A Welcome Letter From the Graduate Coordinator for History
Dear Potential Graduate Students in History,
Welcome to our history graduate program page. So you would like to pursue a Master of Arts degree in History. Great! Here is what we can offer for Fall 2026! — Application deadlines vary: the first is January 15 (for funding priority) and the final deadline is August 1.
Career Tracks
We have a Master of Arts degree with four career tracks:
Academic Track
Public History Track
Educator Track
Comprehensive Exam Track
Please see the tabs on this page for fuller explanations of each track.
Important
One thing I would like to emphasize is that we are a small department that offers more mentoring and camaraderie than larger institutions. We treat each incoming group of graduate history students as a new “Cohort” that has a shared experience in common classes. Each cohort often studies together with opportunities to socialize together and form a support network for the hard work ahead. We emphasize advising and keep track of our graduate students and will not let you fade away as happens at larger schools. In other words, we care. Please take this into consideration as you look around for graduate schools.
Sincerely, David Walker
Career Tracks
Academic Track
The Academic Track will have you write a Master’s Thesis and prepare you to go on to a Ph.D. program if desired, or simply enhance your expertise in deep research of a topic. The MA Thesis is an 80 to 100 page scholarly research paper that offers your original argument on a topic of your choosing. The skills necessary to write a MA thesis involve advanced research methods and articulation of a well reasoned argument through clear writing. Along with the advanced history content, writing and research skills of classroom work, a completed MA thesis is a serious stepping stone towards writing a future Ph.D. dissertation. The Academic Track is a total of 33 credits (27 Credits of classes and 6 credits of thesis).
To apply to our History Graduate Program scroll down on our main page Graduate History page and select the button “Graduate College Application.” Important: Before applying first read the other button “Must Read Information About Applying to the History Graduate Program” which will offer tips on providing the best application and to make sure the History Department sees your potential.
Public History
Complete a Public History Project and prepare for a career in archives, museums, historical societies, cultural centers, and public policy research. The Public History Track requires 3 credits of internship but up to 12 credits of internship is possible. A student will be placed in the community such as a museum, archive, or preservation society and work in the field as they study the deeper ideas surrounding public history and the connections historians must make to be effective.
The Public History Track is 27 credits of classes (including the 3-12 credits of internship) plus 6 credits of Project. The Project is the culminating activity and will involve original content that is created and curated to inform the wider public. This could be a historical display, the creation of an interactive webpage, historical video documentary, or otherwise artistic informational source open to the public.
To apply to our History Graduate Program scroll down on our main page Graduate History page and select the button “Graduate College Application.” Important: Before applying first read the other button “Must Read Information About Applying to the History Graduate Program” which will offer tips on providing the best application and to make sure the History Department sees your potential.
Educator
For social studies and history secondary educators – Complete a program of professional development in advanced history that includes an advanced graduate course in teaching history and practicum labs to enhance your teaching.
A unique feature is the 1 credit lab component. Even if students are in separate classes they will see each other in the lab class.
The degree track culminates in a Portfolio in the final summer session. The Portfolio will be a demonstration of the student’s advanced skills in curriculum development.
To apply to our History Graduate Program scroll down on our main page Graduate History page and select the button “Graduate College Application.” Important: Before applying first read the other button “Must Read Information About Applying to the History Graduate Program” which will offer tips on providing the best application and to make sure the History Department sees your potential.
Comprehensive Exam
Take more classes and complete an Exam. The Comprehensive Exam is for students who prefer to take more classes on varied subjects. Instead of writing a thesis the student takes more classes, followed by the exam. Each individual class will, of course, develop a student’s research, writing, and analytical skills. However, we know that many students wish for more varied historical content and discussion. If you enjoy challenging discussions of historical philosophy, and advanced interpretations of human events, the Comprehensive Exam Track could be for you.
The Exam Track consists of 36 credits of classes plus 1 credit of Exam as a culminating activity. The Exam is a four hour written exam that consists of three questions — put forward by three faculty members based upon the work a student has performed in classes.
To apply to our History Graduate Program scroll down on our main page Graduate History page and select the button “Graduate College Application.” Important: Before applying first read the other button “Must Read Information About Applying to the History Graduate Program” which will offer tips on providing the best application and to make sure the History Department sees your potential.