Degree Requirements

coming soon

General Requirements

Admission to any of the department’s programs requires academic good standing, an interview with the undergraduate advisor, and formal acceptance by the department. A grade of C or above is required in all history courses counted in the history major or minor, either as transfer credit or completed at Chicago State University. Completion of 120 credit hours of work: 36 credit hours in general education, 42 credit hours of specific requirement courses, and 36 credit hours of elective courses.

General Education Requirements (36 credit hours)

• (6) credit hours in composition
• (3) credit hours in oral communication
• (3) credit hours in mathematics
• (9) credit hours in Humanities/Fine arts); at least (3) Humanities and (3) Fine Arts
• (6) credit hours in Natural Sciences (one physical science and one biology; one must include a lab)
• (9) credit hours in social sciences. Liberal Arts in History Option students MUST take AFAM 1000 as one of their social science General Education classes.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirement (3 credit hours)

• One course in a Foreign Language (3 hr)
• One general education or major course carrying the diversity designation (embedded)

Specific Requirements (45 credit hours)

Required Courses (24 credit hours)

• AFAM 1000, AFAM 2020, AFAM 3010, AFAM 3030, AFAM 4000*, HIST 2200, HIST 2720 or 2730, HIST/AFAM 4300

* AFAM 4000 satisfies the senior thesis/capstone requirement.

Concentration Courses (21 credit hours)

21 credit hours with a minimum of 6 credit hours in each field. At least 12 credit hours must be 3000- level or above.

• AREA 1: The Social Sciences: GEOG 3060, SOC 4280, 4300 or PSYC 3200, AFAM 2010, AFAM 3040.

Students may select additional Africana themed courses in other social science disciplines after consultation with the program’s academic advisor

• AREA 2: The Arts and Humanities AFAM/ 2030, AFAM 3020, ART 2105, 4120, MUS 2286, AFAM 2040, SOC 3060, CMAT 2140, ENG 2910, 2940, 4321, 4323, or 4386.

Students may select additional Africana themed courses in other arts and humanities disciplines after consultation with the program’s academic advisor.

• AREA 3: History and Politics HIST 2100, HIST 2300, HIST 2840, HIST 2850, HIST 4311.

Students may select additional Africana themed courses in History after consultation with the program’s academic advisor.

Elective Courses (36 credit hours)

• This includes an additional 3 hrs of a single Foreign Language recommended, above the 3 hrs required for General Education. The remaining 33 hours are free electives or can go toward a minor (or another major).

General Requirements

Admission to any of the department’s programs requires academic good standing, an interview with the undergraduate advisor, and formal acceptance by the department. A grade of C or above is required in all history courses counted in the history major or minor, either as transfer credit or completed at Chicago State University. Completion of 120 credit hours of work: 36 credit hours in general education, 42 credit hours of specific requirement courses, and 36 credit hours of elective courses.

General Education Requirements (36 credit hours)

• (6) credit hours in composition
• (3) credit hours in oral communication
• (3) credit hours in mathematics
• (9) credit hours in Humanities/Fine arts); at least (3) Humanities and (3) Fine Arts
• (6) credit hours in Natural Sciences (one physical science and one biology; one must include a lab)
• (9) credit hours in social sciences. Liberal Arts in History Option students MUST take AFAM 1000 as one of their social science General Education classes.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirement (3 credit hours)

• One course in a Foreign Language (3 hr)
• One general education or major course carrying the diversity designation (embedded)

Specific Requirements (45 credit hours)

Required Courses (24 credit hours)

• HIST 1200, 1210, 1300, 1310, 2200, 2220, 2720 or 2730, 4300, and 4950.*

* HIST 4950 satisfies the senior thesis/capstone requirement.

Concentration Courses (15 credit hours)

• 12 credit hours with minimum of 6 credit hours in each field and 9 credit hours at 3000 level or higher

1. 1. FIELD 1 (The Americas): U.S., African American, Latin America
   2. FIELD 2 (World): Africa, Europe, Asia

History Elective Courses (6 credit hours)

• Six hours of history electives with approval of advisor.

Electives: This includes an additional 3 hrs of a single Foreign Language recommended above the 3 hrs required for General Education. The remaining 33 hours are free electives or can go toward a minor (or another major).

General Requirements

Students must:

• Pass the state History Content Area examination and edTPA (Secondary 9—12).
• Have a GPA in the major and overall of 3.0 or higher (after 12 credit hours)
• Complete 120 credit hours: 39 credit hours in general education, 48 credit hours in area of specialization, and 33 credit hours in professional education.

Specific Requirements

University General Education: 36 credit hours

• Composition (6 cr hrs)
• Humanities/Fine Arts (9 cr hrs); at least (3) Humanities and (3) Fine Arts
• Oral Communication (3 cr hrs): CMAT 1130
• Natural Sciences (6 cr hrs):

At least 3 credit hours from a physical science and at least 3 credit hours from a life science. At least one course must be a laboratory course.

