/College of Arts & Sciences
Department of History

Empowering Students to Study the Past and Shape the Future

Master's Program

The Master's Program in History

The History Department offers a master's program that qualifies students for employment in a number of fields, including teaching, government, and museum work. In past years a substantial number of people admitted to our program have ultimately gone on to pursue the PhD.

The History Department is unable to offer financial aid to first-year MA students, but recently began a program to provide partial tuition support to some of our top MA students to facilitate timely completion of the program. 

History graduate students are eligible to earn Graduate Certificates offered by other university programs such as Africana Studies; Cultural Studies; Geospatial Sciences; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Students gain personal enrichment when studying History

Our Master's programs are open to individuals seeking personal enrichment, whether or not history is directly related to their occupation. Students may enroll on either a full- or part-time basis.

Professional Track

The professional track is designed for both social studies teachers who need a master's degree for professional certification and those seeking advanced preparation for careers in government service, journalism, and other fields that demand a combination of research, writing skills, and knowledge of the past. This program provides a stronger grounding in history than do master's programs in liberal studies and teaching. Students benefit from exposure to doctoral students, but can tailor their programs based on their own interests and skill levels.

Professional Track Requirements

Students begin the program in the Fall semester. Most students complete the program in two years of study, but it is possible to do so on a part time basis over a longer period.

  • Three field seminars (9 credits)
  • Two theme seminars (6 credits)
  • One directed reading (3 credits)
  • Elective courses (12 credits): These can be selected from Field Seminars, Theme Seminars, directed studies and graduate courses offered in conjunction with other departments (e.g., Sociology, Africana Studies, and Cultural Analysis and Theory); there is also an option for a Master's thesis of 6 credits.

Total credits: 30

By the time the student has completed 24 credits (e.g. fall semester of his/her second year for a full-time student):
  • Secure the agreement of two faculty members (one of whom must be the student's Advisor) to serve on the orals examination committee.
  • The Advisor will examine the student in his or her major field of geographical focus.
  • The second faculty member will examine the student in a complementary field (typically based on a theme seminar).
Oral Exams are intended to evaluate students' knowledge of their fields, emphasizing readings done as part of their course work and/or in their intended fields of academic and/or professional expertise. To prepare for Orals, students shall, in consultation with each of their committee members:
  • Compile a reading list for both of their fields. 
  • Each of the two exam lists should include 15-20 books or equivalent in articles (3 articles=1 book), for a grand total of 30-40 books. 
  • The exam will be taken at the end of the student's course of study.
  • At least two months before the student's desired date for the Oral Exam, the student will present the members of his or her orals committee with a final list of books and topics to be examined.
  • Students should enroll in a Directed Readings course (sometimes termed an Orals Workshop) to prepare for the examination.
  • Students are responsible for arranging a mutually acceptable date and time for the exam (and for notifying the Graduate Program Coordinator well in advance so that the necessary paperwork can be processed). 
  • The exam will last approximately one hour, and it will be graded as "pass with distinction," "pass," or "fail." In the event of failure, the student may petition to take the exam a second time at a later date. 
For more information, see our guide to preparing for MA Oral Exams.
  • To facilitate student success and minimize complication and stress, faculty Advisors and committee members are expected to administer graduate Oral Exams in person. The only exception being if they are on leave and out of the region, in which case they should state their need for remote participation at the time of scheduling. Once an Oral Exam is scheduled, the date should not be changed, except in case of extenuating circumstances. If a change to mode or date is necessary, faculty should first contact the Chair and/or Graduate Director before asking the student, other committee members, or the Graduate Coordinator.

Students in this track can earn their degree either through coursework alone or by choosing to write a 6-credit master's thesis. The thesis will give students the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of interest using primary sources.

Academic Track

The academic track is designed for students who aspire to a career in teaching or writing history at the college level, but who are not yet ready to enter a PhD program. Students on the academic track are required to enroll in the two-semester Core Seminar in historical theory and research during their second (or final) year in the program (or earlier with the approval of the Graduate Program Director and the student's Primary Advisor), and otherwise to generally follow a course of study similar to that of incoming doctoral (PhD) students.

