Students must pass a written exam that covers a student’s major field and one minor field in history.  The minor field exam will be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the Graduate Coordinator.

For the written exam, the examining professors should give students at least four weeks in advance the major themes that will be covered in the major and minor field exams. Students will also be given reading lists that cover their major and minor fields. These reading lists will be created by the students’ major and minor field professors and be given to the student at least three months in advance of the exam dates. The major field reading list will have a maximum of fifteen books and each minor field reading list will have a maximum of ten books. These reading lists are in addition to any coursework materials that the students may have taken for their major and minor fields of study, although some of these readings may come from courses that they have already taken at West Georgia.

On the exam date (determined by the students’ committee and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies), students will be given two questions for the major field to be answered in three hours and two questions to be answered in two hours for the minor field. These questions will be based upon the major themes and reading lists provided in advance by the examining professors. Students may opt to take the entire test in one day or to have the minor field examination on a separate day.  The exams will take place in a room arranged by the students’ advisor.  If the committee determines that a student did not perform adequately on the written examinations, the student will have the opportunity to re-take the part (or parts) of the exam that he/she failed within three months or the end of the next full semester.  If the student fails again one or more parts of the examination, the student normally will not be allowed to continue in the program.  The student, however, may appeal for an exception to the Graduate Studies Committee.