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Degree Programs
History

The Master of Arts program in History in the IU School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis offers three areas of concentration: United States history, European history, and public history. United States and European history are traditional areas of concentration and will serve the needs of persons intending to pursue a doctoral program, those seeking a collateral degree to complement other fields such as education or library science, and individuals seeking personal fulfillment. Public history is designed to prepare persons inter­ested in pursuing careers as historians in such settings as histor­ical societies, museums, historic preservation organizations, historic parks, governmental agencies, and business corpora­tions. With its proximity to a large number of such institutions, the Indianapolis campus is an ideal location at which to pursue a degree in public history.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students completing the History M.A. curriculum will:

  • Know the importance and critical perspective of historical knowledge for understanding contemporary society.
  • Demonstrate an advanced level of factual knowledge in their field of historical study (U.S., European, Public).
  • Demonstrate mastery of the historiography of their field of historical study.
  • Demonstrate competence in the methodologies commonly employed in the discipline.
  • Demonstrate a high level of clarity, accuracy, and sophistication in written and oral communication.
  • Carry out a research project (M.A. thesis) that employs both primary and secondary sources, is completed in conformity with the conventions and standards of the discipline, and makes a significant contribution to knowledge.

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission Requirements

  1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (B) and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in the student’s undergraduate major (an undergraduate major in history is not required, but applicants without such a background may be required to take additional coursework in history at the undergraduate level as a condition for acceptance into the program);
  2. Appropriate level of achievement on the Graduate Record Examination General Test (applicants with a post-graduate degree should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine whether they are required to submit GRE scores); and
  3. Three letters of recommendation.

Foreign Language

There is no foreign language requirement for the degree per se. However, those students who will incorporate foreign language documents in their graduate work (especially those concentrat­ing on European history) will be expected to translate non-English sources. They must therefore demonstrate an appropriate level of competence in the relevant language before they begin work on their thesis. The Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s thesis advisor may require the student to take additional coursework.

All students concentrating in European history should expect to demonstrate competence in a foreign language, ideally upon application to the program. (Competence is defined as two years of undergraduate coursework with a grade of B or better in the final semester, or demonstration of an equivalent read­ing proficiency in an approved foreign language exam.). Stu­dents considering the possibility of going on for a Ph.D. should recognize that competence in at least one and sometimes two foreign languages is often a requirement in history doctoral programs.

Grades

No grade below B– (2.7) in graduate courses will be counted toward this degree.

Course Requirements

Students pursuing any one of the three concentration areas must take HIST-H 501. With the consent of the Director of Graduate Studies, students may take as many as six (6) credits of electives outside the Department of History.

Those electing United States history must take at least one graduate colloquium and one graduate seminar in United States history and at least one graduate course in non-United States history. Students electing European history must take a graduate colloquium and seminar in that area and at least one graduate history course outside their regional concentration. Six (6) credits will be grant­ed upon successful completion of the required master’s thesis. A total of 30 credit hours is required for students concentrating in United States or in European history. With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, HIST-H 500 (when offered) may be substituted for HIST-H 501.

Students choosing public history as their area of concentration must take (1) HIST-H 542, (2) a colloquium, (3) a seminar, and (4) enroll in HIST-H 543 and do an internship. Four (4) credits will be granted upon satisfactory completion of the internship project. Public history students must also take at least one graduate course outside their area of regional concentration. Two (2) credits will be granted upon successful completion of the required master’s thesis. A minimum of 36 credit hours is required for students concentrating in public history.

Students admitted to the program after completing courses “graduate non-degree” will be allowed, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies, to transfer up to three (3) graduate-level courses (9-12 credit hours) toward their degree requirements. 

With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, it may be possible to transfer up to eight (8) graduate credits from another university.

Indiana University’s Graduate School limits the total number of credits that can be taken outside the History master’s program to 12 credits. A grade of B (3.0) or higher must have been earned in any course for which a transfer of credit is being requested.

