History Department

• Admissions
• Curriculum
• Transfer Credit
• Advising and Support
• Learning Outcomes
• Contact

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in History is designed for those who teach in local schools, those who wish to prepare for a Ph.D. program and those who seek the additional intellectual challenge of graduate work in History.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in History, with concentrations in U.S. History and Global Comparative History, requires thirty credits of coursework. The U.S. History concentration includes standard topics in American history as well as more specialized courses in local history, public history and industrial history. The Global Comparative History concentration allows students to choose from an array of courses covering a broad geographical and temporal range.

Students may be full or part-time. A full-time student could complete the M.A. degree in one and a half full academic years (summer attendance included).

AdmissionsAdmissions

This program is no longer accepting new applications.

CurriculumCurriculum

Program requirements include thirty credits of coursework which may be completed in one of three ways:

1. Ten three-credit graduate courses;
2. Nine three-credit graduate courses and a three-credit project or internship with an area historical society or organization;
3. Eight three-credit graduate courses and a six-credit thesis.

Required Courses:

• HIST.5010 The Practice of History
• 5000 Level History Research Seminar as approved by Graduate Coordinator.

Electives:

Students completing a thesis take six electives and those doing a project or internship take 7 electives. Students not doing a thesis or project/internship take 8 electives.

• HIST.5020 Introduction to Archives
• HIST.5100 Modern Revolutions in a Global Context
• HIST.5110 History of College, 1100-1900
• HIST.5120 Athenian Democracy and Political Culture
• HIST.5130 World History: Theory and Practice
• HIST.5160 Consumer Cultures in Historical Perspective
• HIST.5350 Immigration History
• HIST.5360 Readings on the Great Depression and the New Deal
• HIST.5400 Law, Politics and Society in Early America
• HIST.5450 Native People of the Northern Woodlands
• HIST.5460 Topics in African American History
• HIST.5470 History of the U.S. South
• HIST.5500 Graduate Reading Seminar: Imperial Japan, 1894-1952
• HIST.5510 Reading Seminar on Modern China
• HIST.5520 Enterprise in Latin America
• HIST.5590 Reconstructing America: Upheaval, Immigration and Reform
• HIST.5900 Topics in History
• HIST.5910 Directed Study

With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, students may count up to two graduate-level courses (6 credits) outside of the History Department as electives.

Matriculated students are allowed to transfer up to 12 credits of graduate course work completed with a grade of B or better taken in other departments at UMass Lowell or at other accredited college or universities in the United States or Canada, provided that the courses are within a relevant content area and do not involve credit for field experience or professional work. Such transfer credit is subject to the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the Registrar's Office

Advising-and-SupportAdvising and Support

Each entering student will be assigned to an adviser from among the History Department's full-time faculty. The student will meet with his/her adviser on a regular basis throughout their years of study to discuss course selection and academic progress. It is our expectation that faculty advisers and student advisees will meet at least once each semester.

Learning-OutcomesLearning Outcomes

Students in the M.A. program will develop a thorough grounding in the historical process and a greater empathy and special perspective for viewing human thought and action through a broad exposure to the complexities that shape the forces of civilization. Graduates will recognize the distinctiveness of people and societies of the past and acknowledge the threads that connect the experiences of these people over time. Learning outcome include:

1. How to think historically, that is, a heightened ability to understand and explain change over time, utilizing multiple sources.
2. Demonstrate a thorough grounding in the historical process and a variety of perspectives through which to view human thought and action
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the distinctiveness of people and societies of the past, as well as the threads that connect the experiences of all peoples over time.
4. How to critically evaluate and work with a wide range of primary source materials.
5. Effective oral and written communication skills so as to be able to present reading and research findings effectively in written and in spoken presentations; to be able to tell the story well.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of interpretations developed by different historian
7. Greater Understanding of linked global histories

ContactContact

For more information about the program or to contact the coordinator, please visit the History Department website.