• Mathematics (3 cr hrs): MATH 1200
• Social Sciences (9 cr hrs): PSYC 1100, PSYC 2040, and POL 1010

College of Arts and Sciences Requirement (3 cr hrs)

• One course in a Foreign Language (3 cr hrs)
• One general education or major course carrying the diversity designation (embedded)

Area of Specialization (History and the Social Sciences): 48 credit hours

Required History Courses (24 cr hrs)

• HIST 1200, 1210, 1300, 1310, 2200, 2220, and 2470, 4300 (214 credit hours)
• Premodern History Field, HIST 2330, 2340, 2840, 4100, 4303, 4327, 4328, 4329, 4331, 4343, 4381, or 4386 (3 credit hours)
• Geographic Upper Level Course: 9 credit hours, at least credit hours in each field at 3000-level or higher

1. 1. FIELD 1 (The Americas): U.S., African American, Latin America
   2. FIELD 2 (World History): Africa, Europe, Asia

Required Supportive Social Science Courses (12 cr hrs)

• GEOG 1000 or GEOG 1100; ECON 1010; SOC 1010; AFAM 1000

Professional Education: 33 credit hours

• ED 1520, and 2000; ED 4312; PSYC 2020; BIL 4005 or ENG 4366; S ED 4301* and 4303*; ED 4500*; READ 4100*; CAS 2630*; HIST 4363* and 4375*

The courses must be passed with at least a grade of C.

HIST 4375 fulfills the senior thesis/capstone requirement for all Secondary Teaching Option in History

*Admission to the College of Education is required for courses marked with an asterisk.

• Geography
• Geographic Information Systems
• History
• History and Africana Studies
• African-American Studies
• Sociology
• Gerontology
• Social Work

Required Geography Courses (9 hours)

• GEOG 5860 Geographic Inquiry
• GEOG 5880 Geographic Measurement Techniques
• GEOG 5800Introduction to GIS

Required Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Courses (9 hours)

• GEOG 5800 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• GEOG 5820 Environmental Remote Sensing
• GEOG 5830 Advanced GIS
• GEOG 5850 GIS Applications
  Three Electives from GEOG 5805: GIS for Homeland Security and Criminal Justice; GEOG 5810 Cartographic Design and Visualization; GEOG 5840 Advanced Remote Sensing, GEOG 5530 Neighborhood Development, GEOG 5540 Community Analysis, GEOG 5841 GIS Database Development and Management, GEOG 5842 GIS Programming and Customization, GEOG 5591 Internship

General Requirments

Completion of 33 credit hours of graduate courses, including GEOG 5860, GEOG 5800 and GEOG 5880. In consultation with the graduate advisor, students may design a flexible program in the general field of geography. Students may take up to 6 hours outside of geographyas part of their 33 required hours. The general program fosters inquiry into the way economic and environmental forces interact at the local, regional, national and global levels. Students may prepare for a variety of career choices, including business, government, teaching, community development, and advanced research.

Exit Requirements:
Students enrolled in the thesis option (6 credit hours) are required to take 15 credit hours of electives,while students enrolled in the nonthesis option (3 credit hours) are required to take 18 credit hours of electives. In that way, along with the other requirements of the program, ALL students finish with a minimum of 33 credit hours.

Thesis Option:

Students are expected to complete a thesis in the fundamental areas of program objectives and defend the thesis. Thesis defense involves a presentation and the final oral examination will be conducted by the candidate's thesis committee.Please refer to Graduate School Thesis for more information and deadlines relevant to this process.

Non-Thesis Option:
Candidates must complete the requirements for Non-thesis Research Project (GEOG 5950). Additionally,requirements for completion are Passing a Comprehensive Exam in thefoundational courses of the discipline and a presentation based on the research paper.

Required Core Courses

Geographic Inquiry (GEOG 5860), Geographic Measurement Techniques (GEOG 5880), and Introduction to GIS (GEOG 5800).

General Requirements

Completion of 33 credit hours of graduate courses, including GEOG 5860, GEOG 5800 and GEOG 5880. In consultation with the graduate advisor, students may design a flexible program in the general field of geography. Students may take up to 6 hours outside of geography as part of their 33 required hours. The general program fosters inquiry into the way economic and environmental forces interact at the local, regional, national and global levels. Students may prepare for a variety of career choices, including business, government, teaching, community development, and advanced research.

Exit Requirements:

Students enrolled in the thesis option (6 credit hours) are required to take 15 credit hours of electives, while students enrolled in the non-thesis option (3 credit hours) are required to take 18 credit hours of electives. In that way, along with the other requirements of the program, ALL students finish with a minimum of 33 credit hours.

