2024-2025 Academic Catalog
History, MA
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 Return to: Programs of Study - Department/School
Program Description
The purpose of the Master of Arts program in history is to provide broad but intensive training for students who intend to pursue careers as professional historians, whether in teaching, research, or archival or historical preservation fields, or for those who desire strong historical backgrounds for other vocational or avocational objectives. The program offers opportunities for specialized study and research, but without neglecting the breadth that characterizes historical work at its best. In recognition of the fact that students’ interests and goals are varied, the program provides a choice of four concentrations (see the following details) along with the option for a general curriculum, all of which lead to a Master of Arts degree. This program is approved by the Ohio Board of Regents.
Admissions Requirements
Decisions regarding admission to the graduate program in history, continuation in the program, and dismissal from it will be made by the program’s graduate studies committee. The candidate must meet the requirements of the graduate school, hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and meet a minimum grade point average (3.0 or better in history and 3.0 overall). Each candidate shall also include a statement of goals, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample of 7-20 pages on a historical topic. This writing sample can be a paper used in an undergraduate history course. The GRE is not required. In special cases, a candidate with a grade point average below 3.0 may be admitted on conditional status with the approval of the program’s graduate studies committee. Conditional status may be granted upon a favorable committee recommendation based upon the candidate’s application and interview with a director of the graduate program.
A strong candidate will have substantial undergraduate course work in history, or a major in the field. An applicant without such a background may enter the program but may be required to take deficiency work as prescribed by the graduate studies committee.
A graduate student in any college of the university may take up to three graduate history courses without prior approval of the program. Any student desiring more than 9 credit hours of graduate history courses must secure the approval of a director of the graduate program.
Students are admitted in the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Deadlines: March 15 (for consideration for assistantships, graduate tuition scholarships, and other forms of financial aid); April 15 (all other applications).
Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing the program will be able to:
- Communicate a sophisticated knowledge of history and disseminate it to the general public through completion of thesis projects, Public History capstone projects, Public History conferences, and other presentations and exhibits.
- Encourage others to explore and understand the historical context of their lives through public contact in societies, historical organizations, community and social groups, local and regional schools, History Day, and in museums and archives.
- Develop their own appreciation and knowledge of history through contact and networking with other historians (through the school, alumni, and professional organizations), and through a continued quest for knowledge by readings and primary research.
- Be prepared to matriculate into Ph.D. programs or to advance their careers in secondary education. Graduates in the Public History plan will be qualified to obtain employment in historical organizations, corporations, government, non-profits, archives, libraries, or museums.
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Program Requirements:
The Master of Arts degree can be earned through one of three concentrations: War and Society, Public History, and Public History/War and Society, or a student can follow a curriculum with no concentration. Students in the War and Society concentration and following the general curriculum will earn their degrees through either the Thesis track or the Course Intensive track. The Thesis Track is intended primarily for those students who expect to continue graduate work or who need or desire the full range of professional experience, including intensive research and writing. It assures training in research techniques and the preparation if scholarly papers, culminating in the submission of a thesis. The Course Intensive Track is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for students not expecting to pursue doctoral studies. The Public History concentration is a program designed for graduate students who are primarily interested in careers in historical or archival administration, or in museum management. It provides students with both theoretical and practical training in these areas. The Public History/War and Society concentration trains students who will be seeking employment with historical institutions with military connections.
For the purpose of planning advanced courses and seminars, each student should consult a graduate advisor regularly.
A student receiving two Cs will be placed on academic probation and will be required to appear before the graduate studies committee to justify his or her continued participation in the program. Upon review of the student’s progress, the graduate studies committee may dismiss the student from the program.
School Core and Electives
Thesis track: 30-33 Hours
- HST 7000 - Historical Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
- Field 1: 2 seminars Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 1: 2 additional seminars or 6000-level courses Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 2: 2 seminars Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 2: 2 additional seminars or 6000-level courses Credit Hour(s): 6
Course intensive track: 33 Hours
- HST 7000 - Historical Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
- Field 1: 2 seminars Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 1: 2 additional seminars or 6000-level courses Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 2: 2 seminars Credit Hour(s): 6
- Field 2: 2 additional seminars or 6000-level courses Credit Hour(s): 6
- Electives: 2 seminars and/or 6000-level courses Credit Hour(s): 6
Public History Concentration: 38 Hours
Required Academic Core
- HST 7000 Historical Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
- Seminar Courses: HST 7100-7830 Credit Hour(s): 6
- Either an additional seminar or one 6000-level course Credit Hour(s): 3
(One seminar or 6000-level course may be in non-U.S. History) Required Public History Core
Advanced Public History: 6 Hours
Students may choose breadth over specialization by taking three credits each in Museum Studies and Archives and Records Management. Students also have the option to specialize and take six advanced credit hours in either Archives or Museum Studies. Additional advanced classes can be taken as electives to strengthen the student’s program. Electives: 9 Hours
Students may select from advanced Public History courses (above) and the following Public History electives. With the prior approval of the graduate coordinator, students may take courses in an outside discipline such as Art, Anthropology, Urban Affairs and Geography, English, Education, and Business.
Public History/War and Society Concentration: 44 Hours
Required Academic Core: 18 Hours
Two courses may be non-U.S. History Required Public History Courses
Advanced Public History: 6 Hours
Electives: 9 Hours
Students may select from advanced public history courses (above) and the following public history electives. With the prior approval of the graduate coordinator, students may take courses in an outside discipline such as art, anthropology, urban affairs and geography, English, education, and business.
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