Academics

History, MA

History Track (M.A.)

The Master of Arts Program in History offers a rigorous set of individually selected courses and supervised research and writing. Both demanding and flexible, the History Track is designed for students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. degree; for secondary school teachers who wish to improve their knowledge of the field; and for students who seek to test their capacity for graduate work. The program is designed to accommodate teachers with a demanding schedule but who wish to pursue their M.A. degree part time.

Persons who desire to pursue advanced study for their own intellectual enjoyment and development can also benefit from the program’s design, and the department welcomes prospective students who have been out of school for a long time or who have majored in other areas of study and now wish to pursue the study of history.

All graduate courses consist of small seminars of no more than fifteen students, which affords all students close faculty attention and support. Not all students enter the graduate programs in history directly from college: the student body includes individuals who beginning graduate work after long absences from school. Applicants do not need to have majored in history as undergraduates, but they may be asked to pursue a program of coursework designed to remedy deficiencies in their preparation for graduate study.

Knowledge of a foreign language is not required for the Master of Arts in History. Thesis advisors may require a foreign language if they determine that competence in a particular language is necessary for students to conduct research on the topic on which a student will write his or her thesis. In that case, students must demonstrate competence in the foreign language to the satisfaction of their advisors.

History Teaching Track (M.A.)

The History Teaching Track is specially designed to meet the needs of secondary-school teachers who wish to enrich their knowledge of history. It emphasizes extensive and varied coursework culminating in a teaching-oriented capstone project. Teachers seeking certification in Massachusetts must consult with the Teacher Education Program of the College of Education and Human Development.

Please note that a foreign language is not required for the History Teaching track.

Public History Track (M.A.)

Please see the following information about the Public History track. For more information, contact Professor James Green.

History and Archives Track (M.A.)

In the fall of 2010, the History Department is pleased to initiate within its M.A. program a new Archives Track to train students for careers as information-age and historically minded archivists.

This an exciting and challenging time for archives and archivists – on the one hand digital technologies are mushrooming, requiring new skills for capturing and disseminating documentary evidence; on the other hand, there are increasing opportunities for the delivery of documentary information, both to the general public and to scholars. Archivists entering the field today are actively engaged with the digital era, while retaining traditional commitments to careful preservation of and efficient access to information.

Graduates with the M.A. in History and Archives will be become members of a profession that serves government agencies, historical and genealogical societies, museums, colleges and universities, and other “memory institutions.” Graduates also will find rewarding careers in private businesses and corporations, medical centers, and other institutions that keep and store their own archival records.

The Archives Track consists of three 3-credit courses and a 3-credit, semester-long internship. To complete the degree, students must take six other graduate courses and satisfy all M.A. requirements. Upon successful completion of the track and the M.A. requirements, students will be awarded a degree in History and Archives.

The first course in the History and Archives track, “Archival Administration,” is being offered in the fall of 2010 and is taught by Dr. Darwin H. Stapleton, who is also the Director of the Archives Track. In the spring 2011 semester, Dr. Stapleton will teach “Transforming Archives in the Digital Age,” and Dr. Jack Warner, Jr., Archivist of the Commonwealth, will teach “Archival Methods and Techniques.”

Having previously been a tenured professor at Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Stapleton comes to the History Department from twenty-two years as Executive Director of the Rockefeller Archive Center. Dr. Stapleton has also been an archival consultant to a number of other organizations. For more information, please contact Dr. Stapleton at Darwin.Stapleton@umb.edu.