Thesis Option:

Students are expected to complete a thesis in the fundamental areas of program objectives and defend the thesis. Thesis defense involves a presentation and the final oral examination will be conducted by the candidate's thesis committee. Please refer to Graduate School Thesis for more information and deadlines relevant to this process.

Non-Thesis Option:

Candidates must complete the requirements for Non-thesis Research Project (GEOG 5950). Additionally, requirements for completion are Passing a Comprehensive Exam in the foundational courses of the discipline and a presentation based on the research paper. 

Program Requirements

The MA Program can be completed using either of the following options: the MA Thesis Option or the MA Capstone Project Option.

Thesis option

• Completion of 30 hours at the graduate level.
• Maintain a B average.
• Completion of four 5400-level graduate seminars or independent studies (12 hours).
• HIST 5400 Seminar in Historical Methods (3 hours) should be taken before any other 5400- level courses.
• 5400–level Independent Research or Seminar Courses (3-6 hours)
• HIST 5499 M.A. Thesis (3-6 hours).
• Completion of six graduate-level courses (18 hours) including four HIST 5000-5399 level courses (12 hours) in consultation with the graduate advisor.
• Oral Thesis defense.

Capstone Project option

• Completion of 30 credit hours at the graduate level.
• Maintain a B average.
• Completion of four 5400-level graduate seminars or independent studies (12 hours)
• HIST 5400 Seminar in Historical Methods (3 hours) should be taken before any other 5400- level courses.
• HIST 5400 –level Independent Research or Seminar Courses (6 hours).
• HIST 5410 Advanced Readings in Historiography (3 hours).
• Completion of six graduate-level courses (18 hours) including four HIST 5000-5399 level courses in consultation with the graduate advisor.
• M.A. Capstone Project can consist of a revised seminar paper, or a project approved by the History graduate advisor with a presentation.

Certificate in Archives and Records Management (18 Credit Hours)

Required Courses (12 Credit Hours)

• LIS 5200 / LIMS 5021: Archives and Records Administration
• LIS 5220 / LIMS 5029: Electronic Records Management
• HIST 5312: Oral History Theory and Practice
• HIST 5352: The Chicago Experience

Two Elective Courses (6 Credit Hours)

• LIS 5570 / LIMS 5030: Digitization and Digital Repositories
• LIS 5240 / LIMS 5031: Curatorship of Historical Collections
• LIS 5970 / LIMS 5600: Field Practicum
• HIST 5400: Historical Methods
• Another course approved by the department

Some of the credit hours earned in this certificate may also be applied to the Master of Arts in History and the Master of Science in Library Science.

Program Requirements

• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher with at least a grade of C in the Program.
• Pass the state History Content Area examination and the edTPA (Secondary 9—12).
• Have passed or pass required undergraduate or graduate History and supportive Social Sciences courses at least a grade of C or higher.
  
  Required History Courses (39 cr hrs).
• HIST 1200, 1210, 1300, 1310, 2200, 2220, and 2470 (21 credit hours)
• Premodern History Field, HIST 2330, 2340, 2840, 4100, 4303, 4327, 4328,4329, 4331, 4343, 4381, or 4386 (3 credit hours).
• 12 credit hours 6 credit hours in each field and 9 credit hours at 3000-level or higher
  1. FIELD 1 (The Americas): U.S., African American, Latin America
  2. FIELD 2 (World History): Africa, Europe, Asia

Required Supportive Social Science Courses (12 cr hrs)

• GEOG 1000; GEOG 1100; ECON 1010; SOC 1010.
• Admission to the College of Education (separate application).
• Have passed or pass Professional Education courses (33 credit hours) with at least a grade of C within five years prior to the admission to the Program.
• ED 1520, and 2000; ED 4312; PSYC 2020; BIL 4005 or ENG 4366; S ED 4301* and 4303*; ED 4500*; READ 4100*; CAS 2630*; HIST 4363* and 4375* *Admission to the College of Education is required for courses marked with an asterisk.

Graduate Certificate Program

While community development means many things to many people, one good definition is “preserving and raising the community’s standard of living through a process of human and physical infrastructure development based on the principles of equity and sustainability.”  The Graduate Certificate in Community Development is a 18-hour sequence that combines graduate classroom studies with community-oriented research and service experiences.  Students seeking admission to the certificate program are required to fulfill the general requirements for admission to graduate programs at Chicago State University (CSU), which includes attainment of a 3.0 GPA at the undergraduate level.  Students who have not taken Geog 4500, Urban Geography, or an equivalent course may be required to make up the deficiency. Students who have taken some of the required courses for the certificate at CSU or their equivalents elsewhere are encouraged to consult the graduate advisor.