Dual Degree: Master of Library Science and Master of Arts in History

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 53 credit hours rather than the 66 credit hours required for the two degrees if taken separately. Students take 23 credit hours in history, which must include HIST-H 547 (Archives), one graduate seminar and one graduate colloquium. No thesis is required for students earning an M.A. degree in history who are also earning a Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) under this dual degree program. No area of concentration is required, but students wishing to focus on public history for the M.A. in history must also include HIST-H 542 among the required 23 credits of history course work. Such students may, if they wish, do a public history internship and count a maximum of 2 credit hours of HIST-H 543 toward the degree. (Students may enroll in HIST-H 543 only after having taken or while taking HIST-H 542.)

The remaining 30 credit hours are taken in the Department of Library and Information Science (IUPUI).

For more information on those requirements, go to http://soic.iupui.edu/lis/

Dual Degree: Master of Arts in History and Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies

The dual M.A. in History and M.A. in Philanthropic Studies creates a unique opportunity to pursue critical inquiry into the historical, cultural, philosophical, and economic implications of voluntary action for the public good. Historians routinely study the role of nonprofit organizations, self-help groups, and philanthropic institutions. This dual degree program offers an interdisciplinary focus on the past, present, and future. This de­gree will be attractive to students wishing to pursue (1) careers that demand the skills and talents developed by cross-training in history and philanthropy; or (2) doctoral programs that en­courage new and creative approaches to the historical study of philanthropy, broadly defined.

Admission requirements for the dual degree program are identical to those for each program separately. A separate ap­plication must be made to each of the programs. Prospective students are expected to take responsibility for learning about and meeting the different admission requirements and dead­lines of each department. Students must make plans early with advisors in both programs to identify (1) common courses and (2) a thesis topic.

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 51 credit hours (U.S. or European history concentrations) or 54 credit hours (public history) rather than the 66 or 72 credit hours that would be required if the two degrees were taken separately. For all concentrations, the required 700-level seminar for the M.A. in history may be selected as an elective to meet the philanthropic studies requirement for one of two theoretical electives. The required history courses with philan­thropic studies topics HIST H509 (History of Philanthropy in the West) or HIST H516 (History of American Philan­thropy) may be taken to meet the history requirement for a his­tory elective. Required courses PHIL P542 Ethics and Values of Philanthropy, or PHST P512 Human and Financial Resources for Philanthropy, may be taken to meet 3 credits of the 6 credits of outside electives that may be taken in the history program. For public history students, HIST H543 Practicum meets the requirement for PHST P590 Internship for the Philanthropic Studies program. A common thesis meets the requirements of both departments.

Students in other departments may minor in history by com­pleting, with a grade point average no lower than B (3.0), at least 12 credit hours of course work in history. A minimum of 6 credit hours must be taken on the Indianapolis campus. This course work shall include:

  • HIST-H 501: Historical Methodology (4 cr.)
  • Either a 600-level colloquium (e.g., HIST-H 620, HIST-H 650) (4 cr.) or a 700-level seminar (e.g., HIST-H 730, HIST-H 750) (4 cr.)
  • At least 4 additional credit hours (which may include a maximum of 3 credits of HIST-H 575: Graduate Readings in History) 

