Dr. Caitlin Hoffmann
Calder Distinguished Professor of History
Assigns first-year advisors and approves program changes (Graduate Handbook §4.1, §2.9).
College of Arts & Sciences · Master's degree
Master of Arts in History
The MA in History trains students in historiography and archival research across U.S., European, and global history, preparing them for doctoral study, teaching, public history, and archival careers.
MA · 33 credits
Program Overview & Curriculum
The MA in History trains students in historiography and archival research across U.S., European, and global history, preparing them for doctoral study, teaching, public history, and archival careers.
Program requirements, the Graduate Program Director, and tuition for this degree are set out in Graduate Handbook §12.3: Master of Arts in History (MA).
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Historiography and historical methods | 3 |
| Research and readings seminars in at least two geographic fields | 24 |
| Thesis research (thesis pathway), or 6 more seminar credits and the Comprehensive Examination (non-thesis pathway) | 6 |
| Total | 33 |
Culminating experience
Archival master's thesis, or the written Comprehensive Examination in two fields.
At a glance
- Degree
- MA
- Credits
- 33
- Pathway
- Thesis or non-thesis
- Format
- Full-time in two years, or part-time
- Delivery
- Daytime classes
- Time limit
- 5 years from matriculation
Program: Graduate Handbook §12.3 · Time limits: Graduate Handbook §3.5
Graduate Program Director
Department
33 credits
Courses
The courses that count toward each part of the MA curriculum, with the terms each is usually offered.
Historiography and historical methods
3 creditsHIST 500 Historiography and Historical Methods 3 credits Fall
Examines how historians from Herodotus to the present have framed evidence and argument. Students learn archival research methods and write a historiographical essay.
Research and readings seminars in at least two geographic fields
24 creditsHIST 510 Colonial and Revolutionary America 3 credits Fall
Reads recent work on colonization, slavery, Native nations, and the American Revolution. Students write a research paper using printed primary sources.
HIST 515 The United States in the Nineteenth Century 3 credits Spring
Covers westward expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and industrialization. Students use newspapers, letters, and government records for a research paper.
HIST 520 The United States since 1900 3 credits Fall, Spring
Studies labor, civil rights, the Cold War, and the rise of the modern state. Students write a research paper based on oral history or archival collections.
HIST 530 Early Modern Europe 3 credits Fall
Reads scholarship on the Reformation, state formation, the scientific revolution, and witchcraft trials in Europe from 1500 to 1750.
HIST 535 Modern Europe, 1789 to the Present 3 credits Fall, Spring
Covers revolution, nationalism, industrial society, the two world wars, and European integration. Students write a paper based on translated primary sources.
HIST 540 The Atlantic World 3 credits Fall
Follows people, goods, and ideas across Africa, Europe, and the Americas from 1450 to 1850. Topics include the slave trade, piracy, and Atlantic revolutions.
HIST 550 Empire and Colonialism in Global History 3 credits Spring
Compares British, French, Ottoman, and Japanese empires and the movements that ended them. Students write a comparative research paper.
HIST 555 Migration in Global History 3 credits Fall, Spring
Studies labor migration, diasporas, refugees, and border regimes from the nineteenth century to the present across several world regions.
HIST 560 Archives and Public History 3 credits Spring
Teaches archival arrangement, digital collections, museum interpretation, and community history projects. Students complete a practical project with a local archive or museum.
Thesis research (thesis pathway), or 6 more seminar credits and the Comprehensive Examination (non-thesis pathway)
6 creditsHIST 599 Master's Thesis Research 3 credits Fall, Spring, Summer
Independent archival research and writing of the master's thesis under a faculty director. Students register for 3 credits per term, 6 credits in all.
HIST 510 Colonial and Revolutionary America 3 credits Fall
Reads recent work on colonization, slavery, Native nations, and the American Revolution. Students write a research paper using printed primary sources.
HIST 515 The United States in the Nineteenth Century 3 credits Spring
Covers westward expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and industrialization. Students use newspapers, letters, and government records for a research paper.
