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Course-Only Option

Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.

The course-only option includes eight seminar courses and a requirement to write a research paper in at least three of the eight courses in which you are enrolled. At least three of the seminar courses must be “Research” courses where a research paper is written. The course-only stream is only open to students by permission of the graduate officer in the department in which the student is registered. Course-only stream students may not normally complete their degree in three consecutive terms. 

A research paper is developed as part of the requirements of a seminar course. A research paper explores a historical or historiographical topic in such a way as to demonstrate the author’s thorough grasp of the secondary literature on the topic and to permit the author to arrive at an independent conclusion. It differs from the cognate essay/master's research paper primarily in depth of research and in length. A research paper is normally 20 to 25 pages in length.

To meet the general comprehensive requirement of the university, all courses are organized as seminars of 0.5 credit-weight. In order to complete a course satisfactorily students must complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor and receive a minimum passing grade of B- (70%).

Some seminars are devoted largely to the methodology, preparation and presentation of research papers based on primary sources.  

Course Types

A variety of approaches to the study of history may be followed in the Tri-University Graduate Program:

  • Seminars devoted to the broader historiographical study of the history, development and divergent forms of the discipline as a whole.
  • Seminars devoted to the study of selected secondary readings from the historiography of a specific national or regional period or of a particular thematic subject.
  • Seminars which require students to read and discuss a mixture of secondary historiographical and primary documentary materials.
  • Seminars devoted largely to the methodology, preparation and presentation of research papers based on primary research, which may require a specific, or one of several, historiographical courses as a prerequisite.
  • Individual directed studies courses where students work one-on-one with an instructor. Note: No student may take more than one directed studies course (0.5) in their program. Students may only register for directed studies courses with the approval of the Graduate officer in the students’ home department.
  • Students may also enrol in MA seminars offered by the history departments in any of the three universities.

Graduate Course Information

Graduate course offerings can be found on the Tri-University History website.