THE MASTER'S PROGRAM
The History Department offers a master's program that qualifies students for employment
in a number of fields, including teaching, government, and museum work. In past years
a substantial number of people admitted to our program have ultimately gone on to
pursue the PhD.
Prospective students should be aware that the department does not fund MA students.
Graduate School regulations stipulate that master's students in departments that offer
doctorates cannot be awarded teaching assistantships or similar forms of funding.
There are various opportunities for History MA students to receive certification in a related area of specialization, including for Africana Studies, Creative Writing & Literature, Globalization Studies & International Relations, Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Writing & Rhetoric. For a complete list of graduate certificates see here.
For more information on applying to our graduate program, see the admissions page.
Tracks and Requirements
The History Department offers two separate MA tracks to meet the differing needs of
our students:
1. Professional Track
The professional track is designed for both social studies teachers who need a master's
degree for professional certification and those seeking advanced preparation for in
careers government service, journalism, and other fields that demand a combination
of research, writing skills, and knowledge of the past. This program provides a stronger
grounding in history than do master's programs in liberal studies and teaching. Students
benefit from exposure to doctoral students, but are are not required to take courses
designed for PhD candidates.
The professional track is also open to individuals seeking personal enrichment, whether
or not history is directly related to their occupation. Students may enter the program
in either the fall or spring semester and may enroll on either a full- or part-time
basis.
Students in this track can earn their degree either through coursework alone or by
choosing to write a 6-credit master's thesis. The thesis will give students the opportunity
to conduct independent research on a topic of interest using primary sources.
Students can also take up to 6 credits of content-based pedagogy courses, and we hope
to be able to offer such courses as Teaching American History through Popular Culture,
Introduction to Economics Education, and Teaching Geography.
Students must begin the program in Fall semester.
Coursework requirements:
• Three field seminars (9 credits)
• Two theme seminars (6 credits)
• The remaining 15 credits can be selected from Field Seminars, Theme Seminars, directed
studies and graduate courses offered in conjunction with other departments (e.g.,
Sociology, Africana Studies, and Cultural Analysis and Theory); there is also an option
for a Master's thesis (6 credits)
• Total credits: 30
2. Academic Track
The academic track is designed for individuals who aspire to a career in teaching
or writing history at the college level, but who are not yet ready to enter a PhD
program. Students in the academic track are required to enroll in the two-semester
Core Seminar in historical theory and research during their second (or final) year
in the program (or earlier with the approval of the Graduate Program Director and
the student's Primary Advisor), and otherwise to generally follow the course of study
of incoming doctoral (PhD) students. Students are only admitted to this track for
studies beginning in the fall.
Students in this track are expected to develop a concentration in a region or period,
or in an interdisciplinary field, and to conduct research in this area of concentration
in the Core Seminar.
As with the professional track, students in the academic track can earn their degree
either through coursework alone or by choosing to write a 6-credit master's thesis.
The thesis will give students the opportunity to conduct independent research on a
topic of interest using primary sources.
Students must begin the program in Fall semester.
Coursework requirements:
- Two field seminars (6 credits)
- Two theme seminars (6 credits)
- Core seminar (HIS 524/6 & 525/7—6 credits)
- The remaining 12 credits can be selected from Field Seminars, Theme Seminars, directed studies and graduate courses offered in conjunction with other departments (e.g., Sociology, Africana Studies, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies); there is also an option for a Master's thesis (6 credits)
- Total credits: 30
Additional Notes
1. Coursework
A. Core seminar (HIS 524/HIS526, HIS 525/HIS 527: 3 credits each semester): This course
provides an intensive, year-long introduction to historical theory and research. It
also familiarizes students with the thematic organization of the graduate program.
All full-time students in the Academic Track of the master's program, as well as in
the doctoral (PhD) program, are required to take this course, which is offered only
as a Fall/Spring sequence, during their second year (or final year in the program.
B. Two or three field seminars (3 credits each): The department offers a number of
Field Seminars designed to familiarize students with the history and historiography
of specific regions and periods. These courses include: Medieval and Early Modern
Europe (HIS 501) and Modern Europe (502); Early American History (521) and Modern
American History (522); Colonial Latin America (541) and Modern Latin America (542),
all of which are offered on a one- or two-year cycle. In addition, the following Field
Seminars are offered in African and Asian history: Introduction to African and/or
Asian History (562), South Asian History (563), Chinese History (564), and Japanese
History (565); note that some of these Field Seminars may be offered slightly less
frequently. Some Field Seminars are populated with students in the Master of Arts
in Teaching program (MAT), as well as with MA and PhD students. Master's students
in the Academic Track are required to take two field seminars, while master's students
in the Professional Track are required to take three field seminars. Students interested
in concentrating in the history of a specific region are encouraged, but not required,
to complete both parts of the Field Seminar sequence for that region where available.
