UMass Boston

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are recommended.
• Applicants will normally be expected to have majored in history as undergraduates and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average in the major. Applicants who did not major in history as undergraduates may be asked to pursue a program of coursework designed to remedy deficiencies in their preparation for graduate study.
• We strongly encourage all interested applicants to contact the program track director. We are happy to discuss the program with you and guide you through the application process.
• We also encourage you to contact faculty whose research and teaching interests align with yours. You may schedule a visit to campus with the Graduate Program Director. Visits to individual classes are also encouraged and should be coordinated with the course instructor.

Deadlines: March 15 (on-campus) and April 15 (online) for fall

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: Significant tuition discounts are available to students enrolled in the online History MA program, as well as residents of Massachusetts and the other New England states. Visit the Bursar's website for more information.

Assistantships: Each year, the History Department offers a limited number of Graduate Assistantships to newly admitted graduate students. Assistantships are “half-time”, which means students are expected to work 9 hours per week for the academic year. As compensation, graduate assistants receive a bi-weekly stipend. Graduate Assistants also receive a 100 percent tuition remission for the contract period and a 50 percent waiver of their Educational Operations Fee. There are some remaining student fees that Assistants have to pay. If Assistants get their health insurance through the university, they will also receive a discount on their Health Insurance Premium.

Assistants work as teaching assistants or research assistants. Teaching assistants are assigned to professors who teach large lecture sections. These assistants will assist with grading and general operation of the class. They may be asked to do research work for their professor. Research assistants are usually assigned to faculty members to assist them with their research projects. Other assistants may be assigned to the Graduate Program Director, the Undergraduate Program Director, the Public History Director, and the University Archives. Each year, one Graduate Assistant is assigned to assist the editors of the New England Quarterly, which is housed at UMass Boston. Online MA students are not eligible for Graduate Assistantships.

You do not need to specify your interest in an Assistantship. All admitted students will be considered for an assistantship. Admitted students will receive notification of an assistantship award after they are formally accepted into the program.

UMass Boston's Master of Arts 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 PhD, secondary school teachers who wish to improve their knowledge of the field, and students who seek to test their capacity for graduate work.

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.

The History MA program offers an online MA. Online courses are available to students enrolled in the traditional History MA program.

View the History MA curriculum

The History Department also offers Certificate in Public History and a Certificate in History. A Certificate is not an MA degree, but it can be earned while also earning a History MA.

Public historians study the way we remember and interpret the past. They use historical methodologies to preserve, collect, present, and interpret history with and for public audiences. Public historians work with historic landscapes, sites, parks and monuments; in museums and historic buildings; on film and the internet; and with community groups and organizations, families, and institutions.

They study public awareness and consciousness of the past and how various actors, including public intellectuals and public interest groups, seek to “raise” historical consciousness and nurture historical thinking.

Training in historical methodology is a crucial foundation for practicing public historians. That is reflected in the structure of this program—public history students earn an MA in History rather than a specialized MA in Public History. Public History students need to gain strong subject-area knowledge and research skills, as well as an introduction to the theory and methods of public history. This model provides a cross-disciplinary approach that benefits professional training for public history students.

View the Public History track curriculum

The History Department also offers Certificate in Public History and a Certificate in History. A Certificate is not an MA degree, but it can be earned while also earning a History MA.

History Track:

UMass Boston's Master of Arts 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 PhD, secondary school teachers who wish to improve their knowledge of the field, and 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 MA part time.

Those 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.

For those writing a Thesis:
HIST 600: Research and Methods
HIST 605: Introduction to Historiography
HIST 690: Final Project Prep (Students should have at least 18 credits before taking FPP)
HIST 699: Thesis
Five electives, two of which can be upper-level undergraduate courses (300 level or higher)
For those writing a History Review Essay:
HIST 600: Research and Methods
HIST 605: Introduction to Historiography
HIST 690: Final Project Prep (Students should have at least 18 credits before taking FPP)
HIST 693: History Review Essay
Six electives, two of which can be upper-level undergraduate courses (300 level or higher)

Thesis
The thesis stands as the traditional culmination of a student’s graduate work, and students who wish to pursue a PhD should plan to write a thesis. The thesis should be approximately 50-70 pages long and based on original research. It should be the equivalent to an article in a scholarly journal. Theses are written under the guidance of an individual faculty advisor and defended before a committee of three faculty members, one of whom may be from outside the department. For more information on thesis requirements, see the Graduate Program Handbook.