All the courses are offered in the evening and are delivered in a two-year cycle that can be entered at any point although it is strongly recommended that the Seminar course be taken as the last course. Courses taken for the certificate may be subsequently applied toward the M.A. in Geography.

Upon Completion of the certificate students should:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the social and economic processes that affect the dynamics and growth of American cities
• Demonstrate an understanding of how cities are governed and the role that public planning and community development plays within the governance structure
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the history, theories, and practices of community organizing and community organizations
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the history, theories, and practices of community development and community economic development
• Be able to use the methods and tools for analyzing the state of cities and their neighborhoods
• Be able to design and complete a community development-related research and/or action project
  
  

Certificate Courses (18 hours):

Core (15 hours)

• GEOG 5520      Principles and Practices of Urban and Regional Planning
• GEOG 5530      Neighborhood Development
• GEOG 5540      Community Analysis or SWK 5431 Community Practice
• SOC    5450      Community Organizing 
• GEOG 5550      Seminar in Community Development

5000-level elective (3 hours) - students choose from one of the following:

• GEOG 5050     Geography of Metropolitan Chicago
• GEOG 5250     Geography of Food and Hunger
• GEOG 5290     Environmental Justice
• GEOG 5500     Urban Geography
• GEOG 5590     Urban Field Experience
• SWK   5426     Diversity/Ethics in Social Work
• SWK   5432     Family Support and Development

**GEOG 4500/5500: Urban Geography; SOC 3400: The Urban Community; or an equivalent course is a prerequisite for the program.

Additional Information About This Program

This post-baccalaureate certificate program prepares students for the ability to foster inquiry into the affects of economic and environmental forces at the local, regional, national and global levels. Students are prepared to work in career areas that focus on economic development, business, government, teaching, advanced research and community development. For information about program costs, employment, and other information, click here for gainful employment.

Graduate Certificate Program

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the process of managing and analyzing spatial data for decision-making purposes. Data have become more and more integral in the functioning of many businesses and industries. Uses include crime mapping, urban planning, logistics, environmental issues, environmental monitoring, business/public facilities location analysis, etc.

The Graduate Certificate is a 18 hour graduate three-semester sequence designed to prepare students for proficiency in the field. Students seeking admission to the certificate program are required to fulfill the general requirements for admissions to graduate programs at Chicago State University (CSU), which includes attainment of a 3.0 GPA at the undergraduate level. In addition, students who lack at least 3 hours of introductory computer programming and 3 hours of introductory GIS may be required to make up these deficiencies. Students who have already taken some of the required courses at CSU or elsewhere are encouraged to consult with the graduate advisor. Fieldwork and internships are a key part of the program. The department has established relationships with a variety of businesses, community organizations, and public agencies that hire frequently in the GIS area. For those students wishing to continue their degree program can register for one of the Master's degree program, i.e., the M.A. in Geography or the M.A. in Geography with  Geographic Information Systems Concentration.

Upon completion of the certificate students should be able to:

• Explain earth-map relationships and distortions on map projections; 
• Process analog and digital remote-sensing data to prepare imagery for analysis;
• Analyze analog and digital remote-sensing data to extract/create new information;
• Build spatial databases consisting of raster and/or vector data for GIS analysis and modeling;
• Use analytical capabilities of ArcGIS and ERDAS IMAGINE for spatial analysis and modeling;
• Design and implement a major/semester-long GIS project to address a significant research question(s);
• Design a web map that allows viewers to display and query layers on a map; and
• Organize analysis results into coherent written and oral presentations.

Facilities

The Geographic Information Systems Laboratory at CSU consists of 16 Windows 10 workstations, two servers, and several printers for map output. The machines contain the latest releases ArcGIS and ERDAS IMAGINE software. Other map composition tools, geocoding and statistical software, including Corel Draw and SPSS are loaded on the workstations. Global Positioning Systems equipment is available for use in course and project work.

Also, several local and regional datasets are stored in the lab and are available for research purposes. Among these datasets are a library of Landsat satellite imagery for the past three decades covering Illinois and large parts of neighboring states, IKONOS imagery of the Lake Calumet Region, and several sets of census information. Other resources include the Calumet Environmental Resource Center (CERC) and the Fredrick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC).

Certificate Courses (18 hours):

• Geog 5800    Introduction to GIS
• Geog 4810   Cartographic Design & Visualization
• Geog 5820   Environmental Remote Sensing
• Geog 5830   Advanced Geographic Information Systems
• Geog 5840   Advanced Remote Sensing
• Geog 5850   Geographic Information Systems Applications
  

Additional Information About This Program

This certificate primarily prepares students to work in various career areas that focus on economic development, business, government, teaching, advanced research and community development. For information about program costs, employment, and other information, Click here for gainful employment.