Master of Arts in History
Program Coordinator: Dr. Robert Smith
Phone: 508-929-8631
Email: rsmith1@worcester.edu
Admission Requirements
General admission requirements for graduate study located at http://worcester.edu/graduate/ together with 18 credits in undergraduate history including the following courses or their equivalents:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HI-103 | Connecting Ancient Worlds: World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HI-104 | Age of Empires: World History 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| HI-111 | US History to 1877 | 3 |
| HI-112 | US History 1865 to the Present | 3 |
Items Needed to Apply:
- Online application found at www.worcester.edu/apply
- Essay explaining reason for pursuing this degree program
- Application fee
- Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources
- Official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended showing a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Official transcript evaluation for any transcript from outside the United States
- An English language proficiency test if the student’s academic background is not in English
- Completion of 18 credits in undergraduate history including the following courses or their equivalents:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HI-103 | Connecting Ancient Worlds: World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HI-104 | Age of Empires: World History 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| HI-111 | US History to 1877 | 3 |
| HI-112 | US History 1865 to the Present | 3 |
There are two different tracks for Master of Arts in History: the portfolio track and the thesis track.
Requirements of Track 1 (Portfolio)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation courses | (6 credits) | |
| HI-910 | Study and Writing of History | 3 |
| History Research Seminar | 3 | |
| Distribution History courses | (18 credits) | |
| US History Electives | 6 | |
| European History Electives | 6 | |
| Non-US/Non-European History Electives | 6 | |
| Minor Concentration in History or a related field (developed in consultation with advisor) | (9 credits) | |
| The capstone of the program is the presentation of a portfolio. Students will present the portfolio to the graduate coordinator at a meeting after all course work has been completed. The portfolio should include five papers, plus an introductory narrative that reflects upon the student’s program as a whole, provides the necessary context for understanding the five papers, and explains why those particular papers were chosen. One of the papers must be a research paper incorporating primary sources. In addition, the papers should represent work in U.S. History, European History, Non-U.S/Non-European History, and the Minor Concentration. The portfolio will be assessed by departmental committee of at least 3 members. | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Requirements of Track 2 (Thesis)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation course | (3 credits) | |
| HI-910 | Study and Writing of History | 3 |
| Major Concentration in U.S. History or World History | (21 credits) | |
| Elective History courses (U.S. or World) | 15 | |
| HI-995 | Thesis Option (research) | 3 |
| HI-996 | Thesis Option (writing) | 3 |
| Minor Concentration in History or a related field (developed in consultation with advisor) | (9 credits) | |
| Students will form a thesis committee of at least two faculty members. One will be the primary advisor (and the instructor of record for the thesis courses) who will work closely with the student in their research and writing. The second will read the final version of the thesis. Upon completion of the thesis, the student will schedule an oral defense with the thesis committee. | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Graduate History Courses
HI-901 Directed Study: History
Directed study offers graduate students, who because of unusual circumstances may be unable to register for a course when offered, the opportunity to complete an existing course with an established syllabus under the direction and with agreement from a faculty member. variable credits.
Fall and Spring and every year. 1-6 Credits
HI-908 Teaching History
In this course, graduate learners will gain knowledge and confidence developing their own rigorous and research-based pedagogical approach for effective teaching and learning in history and social studies, aligned with the emerging best practices in the discipline.
Fall and Spring and other or on demand. 3 Credits
HI-910 Study and Writing of History
Historical methodology, modern historiographical views, and the emergence of the New History; i.e., psychohistory, family history, and quantitative history.
3 Credits
HI-914 The Gilded Age: 1865-1900
A depiction of the period when America went through a rapid socio-economic transformation in the areas of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.
3 Credits
HI-939 American History At the Movies
A variety of movies are used as launching pads to explore American history and the relationship of film to history.
3 Credits
HI-940 Teaching History With Film
A study of history through film and media.
3 Credits
HI-941 Medieval History
Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses (1327-1485)
3 Credits
HI-942 Tudor-Stuart England
The political, cultural and social development of England, 1485-1688
3 Credits
HI-943 World War I
The period 1870-1918, focusing upon the origins
3 Credits
HI-944 World War II
A survey of the mass industrial global conflict between 1939-1945.
3 Credits
HI-946 Eur Intell Hist Enlighten-Pres
The major ideas of the era; utilitarian, nationalist, and socialist schools; fascism, communism and liberalism.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-970 China in the Twentieth Century
A consideration of the major political, diplomatic, and intellectual developments in China since 1949.
3 Credits
HI-990 Special Topics in History
An investigation of an historical issue, event or personality of mutual interest to the instructor and students.
Fall and Spring and other or on demand. 3 Credits
HI-992 Sem: American Const History
Varied topics to meet the student's needs; e.g., the Marshall Court, Taney Court, Warren and Burger Courts, and so forth.
3 Credits
HI-995 Thesis Option (research)
Research of thesis.
3 Credits
HI-996 Thesis Option (writing)
Writing of thesis.
3 Credits
HI-999 Graduate Independent Study in History
1-3 Credits
Master of Arts in History students will:
- Identify and analyze a variety of primary source genres, employing strong historical thinking skills.
- Define historiography and apply it as a meaningful analytical framework within context of one’s own research, situating oneself within the field.
- Evaluate and engage in history as scholarship, demonstrating professional disciplinary conventions.
- Formulate a research agenda; Provide adequate evidence appropriate to graduate-level projects in breadth or depth; Conduct significant original research engaging with up-to-date scholarship in the field that advances beyond mere historical narrative.
- Create sustained, coherent explanations of and reflections on one’s own work; Articulate and defend the significance and implications of his or her own work both within and beyond the field of history.
- What distinguishes graduate study from undergraduate study is the deeper application of knowledge and skills: the “why it matters” and “how it was built” aspects below the surface-level facts and historical narratives. Graduate-level work in history engages with and situates itself within scholarly conversation. M.A. candidates grasp that history is a contentious discipline and a dynamic debate among evidence-based arguments, rather than a static body of agreed-upon knowledge to be simply acquired or mastered. And they hone their research and writing skills by engaging in a wide variety of scholarly tasks and discipline-appropriate writing genres that prepare them for professional life.
Methods of Assessment
- Development of Program of Study
- Evaluation of student artifacts
- Successful performance in courses aligned to these graduate program outcomes
- Defense of thesis and/or portfolio
- Post-graduate career / job placements