History M.A.

(33 credits)

The Master’s degree program offered by Indiana State University’s Department of History is designed to fulfill a variety of academic and professional objectives. The program facilitates preparation for entry into doctoral programs in history and for teaching at the university, community college, and secondary levels. Graduate work in history also provides an excellent background for careers in law, business, government service, and writing, and for specialized work as a museum curator, librarian, archivist, editor, historic site specialist, and research historian. Normally broad in its academic scope, the Master’s degree program in history is also sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of individual students.

The program can be completed either on campus or online. Both options require 33 credit hours which can be completed in two years of full-time study or in about three to five years of part-time study. Typical courses include intensive reading, research, and writing assignments combined with discussion boards and/or synchronous online meetings. The online Master’s degree is designed to meet the needs of educators and working students.

Core Courses (12 credits):

HIST 600 - Historical Research and Methods 3 Credits
HIST 621 - Research Seminar 3 Credits
Choose at least two of the following:
HIST 620 - Readings Seminar: The United States 3 Credits
HIST 660 - Readings Seminar: Europe 3 Credits
HIST 670 - Readings Seminar: The Wider World 3 Credits

Directed Electives (6 credits):

Select two from the following:

HIST 620 - Readings Seminar: The United States 3 Credits
HIST 621 - Research Seminar 3 Credits
HIST 621 may be taken more than once. If taken twice, the second course may not substitute for the other 600-level requirements.
HIST 622 - Social Movements in Historical Context 3 Credits
HIST 623 - Seminar in History 3 Credits
HIST 650 - Historical Method and Theory 3 Credits
HIST 660 - Readings Seminar: Europe 3 Credits
HIST 670 - Readings Seminar: The Wider World 3 Credits
HIST 695 - Independent Study 1-3 Credits
HIST 620, 650, 660, or 670 can be used here if not taken above.

500-level elective courses (15 credits):

15 credits of 500-level courses will be selected in consultation with the advisor.

History of Labor and Reform Movements Concentration (21 credits):

Directed Electives:
HIST 533 - History of Labor in the United States 3 Credits
HIST 622 - Social Movements in Historical Context 3 Credits
Choose two of the following:
HIST 515 - The Gilded Age and Progressive Era 1877-1917 3 Credits
HIST 537 - Race and Nationality in the United States 3 Credits
HIST 539 A-C - Women in History 3 Credits
Students must pick HIST 539A for this concentration
or an approved substitute
HIST 623 - Seminar in History 3 Credits

Electives (9 credits):

A combination of electives related to the concentration and approved by the student’s committee chairperson.

Culminating Experience:

Graduate culminating experiences are meant to integrate several different aspects of the historian’s craft. Projects should analyze primary source documents and relate the topic to the historical period in question and its historiography. For most students, this culminating project will be comprised of an article-length research project to be presented to the master’s committee near the end of his/her career at ISU. The typical project runs approximately 35-50 pages, though that range may depend on the nature of the project and the particular parameters established by the advisor. Students pursuing the labor and social movements concentration will generate a culminating experience that covers an appropriate topic. Alternative projects, though they may take a variety of forms, will incorporate the elements enumerated above. If a student wishes to propose something that is not clearly a traditional research project, it is suggested that the advisor consult with the Graduate Committee about the parameters of the project early in the process.

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