Master of Arts in History

Program Director: James M. Ehrman

The mission of the Norwich University Master of Arts in History program is to:

• provide students with a base of historical knowledge within the field of history,
• build an awareness of differing historical interpretations and the ability to synthesize diverse types of historical knowledge,
• build and refine student research, writing, analysis and presentation skills,
• provide students with an introduction to historical pedagogy,
• provide students with a foundation for developing a professional identity as a historian and,
• help students “learn to think like a historian” and develop “historiographical sensibilities” and “historical habits of mind.”
   

The Master of Arts in History curriculum is guided by the goals for history M.A. degrees outlined by the American Historical Association. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a base of historical knowledge, graduate level historical research skills, an introduction to historical pedagogy, the foundation for an identity as a historian, and the “habits of mind” of a professional historian.

Curriculum Map

Curriculum Requirements

U.S. History Concentration

World History Concentration

M.A. Examination

The master’s examination exercise consists of one or more written examinations covering the subject matter studied in previous seminars. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor in seminar 4 who will assist the student in preparing for the written examination. A committee of three consisting of the student’s advisor, the Capstone Director and one Norwich M.A. in History faculty member will evaluate and grade the written examinations. The M.A. examination is intended to test the student’s knowledge of their specific field of study and is a final validation of performance for the Norwich M.A. in History. 

Capstone Paper

In this final seminar students will, under the direction of single Norwich faculty member assigned by the program’s Capstone Director, research and write a capstone paper of approximately fifty pages in length. The paper must utilize scholarly secondary sources as well as primary source documents and demonstrate the student’s mastery of the historiography of his or her topic. The paper must contain a well developed historical question and a compelling interpretation/argument answering the question posed. 

One-Week Residency

All degree candidates of the Master of Arts in History are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.

Master’s Thesis

This option is recommended for those interested in continuing their studies in history at the doctoral level. Interested students must petition the Program Director, provide two letters of recommendation of support from Norwich M.A. in History faculty, and a complete M.A. thesis prospectus outlining the proposed M.A. research question, the historiography of the topic, and the primary and/or archival sources they will use for their M.A. thesis. Petitions to exercise the M.A. thesis project will be reviewed by a committee composed of the Program Director, Associate Program Director for Academics and Capstone Director. If the student petition is approved a committee consisting of two professors and the Capstone Director will advise the student throughout the thesis seminar. The paper must contain a well developed historical question and a compelling interpretation/argument answering the question posed.

The thesis option in Seminar 6 is, at minimum, a semester-long (22-week) project with accompanying sustaining and thesis fees.