HIST 520 The United States since 1900 3 credits Fall, Spring
Studies labor, civil rights, the Cold War, and the rise of the modern state. Students write a research paper based on oral history or archival collections.
HIST 530 Early Modern Europe 3 credits Fall
Reads scholarship on the Reformation, state formation, the scientific revolution, and witchcraft trials in Europe from 1500 to 1750.
HIST 535 Modern Europe, 1789 to the Present 3 credits Fall, Spring
Covers revolution, nationalism, industrial society, the two world wars, and European integration. Students write a paper based on translated primary sources.
HIST 540 The Atlantic World 3 credits Fall
Follows people, goods, and ideas across Africa, Europe, and the Americas from 1450 to 1850. Topics include the slave trade, piracy, and Atlantic revolutions.
HIST 550 Empire and Colonialism in Global History 3 credits Spring
Compares British, French, Ottoman, and Japanese empires and the movements that ended them. Students write a comparative research paper.
HIST 555 Migration in Global History 3 credits Fall, Spring
Studies labor migration, diasporas, refugees, and border regimes from the nineteenth century to the present across several world regions.
HIST 560 Archives and Public History 3 credits Spring
Teaches archival arrangement, digital collections, museum interpretation, and community history projects. Students complete a practical project with a local archive or museum.
Sample Roadmap
Sample Plan
A representative term-by-term sequence for the MA. “Elective” is one 3-credit course chosen from the program's elective list above, with your advisor.
Fall 1
- HIST 500 Historiography and Historical Methods 3 cr
- HIST 510 Colonial and Revolutionary America 3 cr
- HIST 530 Early Modern Europe 3 cr
Term total 9 credits
Spring 1
- HIST 550 Empire and Colonialism in Global History 3 cr
- Elective 3 cr
- Elective 3 cr
Term total 9 credits
Fall 2
- Elective 3 cr
- Elective 3 cr
- HIST 599 Master's Thesis Research 3 cr
Term total 9 credits
Spring 2
- Elective 3 cr
- HIST 599 Master's Thesis Research 3 cr
Term total 6 credits
Graduate Handbook
Milestones & Academic Standards
Every master's program at Alkimi follows the same Graduate School milestones. Each links to the handbook section that governs it.
- 1
Thesis and non-thesis pathways
Graduate Handbook §5.1: Master s Degree Milestones: Thesis vs. Non-Thesis Options
- 2
Supervisory committee
Graduate Handbook §4.2: Master s Supervisory Committee Composition
- 3
Format review and ProQuest submission
Graduate Handbook §5.6: Thesis and Dissertation Format Review and ProQuest Submission
- 4
Intent to Graduate and degree audit
Graduate Handbook §11.1: Filing the Intent to Graduate and Degree Audits
The 3.0 rule
Graduate students must keep a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher to stay in good standing and to graduate (Graduate Handbook §3.1).
Advisor
Thesis students choose a major professor before completing 12 credits. Non-thesis students are advised by the Graduate Program Director or a capstone coordinator (Graduate Handbook §4.1).
2026–27
Tuition & Funding
Graduate tuition
$1,450
Per credit hour, plus $300 in mandatory fees per semester. 33 credits come to $47,850 in tuition at 2026–27 rates.
Assistantship stipend
$21,000
9-month stipend for a master's teaching, research, or graduate assistant.
Rates: Graduate Handbook §6.2
Assistantships in this program
Full-time students are considered for teaching assistantships in the introductory history surveys.
A 20-hour assistantship includes a full tuition waiver of up to 12 credits per semester and covers mandatory fees (Graduate Handbook §6.3).
People
Faculty & Contacts
Department of History
20 faculty →Chair: Dr. Manuel Ibarra
History students learn to read primary sources closely and argue from evidence, from surveys of United States and world history to a senior research seminar, and teaches Globalization and Cultural Change for the Alkimi Core.
The Graduate School
- Where
- Founders Hall 240
- Phone
- (555) 555-0138
- gradschool
@university.alkimi.ai - Hours
- Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
- Lead
- Dr. Victor Huang, Dean of the Graduate School