MA History

The master of arts in history requires 36 semester hours (12 courses). Students applying for admission to the program should have some background in history, though not necessarily a BA in the subject. The department encourages applications from individuals of any age interested in continuing or resuming their education. Graduate students in history develop skills in critical thinking, writing and independent research. Our program prepares students for a wide variety of professions, including teaching, government service, museum and archive management, and historic preservation, as well as further degree work in history, law, librarianship and business. The department expects that students graduating with an MA in history will master the following general skills for their degrees:

• The ability to pursue independent historical research projects
• The ability to analyze historiographical arguments
• The ability to analyze primary documents and develop arguments from them
• The ability to create bibliographies using archival, library, and Internet resources
• The ability to write in a variety of formats, including historiographical essays, book reviews, and research papers

Students will also master knowledge of the basic historical content of both their major and minor fields, and an understanding of the historiographies and historical methods in their major and minor fields.

Graduate Advising

Early in their first semester, students should contact the history department graduate advisor to discuss their path through the program and to receive advice regarding the selection of major and minor fields.

Degree Tracking Responsibility

Although faculty will provide reasonable guidance, it is up to students to monitor their own progress through the program in consultation with the graduate advisor and their major and minor advisors; this includes knowledge and understanding of application and graduate deadlines, degree requirements, comprehensive exam expectations and processes, thesis guidelines, etc.

Major Fields, Minor Fields, and Concentrations

The MA in history seeks to provide students with a balance of breadth and depth in the study of history. Major fields are broad areas of study within which students gain a general picture of historical processes. Concentrations provide focus for developing expertise within the major, either regionally or thematically. Minor fields provide a complementary or comparative area and must sit outside the major field.

Advisors and students together will work out Plans of Study, which indicate the courses students intend to take to meet their requirements, based on their selection of major and minor fields. Students should make every effort to enroll in courses that best fit their major field, major concentration and minor field.

The department has core readings for the Public History and US History fields. Students will draw on these readings for their comprehensive exams. Students working in all fields will coordinate their readings with their major and minor advisors.

Major Field Concentrations

Students work with advisors to select one of the major field concentrations listed below. Concentrations provide thematic or regional focus to a broad geographical or methodological major (e.g. for the global history major, students could concentrate on trade, borders, imperialism, etc.. or any of the areas of regional expertise of our faculty). Readings for the major field concentration are in addition to the core reading list. Note that students may select their concentrations and the options for minors from the same lists.

Minor Fields

Students can define their minor field as a specialization within one of the four major fields or as topics from the list of concentrations. Note that students may select their concentrations and the options for minors from the same lists.

Choosing Advisors and Fields of Study

All history MA candidates choose a major field and a minor field. Students will take courses in these fields and will be tested in these fields. After consulting with the graduate advisor, students are responsible for securing two field advisors, one to oversee their progress in the major field, the other to oversee their minor field. All students should have chosen their fields and advisors by the end of the semester in which they have complete 12 credit hours. Students will also need a third advisor for the comprehensive examinations. This third advisor is typically in their major field and students should always consult with them during preparation for the examinations.

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their program advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.