History
Masters Degree in History
Contact at (360) 546-9425 for information on how to apply.
Washington State University Vancouver also has a mission to provide students with the critical skills for making complex decisions. History is in an excellent position to provide these skills as it has been increasingly characterized by its multicultural and comparitive approaches to the study of the human condition.
In its first year, the Master of Arts degree in History will emphasize public history which means students will be encouraged to extend their research and findings to the arenas of educational and public programs and to use historical theories, methods and concepts to help address contemporary problems and issues. Subsequent strengths are expected to include a world history field, increasingly key to public school teacher training and to the general understanding of contemporary society in a global context. Other contributions to community include collaborations with local historical societies, museums, and school districts. These emphases complement Washington State University Vancouver's mission to be responsive to practical concerns of the local community. Faculty members also currently supervise a growing number of history-related internships and field studies programs (including those through the Center for Columbia River History and the Old Town History Project) – serving WSUV undergraduates and Portland State University (PSU) graduate students. WSUV history faculty have solidified relationships with a growing number of potential employers, including the National Park Service, area historical societies and museums, city heritage commissions, and other public education and service organizations.
An MA degree at Washington State University Vancouver will enhance the cultural, artistic, and intellectual growth of the students, campus and community. As stated above, history is characterized by the discipline’s multicultural and holistic perspectives on the past, providing important contexts for understanding regional, national, and international affairs. An MA program will provide greater opportunities for faculty and students to access funding from agencies such as the Washington Committee for the Humanities to support public speakers series and other cultural events presented to the local community, as well as to the campus.
Job Opportunities
The Master of Arts degree in History will provide training for Southwest Washington area history and liberal arts graduates. An addition, the program may provide opportunities for some individuals to move into history-related fields, teaching, government, and public education-related occupations. Research studies show that there are annually more actual jobs for MAs than for PhDs in the field of public history.
Students with an MA in History could apply for historical and educational services positions at regional and national museums, community colleges, the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and over 20 private and public educational institutions, libraries and history-related institutions in the Vancouver-Portland Metropolitan area. History-trained individuals are also eligible to apply for positions in museums with print, photographic, and artifact collections (city, county, state museums), local media, numerous state social service agencies and national and international agencies.
Community Service
The MA in History degree is likely to enhance service to the community in the following ways: (1) providing place-bound students with access to high-quality graduate education; (2) offering multicultural and other significant public events and speakers of interest to the local communities; (3) developing greater collaboration and coordination with local community college history programs; (4) providing global and public history perspectives to local elementary and secondary school teachers and students; and (5) providing student and faculty expertise, consulting, and assistance (through required field studies and internship requirements in public history) to area heritage institutions engaged in the collection of primary oral history sources and the gathering, synthesis, and interpretation of local histories and historical sites.
Course of Study
Vancouver degree program will feature two specialized tracks: "public history" or applied aspects of history and world history. This degree has been developed jointly with PSU faculty and is both an extension and formalization of the existing collaborative relationships between history faculties at both institutions, including those forming the consortium for the Center for Columbia River History.
The primary goal of the Master of Arts in History will be to offer students a structured and coherent course of historical study. The degree will emphasize historical training consisting of 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree in at least two fields of history, at least one seminar, and two field courses, a general historiography course, and a final oral examination. Students will select a thesis or non-thesis option. Public history candidates will serve an internship of at least one summer in duration. A rigorous program of historical study also reinforces transferable skills such as writing and critical analysis. Training in the theoretical and methodological aspects of the discipline gives students the intellectual skills necessary to identify and address real-world problems – an especially important consideration given the increasing use of historical methods, research training, and communication skills in the business environment and public sectors. Most important, an MA in History introduces students to specific instances of the diversity of the human experience and the processes of historical and cultural identity that prepare them for an ever more differentiated and culturally complex workplace.
The Master of Arts in History requires courses in at least two fields of history (currently including American, East Asian, Environmental, European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, World, Women’s, and Public History). The degree seeks to serve students who may or may not seek additional graduate (Ph.D.) training in history, as well as students who seek careers in education and as public historians, and for whom the MA is their final training in history.
Candidates for the MA History must satisfy all College of Liberal Arts and University requirements as described in the University catalog.
A minimum of 30 credits is required, including coursework in two fields of history, one seminar, two field courses, one historiography course, and an internship (in the case of public history candidates). The following coursework is already available:
Hist 510 Field Course in American History
Hist 515 Jeffersonian-Jacksonian America*
Hist 521 The American West*
Hist 522 History of the Pacific Northwest*
Hist 525 Seminar in American History
Hist 527 Public History: Theory and Methodology*
Hist 528 Seminar in Public History
Hist 571 Topics in World History*
Hist 575 Field Course in Women’s History
Hist 580 Historiography
Hist 596 Topics in American Studies
Hist 597 Seminar in History
Hist 598 History Internship**
Hist 600 Special Projects or Independent Study**
Hist 700 Master’s Research, Thesis, and/or Examination
Hist 702 Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination
Length of time required
Maintaining a full-time course load of on average 20 credits per year, students are projected to complete the degree in two years. Students should transfer into the program with any language pre-requisites complete. Coursework currently on offer is sufficient to permit students to complete all program requirements (as well as university requirements and electives) within two years of admission.