C. Two theme seminars (3 credits each). The theme seminars are the heart of the department's
commitment to the theoretically informed, interdisciplinary study of history. Topics,
approaches, and instructors vary, but these seminars generally fall within the rubric
of our program's thematic clusters: Gender, Race, and Sexuality; Nation-State, Civil Society, and Popular Politics;
Empire, Colonialism, and Globalization; and Environment, Health, Science, and Technology.
Master's students in both the Professional and Academic Tracks are required to take
two theme seminars. A minimum of two theme seminars are offered each semester. Topics
change regularly, and students are free to choose among the theme seminars being offered.
D. Directed readings for MA candidates (HIS 584/HIS 585, 3 credits each): Three credits
of directed readings will normally be taken in the Fall of the initial year, to enable
the student to meet regularly with his or her Advisor and address any deficiencies
in preparation for the graduate program. The course may be repeated with the same
or other members of the faculty as an elective in later semesters.
E. Four or Five Electives (3 credits each): The remaining 15 credits (for students
in the Professional Track) or 12 credits (for students in the Academic Track) can
be selected from Field Seminars, Theme Seminars, the graduate courses offered in conjunction
with other departments (e.g., Sociology, English, Art History, Africana Studies, Women's
and Gender Studies, and Cultural Analysis and Theory), and Directed Readings. Directed
Readings may or may not be in connection with preparation for the Oral Exam or for
an optional Master's Thesis (see below).
2. Oral Examination
By the time the student has completed 24 credits (e.g. fall semester of his/her second year for a full-time student), he or she must secure the agreement of two faculty members (one of whom must be the student's Advisor) to serve on the orals examination committee. The Advisor will examine the student in his or her major field of geographical focus; the second faculty member will examine the student in a complementary field (typically based on a theme seminar).
Oral Exams are intended to evaluate students' knowledge of their fields, emphasizing readings done as part of their course work and/or in their intended fields of academic and/or professional expertise. To prepare for Orals, students shall, in consultation with each of their committee members, compile a reading list for both of their fields. Each of the two exam lists should include 15-20 books or equivalent in articles (3 articles=1 book), for a grand total of 30-40 books. The exam will be taken at the end of the student's course of study. At least two months before the student's desired date for the Oral Exam, the student will present the members of his or her orals committee with a final list of books and topics to be examined. Students may enroll in a Directed Readings course (sometimes termed an Orals workshop) to prepare for the examination. Students are responsible for arranging a mutually acceptable date and time for the exam (and for notifying the Graduate Program Coordinator well in advance so that the necessary paperwork can be processed). The exam will last approximately one hour, and it will be graded as "pass with distinction," "pass," or "fail." In the event of failure, the student may petition to take the exam a second time at a later date.
3. Master's Thesis Option
Students may elect to write a master's thesis. While there is no specified length
for this, the expectation is that the thesis will be in the range of 40 to 70 pages.
Students pursuing this option must enroll in HIS 586 (Orals and Thesis Preparation
for MA Candidates) and/or HIS 584/585 (Directed Readings for MA Candidates). The thesis
writing will be supervised by the student's Advisor, and—for students pursuing this
option—a substantial portion of the oral examination will be devoted to the defense
of the thesis and discussion of directly related books.
4. Language Requirement
Master's students with a concentration in European history must pass a written exam
in an appropriate foreign language. Students in Latin American history must pass a
written exam in Spanish or Portuguese. The other areas of concentration currently
do not require a foreign language for the master's degree.
5. Master's Students Seeking to Enter the PhD Program
Master's students seeking to enter the PhD Program must submit a formal application
to the Graduate School. Admission into the PhD program is not guaranteed. Meanwhile,
MA students are welcome and indeed encouraged to participate in all departmental activities
(see below).
6. Advising and Evaluation
When students are accepted into the master's program, they are assigned a first-year
Advisor based on the areas of interest indicated by the student in his or her application.
Students may change Advisors with the permission of the Graduate Director (of course,
the permission of the faculty member who is to be the new Advisor is also required,
as is the permission of the original Advisor).
Advisors will meet with new students to discuss program requirements and the student's
individual course of study, and they will meet with their advisees on a regular basis
as they progress through the program. Ideally, students should consult with their
Advisors about their course of study (including general course selection, language
requirements, and enrollment in courses outside the department) at the beginning of
each semester.
For a complete description of departmental policies on evaluation, including probation
and dismissal, see here.