SACS Reaffirmation
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Assessment : 2006 - 2007 : Educational Programs :
History MA
2 Goals 4 Objectives 4 Indicators 4 Criteria 4 Findings 6 Actions
GOAL: Employment And Advanced Degrees
| Objective | Advanced Degree Programs | |
| M.A. History graduates will have the commensurate academic achievement to pursue other degrees, such as the Ph.D. and the M.L.S. Associated Goals: Employment And Advanced Degrees |
| Indicator | Advanced Degrees A number of M.A. History Students with the aptitude, achievement, and motivation shall pursue advanced or specialized degrees at other Universities. |
| Criteria | Advanced Degrees At least one history M.A. History graduate will be admitted into a Ph.D. or other advanced degree program each year. |
| Finding | Pipeline into advanced degree programs In 2006-07, 3 MA History graduates entered into PhD programs (at the University of Minnesota, LSU, and Texas A&M University). |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Results of Pipeline Data The data collected on students entering graduate programs demonstrated that 11 former history students entered graduate programs (6 MA programs and 3 PhD programs) during 2006-07. The department will publicize this information in its student recruiting efforts during the 2007-08 year. |
| Action | Student Admissions into PhD Programs During 2006-07, three former MA students entered PhD Programs in History, an accomplishment which exceeded our benchmark expectations. During 2007-08, the department will publish this positive accomplishment in a departmental newsletter and other student recruiting venues that will be sent to alums and friends of the History discipline. |
GOAL: Employment And Advanced Degrees
| Objective | Employment | |
| M.A. History graduates will gain the knowledge and skills to advance in their present careers or to enter new fields of employment. Associated Goals: Employment And Advanced Degrees |
| Indicator | Employment Survey  The History Department shall create and launch a systematic plan that is designed to monitor the professional and career advancement of former history graduates. |
| Criteria | Career Development At least 80% of history students five years after graduation will report on the survey instrument that the degree skills they acquired as a student has enabled them to meet their career goals. |
| Finding | Graduate Survey During 2007, the History Department created a survey instrument designed to monitor the professional progress of former history graduates, and compiled a list of names and addresses of students who graduated in 2003. The survey will be sent to these students in March 2008. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Graduate Survey The survey instrument designed during 2006-07 will be sent to 2003 graduates during the spring of 2008. |
GOAL: Knowledge And Skills
| Objective | Knowledge Of Fields | |
| History students will gain the factual and theoretical knowledge of three fields in history, so as to have the ability to teach courses in these fields at the secondary and college level. Associated Goals: Knowledge And Skills |
| Indicator | Degree Requirements All M.A. History graduates shall successfully complete a Masters’ Thesis or a major research paper for the required research seminar, and shall successfully pass written and oral exams in three field areas. This will be assessed by a survey of written examinations and oral examination reports. |
| Criteria | Research Project All M.A. History students will achieve Good or Better ratings by a panel of history faculty on Master''''s Theses or research papers based upon primary historical sources. |
| Finding | Degree Requirements During 2006-07, all MA graduates in History completed a research project judged by graduate faculty to be of good or better quality. All MA graduates also were orally examined in three field areas by panels of graduate faculty, and deemed by these panels to have a good or better understanding of the history and historiography of each field area. A sample of a writing project judged to be of acceptable quality has been attached below. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Posting of Student Research During 2006-07, the department began to collect and post samples of student writing projects. This collection of representative sources will be continued in 2007-08. |
GOAL: Knowledge And Skills
| Objective | Research And Analysis | |
| M. A. History students will demonstrate competence in applying research methodologies; qualitative and quantitative analysis; literature review; and use of traditional and digital resources. The History Department will prepare its graduates to publish in their respective fields. Associated Goals: Knowledge And Skills |
| Indicator | Degree Requirements All M.A. History graduates shall successfully complete a Masters’ Thesis or a major research paper for the required research seminar, and shall successfully pass written and oral exams in three field areas. This will be assessed by a survey of written examinations and oral examination reports. |
| Criteria | Research Project All M.A. History students will achieve Good or Better ratings by a panel of history faculty on Master''''s Theses or research papers based upon primary historical sources. |
| Finding | Degree Requirements During 2006-07, all MA graduates in History completed a research project judged by graduate faculty to be of good or better quality. All MA graduates also were orally examined in three field areas by panels of graduate faculty, and deemed by these panels to have a good or better understanding of the history and historiography of each field area. A sample of a writing project judged to be of acceptable quality has been attached below. |
| Indicator | Student Presentations Graduate students will present scholarly research in non-classroom professional venues. |
| Criteria | Student Presentations In any two year period, graduate students will present scholarly research in non-classroom professional venues. |
| Finding | Student Presentations During 2006-07, 4 graduate students presented research findings in non-classroom professional venues. The previous year (2005-06), 10 graduate students presented papers at professional meetings. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Posting of Student Research During 2006-07, the department began to collect and post samples of student writing projects. This collection of representative sources will be continued in 2007-08. |
| Action | Student Presentations In both 2005-06 and 2006-07, the department exceeded its expectations in the number of scholarly presentations of History graduate students in non-classroom professional venues. As a result, during 2007-08 the department will increase its benchmark expectation to at least three scholarly presentations per year. |