The Master of Arts program in Historical Studies is designed to accommodate a variety of interests and career paths that connect individuals to a deeper knowledge of history. The diverse curriculum meets the needs of students wanting to enter the growing field of Public History, teach at the K-12 level, and those seeking to go on for a doctorate in history and an academic career. The program emphasizes academic and professional training in historiography, historical methods and theory, and current conceptual tools and techniques for organizing and presenting historical evidence.

Department faculty focus their research and teaching in the following fields: United States history (all periods and several sub-areas including politics and public policy, social history, diplomatic history, economic/business history, urban history, women's history, military affairs, and race relations/civil rights), Pre-Modern European history (including the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and early modern England), Modern European history (with particular emphasis on Britain, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, history of the Holocaust, and Russia), Atlantic World history, institutional and policy history, and Asian history, with particular emphasis on the history of China and Japan.

The program includes the option of a Public History track which offers an opportunity to explore the theory, scholarship, and practice of public history. Faculty specialize in community-based work in the fields of preservation, museum studies, and digital public history.

The Department schedules courses and events to suit full-time and part-time, evening students.

The Thesis

The thesis demonstrates a student’s ability to create historical scholarship that integrates both primary and secondary sources to make a novel argument about the past. All theses involve working with a faculty advisor and at least two additional faculty as thesis committee members.

The thesis can take one of two different forms in the M.A. in Historical Studies program.  The first is a traditional, written thesis of three chapters, ranging between 75 and 125 pages. The other is a project-based public history thesis that includes a substantive writing section examining the historiography of the chosen research topic integrated with the student’s insights but, instead of written chapters, may include a website, exhibition, archival collection, or lesson plan.

There are two courses of study which lead to completion of the M.A. in Historical Studies.

Students who plan to pursue the traditional M.A. in Historical Studies must earn a minimum of 30 credits. All students are required to take HIST 701 (The Study of History) in the fall semester of their first year, and HIST 702 (The Practice of History) in the spring semester of their first year. Students must take six elective courses, with at least three of these courses at the 700 level. (This requirement can be modified with the permission of the Graduate Program Director.) Students may, with permission from the Graduate Program Director, use HIST 798 (Special Topics in Historical Studies) and/or HIST 790 (Internship) to fulfill elective credit requirements. Finally, students must take at least six credits of HIST 799 (Thesis). Students should use this checklist to track their progress toward completion of the M.A. in Historical Studies.

Students who enroll in the M.A. in Historical Studies, Public History track must also earn a minimum of 30 credits to graduate. All Public History track students are required to take HIST 701 (The Study of History) and HIST 705 (Introduction to Public History) in the fall semester of their first year, and HIST 702 (The Practice of History) in the spring semester of their first year. In addition, students in the Public History track are required to complete HIST 790 (Internship). Public History track students fulfill the remaining credit requirements with four elective courses and at least six credits of HIST 799 (Thesis). Students should use this checklist to track their progress toward completion of the M.A. in Historical Studies, Public History track.

Students must be continuously enrolled in the program unless granted an authorized Leave of Absence (LOA). Students are limited to three authorized LOAs for their time in the program. All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within a five-year period, regardless of any LOAs.  Students seeking an extension of the five-year deadline must submit this form to the Graduate School after consultation with the Graduate Program Director. See the Graduate School webpage for further information on enrollment requirements and related forms.

Advising
When graduate students enter the program, the Graduate Program Director will serve as their advisor. All students should meet with the GPD for advising before enrolling in classes. Before the end of their second full-time semester, students should select a Thesis Advisor from among the Regular or Associate Graduate Faculty in the Department of History. Students are encouraged to consult the Graduate Program Director when making their selection. Once a student has selected a Thesis Advisor, they must complete the Declaration of Thesis Advisor Form and submit it to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant. The Thesis Advisor will serve as the student’s advisor for all matters (progress toward the thesis and selection of courses) until they leave the program.

Program Admission Requirements

The admission requirements and procedures for the M.A. in Historical Studies program correspond to the requirements set forth by the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Applications, which should be submitted through the Graduate School, must include:

• The graduate admissions application form,
• A statement of academic goals and research interests which identifies the faculty members with whom you would most like to work,
• A Resume' or CV,
• An undergraduate transcript,
• A 5-10 page sample of their academic or professional writing that demonstrates their writing, research, and analytical skills, and
• Three letters of recommendation that provide information about your potential as a scholar and your ability to engage in the academic work of history at the graduate level. (Candidates with questions or concerns regarding such letters are invited to consult with the Graduate Program Director well before the application deadline.).

The GRE is NOT required to apply to this program, though students are welcome to submit their results.

All applicants wishing to be considered for departmental funding (which may include a teaching or research assistantship, or any departmental funding not issued directly by the federal government) must check the relevant boxes under "Financial Assistance Information" in Section V of the application form.

The initial deadline for applications to the M.A. in Historical Studies program is February 15 of each year. Admissions will continue on a rolling basis until August.

Financial Assistance

The Department of History annually awards a limited number of assistantships to full-time students accepted into the M.A. in Historical Studies program. These confer tuition remission, a stipend of $14,000, and health insurance benefits. Both new applicants and continuing students in the Historical Studies program are eligible to apply.

To be considered for an assistantship, new applicants must check the relevant boxes under "Financial Assistance Information" in Section IV of the Graduate School application form, and submit it by the February 15 application deadline. Continuing students wishing to be considered for an assistantship must send (by the same deadline) a letter indicating their interest and qualifications to the Historical Studies Graduate Program Director.

The Graduate School has specific guidelines concerning assistantships. Among them are the requirement that only full-time students can serve as graduate assistants. To be considered full-time, a student must be registered for a minimum of nine credits in each Fall and Spring semester for the year under consideration. The credits that a student earns as a graduate assistant contribute to this nine credit requirement. So, a student who serves as a part-time GA (10 hours per week) is expected to register for six credits that lead toward his/her degree and GRAD 600 (three credits). Full-time GAs, who work up to 20 hours per week, should register for a minimum of four credits that lead toward his/her degree and GRAD 601 (five credits).

Tuition fee-2 years$50,000

Total fee-2 years$80,000