Master of Arts in History with an Emphasis in Public History
Website: https://twu.edu/history/graduate-programs/master-of-arts-in-history/
The M.A. Program in History at TWU seeks to provide global citizens with a multicultural view of the past, embedded in graduate course offerings that emphasize the historical experiences of women, men, and children of varied races, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, our graduate program in History challenges students to further develop critical and analytical thinking skills through close interaction with primary source materials and historiographic interpretation. The program's emphasis in Public History equips students, through coursework and interactive internships, with the skills, methods, and tools necessary to present the past to popular audiences in a variety of traditional and emerging settings.
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Communicate effectively and persuasively in both speech and writing. The M.A. in History develops this skill by requiring students to engage in clear, persuasive, grammatically, and stylistically correct writing projects and classroom presentations.
- Evaluate new or contradictory points of view. The M.A. in History develops this skill by requiring students to take a class in Historiography/research and methods which demands that students critically analyze and interpret different historical narratives of events.
- Work independently on projects. The M.A. in History develops this skill by requiring all students to complete an independent, original piece of scholarship in the form of a Master's thesis or professional paper.
- Examine, assess, and implement public history best practices and methods both in the classroom and through experiential learning in a public history internship setting.
Admissions
All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.
This academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours Required
36 semester credit hours (SCH) minimum with at least 21 SCH of coursework in the major.
Students will take at least 9 SCH in U.S. history and 3 SCH in non-U.S. history. Students are encouraged to distribute the 9 U.S. history SCH across the following fields: 17th or 18th century US history, 19th century U.S. history, and U.S. history since 1900.
Thesis Option
Minimum of 36 semester credit hours, including 6 SCH for the thesis.
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. History | 9 | |
| Choose three of the following | ||
| Studies in 19th Century U.S | ||
| Women in Early America | ||
| Religion in an Atlantic World, 1450-1776 | ||
| Seminar in Native American History | ||
| Seminar on Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Material Culture in Early America | ||
| Progressives | ||
| American Experience in World War II | ||
| Between the Wars | ||
| Women in Early America | ||
| U.S. Since 1945 | ||
| Non-U.S. History | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following | ||
| Renaissance and Reformations | ||
| History of France | ||
| Slavery in the Americas | ||
| Seminar in Caribbean History | ||
| Seminar in European History | ||
| Electives | 6 | |
| 6 SCH in electives can be chosen from any of the classes listed above plus | ||
| Oral History Methodology | ||
| Seminar in Public History | ||
| Special Topics (Can be used for any category depending on the subject) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 5033 | Research Methods in History | 3 |
| HIST 5813 | Methods in Public History | 3 |
| HIST 5936 | Internship | 6 |
| HIST 5983 | Thesis | 3 |
| HIST 5993 | Thesis | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 36 | |
Professional Paper Option
Minimum of 36 semester credit hours. Students in this track take 3 SCH of Introduction to Public History, 6 SCHs of internships, and write a professional paper
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. History | 9 | |
| Choose three of the following | ||
| Studies in 19th Century U.S | ||
| Women in Early America | ||
| Religion in an Atlantic World, 1450-1776 | ||
| Seminar in Native American History | ||
| Seminar on Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Material Culture in Early America | ||
| Progressives | ||
| American Experience in World War II | ||
| Between the Wars | ||
| Women in Early America | ||
| U.S. Since 1945 | ||
| Non-U.S. history | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following | ||
| Renaissance and Reformations | ||
| History of France | ||
| Seminar in Caribbean History | ||
| Slavery in the Americas | ||
| Seminar in European History | ||
| Electives | 9 | |
| 9 SCH in electives can be chosen from any of the classes list above plus | ||
| Oral History Methodology | ||
| Seminar in Public History | ||
| Special Topics (Can be used for any category depending on the subject.) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 5033 | Research Methods in History | 3 |
| HIST 5813 | Methods in Public History | 3 |
| HIST 5936 | Internship | 6 |
| HIST 5973 | Professional Paper | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 36 | |
Minor
Optional. All minors must be approved by the student’s graduate committee and must include at least 6 semester credit hours.
Special Requirement
No grade lower than B can be counted toward meeting the minimum number of semester credit hours required.
Final Examination
An oral defense of the thesis or professional paper is required.
