Accelerated Degree: History & Public History

Students will pay undergraduate tuition for AGDP eligible 5000- and 6000-level courses as undergraduates and the courses will be included in the flat tuition rate. On completion of the undergraduate degree, the student will be re-classified as a graduate student and then will pay graduate tuition rates.

This program is open to undergraduate students majoring in History. A student must have senior status and must have earned a minimum of 30 credit hours at Western Michigan University and declared a History major. Undergraduate students enrolled in the AGDP will be expected to meet graduate expectations in their graduate courses. Students who have already received their baccalaureate degrees are ineligible to apply for this program and retroactively claim credits toward the MA degree.

1. As early as possible in the academic junior year, the potential AGDP student should contact the History director of undergraduate advisor to discuss the AGDP option and review requirements, timelines, and application procedures.
2. Students must apply for admission to the graduate program with the Office of Admissions/graduate admissions and must submit the application materials specified in the following section on admission criteria (AGDP requires fewer materials than are required for the regular graduate admissions process).
3. Upon acceptance into the AGDP, the student must meet together with the director of graduate studies and an undergraduate academic advisor to prepare an appropriate program of study that meets the requirements for the undergraduate and graduate degrees.
4. A letter advising which graduate courses will be counted in both degrees will be sent to the student and to the registrar. A copy of this letter will also be included in the student’s graduate file.

The student must meet the following AGDP admission criteria by the end of the Spring semester of the student’s academic junior year:

• Senior status (at least 88 credit hours total, with at least 30 earned at WMU)
• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and minimum 3.5 in History (based on 30 credit hours earned at WMU and at least 20 credit hours in a declared major in History).

The student must also submit the following materials to the History Department of Graduate Studies by April 1 of the Spring semester of the student’s academic junior year:

• Two letters of recommendation from members of the WMU department of History, at least one of which must indicate willingness to serve as the student’s Supervising Professor
• A brief statement of career objectives, academic and professional interests, and reasons for pursuing the MA degree
• A writing sample that demonstrates the student’ ability to work with historical sources, think analytically, and develop historical arguments

1. It is expected that the baccalaureate degree will be awarded within one calendar year after initial AGDP enrollment. Students not meeting this time constraint must re-apply to be admitted to the graduate program.
2. In order to progress automatically into the graduate program, the student must achieve a grade of “B” or better in each of the graduate courses being counted for the undergraduate degree. Students who do not meet this requirement will have the grade earned applied to their undergraduate degree only and must apply for readmission into the graduate program. Students who complete the undergraduate degree including a “B” or above in the specified graduate courses will be admitted as graduate students (with the relevant graduate credit) in the next semester or session after receiving the bachelor’s degree.
3. Once the student has been admitted to the graduate program, the student will be assigned a supervising professor, who will then be responsible for directing the student’s program of study. MA degrees in History require either 30 or 33 credit hours of course work, depending on the student’s program.