Master of Arts in History

Offered through a formal collaboration among the Five Colleges, the history graduate program provides a solid grounding as well as deep specialization in the field. Our courses explore such areas as social and cultural history, the history of work and labor, gender history, public history, and the history of science and technology. Recent additions to the faculty have strengthened resources in the history of China, Pacific empires, women’s history, and the history of science.

Each MA candidate selects an area of concentration, which include United States, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, East Asia, and history of science. They may also choose to pursue a graduate certificate in public history or a concentration in global history, in addition to the regular course of study.

To complete their degree, MA candidates craft a portfolio of work and present it at a capstone departmental event in their final semester. The portfolio covers three broad fields of history, one of which must be outside a student’s major (geographical) area. Students may write a master’s thesis for eight credits as a substitute for two courses in the 600–800 series.