Academic Track Requirements

Students begin the program in Fall semester. Most students complete the program in two years of study, but it is possible to do so on a part time basis over a longer period.

Students in this track are expected to develop a concentration in a region or period, or in an interdisciplinary field, and to conduct research in this area of concentration in the Core Seminar.

  • Two field seminars (6 credits)
  • Two theme seminars (6 credits)
  • Core seminar (6 credits)
  • One directed reading (3 credits)
  • Elective courses (9 credits): These can be selected from Field Seminars, Theme Seminars, directed studies and graduate courses offered in conjunction with other departments (e.g., Sociology, Africana Studies, and Cultural Analysis and Theory); there is also an option for a Master's thesis (6 credits)

    Total credits: 30

By the time the student has completed 24 credits (e.g. fall semester of his/her second year for a full-time student):
  • Secure the agreement of two faculty members (one of whom must be the student's Advisor) to serve on the orals examination committee.
  • The Advisor will examine the student in his or her major field of geographical focus.
  • The second faculty member will examine the student in a complementary field (typically based on a theme seminar).
Oral Exams are intended to evaluate students' knowledge of their fields, emphasizing readings done as part of their course work and/or in their intended fields of academic and/or professional expertise. To prepare for Orals, students shall, in consultation with each of their committee members:
  • Compile a reading list for both of their fields. 
  • Each of the two exam lists should include 15-20 books or equivalent in articles (3 articles=1 book), for a grand total of 30-40 books.
  • The exam will be taken at the end of the student's course of study.
  • At least two months before the student's desired date for the Oral Exam, the student will present the members of his or her orals committee with a final list of books and topics to be examined.
  • Students should enroll in a Directed Readings course (sometimes termed an Orals Workshop) to prepare for the examination.
  • Students are responsible for arranging a mutually acceptable date and time for the exam (and for notifying the Graduate Program Coordinator well in advance so that the necessary paperwork can be processed). 
  • The exam will last approximately one hour, and it will be graded as "pass with distinction," "pass," or "fail." In the event of failure, the student may petition to take the exam a second time at a later date. 
For more information, see our guide to preparing for MA Oral Exams.

To facilitate student success and minimize complication and stress, faculty Advisors and committee members are expected to administer graduate Oral Exams in person. The only exception being if they are on leave and out of the region, in which case they should state their need for remote participation at the time of scheduling. Once an Oral Exam is scheduled, the date should not be changed, except in case of extenuating circumstances. If a change to mode or date is necessary, faculty should first contact the Chair and/or Graduate Director before asking the student, other committee members, or the Graduate Coordinator.

Master's students with a concentration in European history must pass a written exam in an appropriate foreign language. Students in Latin American history must pass a written exam in Spanish or Portuguese. The other areas of concentration currently do not require a foreign language for the master's degree.

Students in the academic track can earn their degree either through coursework alone or by choosing to write a 6-credit master's thesis. The thesis will give students the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of interest using primary sources. Academic track students undertaking a Master’s thesis are encouraged to combine their thesis project with their Core paper (i.e., the Core paper can form all or a substantial part of the Master’s thesis).

Master's to PhD

For students seeking to enter SBU PhD Program

  • Master's students seeking to enter the PhD Program must submit a formal application to the Graduate School. Admission into the PhD program is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, master's students are welcome and indeed encouraged to participate in all departmental activities.

Advising and Evaluation

  • When students are accepted into the graduate program, they are assigned a first-year Advisor based on the areas of interest indicated by the student in the application. Students should meet with their Advisors regularly, including at the beginning of each semester, to discuss program requirements and their course of study (including general course selection, language requirements, and enrollment in courses outside the department). Graduate students must have a Faculty Advisor (or co-Advisor) internal to their academic program to continue working towards their degree (please consult the department policy on advisor changes).
  • Evaluation of student performance takes place throughout the academic year (for example, through grading of student work in graduate seminars), including at the end of each semester, but most importantly through the end-of-year review. In this review, faculty members meet to evaluate the progress of all students in the graduate program. Evaluations of student performance will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the student and include suggestions for improvement. Each student and their Advisor will receive comments evaluating the student’s academic performance over the school year, and will be alerted of any issues of serious concern.