Courses

  • HIST-H 501 Historical Methodology (4 cr.)Discussion and application of the various methods and strategies used in historical research.
  • HIST-H 509 Special Topics in European History (3 cr.)Study of topics in European history. May be repeated with a different topic.
  • HIST-H 511 Special Topics in American History (3 cr.)Study of topics in American history. May be repeated with a different topic.
  • HIST-H 516 History of Philanthropy in the United States (3 cr.)Approaches philanthropy as a social relation between various groups and looks at issues ranging from the relationship between government and the economy to African-American activism to women's roles. Explores past and current debates about such issues in order to analyze the past, understand the present, and shape the future.
  • HIST-H 518 History of International Humanitarian Assistance (3 cr.)This course covers the history of international humanitarian assistance during the 19th and 20th centuries. Its focus is on the movements and activities that developed in wealthier countries (Europe and the U.S.) which attempted to help those in other lands in need of assistance (e.g., food, shelter, medical care), as a result of a variety of causes, both natural and man-made, such as famine, flood, epidemics, earthquakes and volcanoes as well as wars and government oppression. The responses took many forms, governmental and nongovernmental, in a world that underwent very dramatic changes during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
  • HIST-H 521 Special Topics in African, Asian, or Latin American History (3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected topics in African, Asian, or Latin American history. Topics will vary from semester to semester, e.g., traditional Asia, modern Asia. May be repeated once for credit with a different topic.
  • HIST-H 542 Public History (4 cr.)The application of history to public needs and public programs. Historic preservation, archival management, oral history, editing, public humanities programming, historical societies, etc.
  • HIST-H 543 Practicum in Public History (1-4 cr.)P: or C: HIST-H 542. Internships in public history programs, fieldwork, or research in the historical antecedents of contemporary problems.
  • HIST-H 546 Special Topics in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology (3 cr.) Study of topics in the history of science, medicine, and technology. May be repeated for credit with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies.
  • HIST-H 547 Special Topics in Public History (3 cr.)Intensive study and analysis of selected topics in public history. Topics will vary from semester to semester, e.g., historic preservation, archival practice, material history, local and community history, digital humanities, and historical editing. May be repeated once for credit.
  • HIST-H 548 Historical Administration (3 cr.)This course presents an overview of issues faced by administrators and mid-level managers who work in museums, historical societies, archives, special collection libraries, and other cultural resource agencies. Topics, speakers, and readings focus on issues that are unique to agencies that collect, preserve, and interpret historical resources.
  • HIST-H 575 Graduate Readings in History (1-5 cr.)Only three (3) credit hours will count toward the Ph.D. Minor in History. May be repeated with different readings.

Colloquia

  • HIST-H 615 Colloquium: Early Modern Western European History (4 cr.)These colloquia are seminar size and involve oral and written study of the problems bibliographies, interpretations, and research trends in the fields with which they respectively deal; they are the chief means by which a study becomes knowledgeable in history at a professional level and prepares for the doctoral qualifying Examination.
  • HIST-H 620 Colloquium: Modern Western European History (4 cr.)These colloquia are seminar size and involve oral and written study of the problems, bibliographies, interpretations, and research trends in the fields with which they respectively deal; they are the chief means by which a student becomes knowledgeable in history at a professional level and prepares for the doctoral Qualifying Examination.
  • HIST-H 630 Colloquium: British Imperial History (4 cr.)These colloquia are seminar size and involve oral and written study of the problems, bibliographies, interpretations, and research trends in the fields with which they respectively deal; they are the chief means by which a student becomes knowledgeable in history at a professional level and prepares for the doctoral Qualifying Examination.
  • HIST-H 650 Colloquium: United States History (4 cr.) These colloquia are seminar size and involve oral and written study of the problems, bibliographies, interpretations, and research trends in the fields with which they respectively deal; they are the chief means by which a student becomes knowledgeable in history at a professional level and prepares for the doctoral Qualifying Examination

Seminars

  • HIST-H 715 Seminar: Early Modern Western European History (4 cr.)These courses involve research of a mature level with primary sources in specialized topics and problems in the field with which they respectively deal. They train the student in historical scholarship.
  • HIST-H 720 Seminar: Modern Western European History (4 cr.)These courses involve research of a mature level with primary sources in specialized topics and problems in the field with which they respectively deal. They train the student in historical scholarship.
  • HIST-H 730 Seminar: British Imperial History (4 cr.)These courses involve research of a mature level with primary sources in specialized topics and problems in the field with which they respectively deal. They train the student in historical scholarship.
  • HIST-H 750 Seminar in United States History (4 cr.) These courses involve research of a mature level with primary sources in specialized topics and problems in the field with which they respectively deal. They train the student in historical scholarship.

Thesis

  • HIST-H 898 M.A. Thesis (1-6 cr.)