: U.S. Women, Great Plains and Canadian Borderlands, South Dakota.

Assistant Professors:

Jeffrey Liu, Ph.D., The University of Arizona, East Asian Studies. 

Emeritus Professor:

Steven J. Bucklin, Ph.D., University of Iowa. Specialization: Modern U.S., Diplomatic, Cold War, Vietnam.
 

DEGREE

Master of Arts  

CERTIFICATE

Museum and Archive Studies  

Program Description

The Department of History offers the only graduate program in History in the state of South Dakota. Students can focus on a variety of areas in American and European History. Library holdings for graduate research are especially strong in regional, Native American, and 20th-Century United States history. Opportunities exist for master’s students to present papers at the annual Clayton M. Lehmann Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference and multiple regional history conferences. Students already enrolled in the School of Law may pursue a concurrent M.A./J.D. degree.

WICHE Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) eligible program. 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (History)

1. Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://www.usd.edu/grad/how-to-apply and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
2. Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation). Transcripts must be complete (e.g., if currently enrolled, work-in-progress coursework must be included, foreign transcripts must include a grading scale, and for countries that issue, copy of degree certificate/diploma i.e., India, Nepal, etc.). The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
3. Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with institutional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
4. Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained a high school diploma, undergraduate, or graduate degree from an institutionally accredited American college or university or from an accredited institution in the approved list  of English-speaking countries are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants with degrees from other countries, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT), 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), 8.5 on the TOEFL Essentials, 6.0 on the IELTS Academic, 53 on the PTE, or 110 on Duolingo is required for graduate admission.
5. Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

6. Resume.
7. Applicants should have a minimum of 18 credit hours of undergraduate History coursework (12 hours of which must be upper division).
8. Three (3) academic (preferred) or professional letters of recommendation are required.
9. A writing sample. The writing sample should be a minimum of ten (10) pages long. Applicants should choose a writing sample illustrating their strengths as a writer and a researcher.

Program Description

The Museum and Archives Studies graduate certificate offers a credential to students who aim to work with museums, archives, libraries and historical societies. Students learn to handle, catalog, organize and present to the public historical documents and objects. Graduates learn research skills, museum methodologies, oral history techniques and also obtain practical hands-on experience through internships on and off campus.

WICHE Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) eligible program. 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (Museum & Archive Studies Graduate Certificate)

1. Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://www.usd.edu/grad/how-to-apply and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
2. Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation). Transcripts must be complete (e.g., if currently enrolled, work-in-progress coursework must be included, foreign transcripts must include a grading scale, and for countries that issue, copy of degree certificate/diploma i.e., India, Nepal, etc.). The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
3. Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with institutional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
4. Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained a high school diploma, undergraduate, or graduate degree from an institutionally accredited American college or university or from an accredited institution in the approved list  of English-speaking countries are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants with degrees from other countries, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT), 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), 8.5 on the TOEFL Essentials, 6.0 on the IELTS Academic, 53 on the PTE, or 110 on Duolingo is required for graduate admission. 
5. Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose. The statement of purpose must explain: 1) the student’s interest in and reasons for wanting to obtain the certificate; 2) the student’s background and preparation for the certificate (academic research experiences, background in historical research, or archival/museum experiences); 3) how the certificate fits in with the student’s existing or proposed Program of Study (for certificate-only students - address the required four courses).

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

6. Resume
7. Applicants’ transcripts must illustrate successful graduate-level research or relevant undergraduate research experiences. 
8. Three (3) academic (preferred) or professional letters of recommendation are required. Current students in the M.A. History program at USD are not required to submit letters of recommendation.
9. A writing sample demonstrating the applicant’s ability to carry out graduate-level research.

Subject to faculty approval, those who do not meet one or more of the criteria above may be admitted on a provisional basis.  Provisional status disqualifies applicants for Graduate Assistantships.  Graduate transfer credits are limited to six hours and must be approved by the Department.

Academic Standards

The History Department adheres to the academic standards and measures of progress set forth by the Graduate School.

Application Deadline

• Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 starts
  • Three weeks before the start of the semester.
• Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 starts
  • Four weeks before the start of the semester.

Student Learning Outcomes for History (M.A.)

1. Students will demonstrate that they can formulate a research question or a thesis statement in writing a research paper.  AHATP 18 
2. Students will demonstrate that they can conduct a bibliographic search for their research paper using library resources and on-line databases.  AHATP 11, 14 
3. Students will demonstrate a critical approach to reading, interpreting, and using primary sources in writing research papers. AHATP 17, 18 
4. Students will demonstrate historical objectivity and an awareness of context in writing a research paper.  AHATP 6, 7, 9

Programs

• History (M.A.)
• History (M.A., J.D.) Concurrent Master’s Program with Juris Doctor
• Museum and Archive Studies Graduate Certificate