Master's Program

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History Masters Program

The Department of History offers a Master's degree separate from its Ph.D. program. It is intended for those individuals who are interested in postgraduate work but who are not planning to complete a Ph.D. It is a degree program that can fulfill in-service education requirements for current teachers as well as for future teachers earning a single subject credential in Social Studies. Part-time enrollment is allowed.

Sample Graduate Career in History: M.A. Course Work and Target Dates

M.A. students must complete a total of 12 five-unit courses, six two-unit courses, and a substantial M.A./ essay of 25-30 pages; there is no language requirement. For student specializing in Europe, U.S., and East Asia, the curriculum will be nearly identical to that taken by Ph.D. students in their first two years. Those specializing in world history will take HIS 221 A-B, Patterns of World History, instead of the corresponding courses in other fields.

Course Requirements

• HIS 200, Methods and Theories of History
• HIS 201, Directed Research Colloquium
• One of the following research seminars during your first four quarters:
  • HIS 204A, History of Gender
  • HIS 204B, Society and Culture
  • HIS 204C, Colonialism, Nationalism, and Transnational Movements
• Two-unit courses:
  • First Year: HIS 280 A-B-C
  • Second Year: Three two-unit courses
• Electives:
  • Seven courses (five units each), two of which must be taken outside the History Department. Courses taken are graduate seminars, most upper-division undergraduate courses, and independent study courses.
• Reading Seminars:
  • Two courses required of all graduate students in their respective specialties
  • U.S.: 210 A-B-C, Readings in U.S. History
  • Europe: 250 A-B, Readings in European Social and Cultural History
  • World: 270 A-B, Patterns of World History
  • East Asia: 230A, Readings in Late Imperial China; 230C, Readings in 20^th Century China; 230B, Engendering China; 242, Readings in Modern Japan

The Master’s Degree Essay

Students are required to produce a substantial research essay (25-30 pages) grounded in original research in primary historical documents. A successful essay will reflect a general understanding of the field of inquiry along with a critical grasp of the scholarship that currently defines the field; deep knowledge of the specific subject under investigation; the application of appropriate analytical models; and a well-supported interpretation of the materials explored.

Funding

The History Department does not normally provide financial support to its M.A. students; however, you may apply for available teaching assistantships.