Graduate Program

About the Program

The History Graduate Program leads to the Master of Arts degree and features course offerings in six tracks:

1. American History
2. Public History
3. Global History
4. Legal History
5. Early Modern History
6. Modern History

Our program builds students’ historical understanding either to augment skills in teaching or in public history institutions or to secure such positions. It also prepares graduates for pursuing doctoral-level studies in history should they wish to do so, and welcomes all individuals fascinated by the past who wish to deepen their appreciation of its many aspects.

Learning goals include expanded knowledge of history and historiography, increased familiarity with historical theories, enhanced ability to interpret primary sources, ability to produce publishable-quality research papers, and for public history track students, developing advanced practical skills in several specialty areas of public history.

Our public history track provides students with hands-on experience and skills needed to build a career in public history working at museums, archives, historical sites, and other public-facing institutions. Our faculty have extensive connections with such institutions throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the greater mid-Atlantic region, and recent graduates have secured full-time jobs at places such as the National Archives at Philadelphia, the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, the Philadelphia City Archives, the National Holocaust Museum, the Historical Society of Philadelphia, the Alice Paul Institute, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Independence Seaport Museum, the Princeton University Archives, and many, many others.

Although not all students may desire to go on to a Ph.D., those who do have a strong track record of success coming out of our program. In recent years, graduates from our MA program have been accepted with full funding by the following Ph.D. programs: Auburn University, Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia University, the CUNY Graduate Center, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Alabama, University of California Santa Barbara, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Tennessee, University of Texas-Austin, the University of Virginia, and others as well.

For a PDF brochure with more details about our M.A. program, our department, and our campus, please click HERE.

 

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