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Department of History College of Arts and Sciences

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Program

"Female student speaks during a history class"Exceptional students currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in the Department of History may apply for an accelerated path to the completion of an accompanying master’s degree. A successful graduate of the Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Program (ABM) will earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in History in an accelerated time period compared to the independent completion of the two degrees.

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's students become eligible for a $15,000 scholarship, once they complete their undergraduate History degree and begin their first and final year of the master's program.

How it Works

To accelerate progress through a master's degree in the Department of History, a limited number of graduate courses (up to 12 credit hours) may be counted towards both the completion of the undergraduate degree and the graduate degree.

  • The ABM program is for exceptional students. The accepted student will be required to have:

    • a 3.5 UAB GPA
    • completed a minimum of 60 credit hours, at least 36 of which will need to have been earned at UAB. (Transfer students will need to have earned at least 24 credit hours at UAB.)
    • completed a minimum of two non-core History courses

    Before applying to the ABM, the student must meet with their History undergraduate advisor, the History graduate advisor, and with a financial aid officer.

    Please note: Those students who double-major in High School Education and History have a different set of course requirements. Those students must meet with their advisor in the School of Education and Human Sciences in order to determine if the accelerated track is a viable option for them.

    Students will submit an ABM application through the UAB Graduate School’s online portal. Students must submit their completed ABM application form, one letter of reference, and a personal statement. The Graduate School will assist the student with acquiring their official transcripts. All applications will be reviewed by an ABM committee, to be chaired by the graduate program director. Acceptance and rejection decisions will be made by this committee.

  • To maintain their status in the ABM, a student must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall average, maintain a 3.25 GPA in history, and earn at least a B in history courses. If a student needs to withdraw from the ABM program before completion, they can retain credit for the courses taken and use those credits toward a B.A. in history, but they will not earn an M.A. degree.

  • UAB allows for the sharing of up to 12 credit hours between the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Currently, a B.A. in History at UAB requires 39 credit hours, and an M.A. in History requires 36 credit hours. This means that a student could complete an ABM with a total of 63 credit hours. Only courses at the 600 level can be counted toward the M.A.

    Like M.A. students who are not on an accelerated track, ABM students will be required to take HY 601: Historiography and HY 602: Historical Research and Writing. They will also need an additional eighteen credit hours, divided evenly between U.S. and non-U.S. topics.

    The History Department offers master’s students two tracks: Plan I (36 hours with a thesis) or Plan II (36 hours with a non-thesis option). The ABM is designed for non-thesis students. Those ABM students who wish to write a thesis may take longer than five years to complete their degrees. See the graduate catalog for details.

    • HY  601: Historiography. 3 Hours.
    • HY  602: Historical Research and Writing. 3 Hours.
    • HY  612: Seminar in Early America. 3 Hours.
    • HY  613: Seminar in the Civil War Period. 3 Hours.
    • HY  614: Seminar in Recent American History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  615: Seminar in American Myths American Values. 3 Hours.
    • HY  621: Seminar in Old South History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  622: Seminar in New South History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  623: Seminar in Alabama History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  631: Seminar: Topics in American History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  632: Seminar in U.S. Urban History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  633: Seminar in American Constitutional and Legal History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  634: Seminar in African American History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  635: Seminar in American Social History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  637: Seminar in U.S. Labor History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  638: Seminar in Civil Rights History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  639: Seminar in Women's History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  641: Seminar in Latin American History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  650: Seminar: Topics in European History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  651: Seminar in Medieval Europe. 3 Hours.
    • HY  652: Seminar in the Renaissance. 3 Hours.
    • HY  653: Seminar in Modern Europe. 3 Hours.
    • HY  654: Seminar in British History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  655: Seminar in Russian/Soviet History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  656: Seminar in French History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  670: Seminar in Pre-Modern History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  671: Seminar in Asian History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  672: Seminar: Topics in World History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  673: Seminar in World Environmental History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  674: Seminar in Comparative History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  675: Seminar-World Economic History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  681: Directed Readings in History. 3-6 Hours.
    • HY  682: Internship in Public Hist/SL. 1-3 Hour.
    • HY  683: Seminar in Public History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  693: Seminar: Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  694: Seminar: Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.
    • HY  698: Non-Thesis Research. 3-6 Hours.
    • HY  699: Thesis Research. 1-6 Hour.