History Review Essay
The History Review Essay is an alternative to the thesis. This option is only for students in the History Track. These essays are 25-30 page reviews of existing literature that demonstrate wide, deep reading in and extensive knowledge of the student’s chosen field. They are equivalent to the “state of the field” essays that appear regularly in scholarly journals. Essays showcase the student’s ability to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate secondary texts by asking critical questions about historiography, research methods, sources, and theory. History Review Essays are as challenging as theses, but highlight different skills. They are especially appropriate for those who do not plan future academic publications, for teachers looking to synthesize a broad range of scholarship, and for those who do not have ready access to primary source repositories.

Public History Track:

Public historians study the way we remember and interpret the past. They use historical methodologies to preserve, collect, present, and interpret history with and for public audiences. Public historians work with historic landscapes, sites, parks and monuments; in museums and historic buildings; on film and the worldwide web; and with community groups and organizations, families, and institutions.

They also study public awareness and consciousness of the past and how various actors, including public intellectuals and public interest groups, seek to “raise” historical consciousness and nurture historical thinking.

Training in historical methodology is a crucial foundation for practicing public historians. That is reflected in the structure of our program—public history students earn an MA in History rather than a specialized MA in Public History. Public History students need to gain strong subject-area knowledge and research skills as well as an introduction to the theory and methods of public history. This model provides a cross-disciplinary approach that benefits professional training for public history students. 

Students in the Public History Track complete 30 credit hours for the History MA. Students in the Public History Track have the option of writing a Thesis or completing a Capstone project.

For those writing a Thesis:
HIST 600: Research and Methods
HIST 605: Introduction to Historiography
HIST 620: Introduction to Public History and Popular Memory
HIST 625: Interpreting History in Public: Approaches to Public History Practice
HIST 698: Internship in Public History
HIST 690: Final Project Prep (Students should have at least 18 credits before taking FPP)
HIST 699: Thesis
Two electives

For those writing a Capstone:
HIST 600: Research and Methods
HIST 605: Introduction to Historiography
HIST 620: Introduction to Public History and Popular Memory
HIST 625: Interpreting History in Public: Approaches to Public History Practice
HIST 698: Internship in Public History
HIST 689: Capstone
4 electives

Professional Training and Development Requirement
Public History students must also complete 4 professional training and development activities by actively participating in hands-on opportunities to learn from seasoned practitioners and peers, explore potential career paths, and build professional skills and networks. 

In this program, you will:

• Develop advanced knowledge of historical theories, research methods, and analytical frameworks, allowing you to critically analyze primary and secondary sources, interpret historical events, and construct well-supported arguments
• Cultivate expertise in a specific historical period, region, or theme, deepening your understanding of the complexities of human experiences, cultural dynamics, and socio-political developments across different historical contexts
• Hone your research, writing, and communication skills, enabling you to effectively convey historical knowledge, engage in scholarly discourse, and contribute to the broader understanding of history through your research

In addition, public history students will

• Demonstrate knowledge of public history theory, the literature of the field and ethical practice, the environments of public facing work, and the issues that confront public historians in the field, through completion of public history coursework and field experiences.

• Put public history theory into practice in public facing projects and environments, applying methods and skills in analysis and interpretation that makes history accessible to public audiences, through internship(s) and a culminating capstone or thesis project.
• Build professional knowledge and networks by participating in professional communities of relevant organizations, participating in professional and/or academic conferences central to the field, joining advocacy efforts, and/or engaging in public history initiatives in the community. 

Graduate Program Director Olivia Weisser
Olivia.Weisser [at] umb.edu
(617) 287-6860

Director of the Public History Track Jane Becker
Jane.Becker [at] umb.edu
(617) 287-6885