The History Track (MA)

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 which 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.

The University of Massachusetts Boston campus is located on the Red Line and is adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Library and the Massachusetts State Archives. Both facilities house large collections of primary source materials that can be used by graduate students for research papers, capstone papers, and theses. An amicable spirit of cooperation exists between the university and these two libraries.