Master of Arts in Military History

This is an archived copy of the 2020-2021 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

Program Director: David Ulbrich
Associate Program Director of Academics: John Broom

Mission

The Master of Arts in Military History program:

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

The Master of Arts in Military 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.

Master of Arts in Military History students come from all walks of life and a variety of different professions and seek to earn their M.A. in Military History for both personal and professional reasons. Some students enter the program simply to learn more about a field they care deeply about. Many students who are professional educators utilize the Masters of Arts in Military History to further their expertise in the field of military history. The degree is also a means of professional development to military personnel who see the degree as highly relevant to their profession. A few students use the degree as preparation for further work in the field at the Ph.D. level.

Curriculum Map/Plan of Study

Term 1
Introduction to Military History: Historiography and Method6
Term 2 & 3: Military History Electives
MH 520Global Military History to 18006
or MH 530 Military Thought and Theory
or MH 540 Non-Western Military History
or MH 541 Chinese Military History
or MH 543 Amphibious Warfare
or MH 550 U.S. Military History
or MH 551 Race and Gender in Military History
or MH 552 Total War
Term 4: Select one outside elective
HI 513Introduction to Public History6
or HI 520 American Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National History
or HI 523 Archival Science and Management
or HI 526 Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian Eras
or HI 528 Western Legal Tradition, 1000 CE-1789
or HI 530 Nineteenth Century American History
or HI 533 Museum Science and Management
or HI 536 The Late Agrarian Era to 1800
or HI 538 Race, Gender, and the U.S. Constitution
or HI 540 Twentieth Century American History
or HI 546 World History from 1800 to 1991
Term 5
Directed Readings in History6
Term 6: Capstone Academic Exercise
MH 569Comprehensive Exam 10
MH 562Capstone Paper6
MH 570M.A. Thesis 2 3
MH 571MA Thesis II3
Residency 30
Total Cr.36


Capstone Paper

Students have the option of writing a capstone paper as a degree completion exercise in their sixth and final seminar. The capstone paper is the opportunity to conduct research in an area of interest to the student and is designed to be an article-length original paper which builds upon skills and knowledge developed in the program. The capstone paper is completed during MH 562.  

Comprehensive Examination

In lieu of a capstone paper or thesis students elected to complete their degree via written comprehensive examinations following the successful completion of their sixth seminar. If students choose this degree completion option they may take an elective in their sixth seminar and enroll in the comprehensive examination sessions held each quarter. For students selecting this option the degree cannot be conferred until the student successfully completes this degree requirement. Pre-requisite: successful completion of seminars 1-6.

One-Week Residency

All degree candidates of the Master of Arts in Military 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.

M.A. Thesis

The M.A. thesis is an original research project demonstrating the student’s ability to conduct primary source research and mastery of the historiography germane to the research question. The thesis must also demonstrate graduate level analysis, synthesis, and argument and make a compelling case for the argument’s historical and historiographic significance. Students interested in this degree completion option must petition the Program Director, Associate Program Director for Academics and Capstone Director during their fourth seminar. The petition must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from two M.A. in Military History faculty and a thesis proposal.

Faculty Member Institution at which highest degree was earned
David Ulbrich, PhD (Program Director) Temple University
John Broom, PhD (Associate Program Director) The Union Institute
Michael Beauchamp, PhD Texas A&M University
Stephen Bourque, PhD Georgia State University
Earl Catagnus, PhD Temple University
Robert Clemm, PhD Ohio State University
Ginger Davis, PhD Temple University
Sviatoslav Dmitriev, PhD Harvard University
Michael Dolski, PhD Temple University
Sarah Douglas, PhD Ohio State University
Antulio Echevarria, PhD Princeton University
Elouise Epstein, PhD Bowling Green State University
Hal Friedman, PhD Michigan State University
Paul Gardner, PhD Kansas State University
Connie Harris, PhD University of Nebraska
Paul Hatley, PhD Kansas State University
Andrew Holt, PhD University of Florida
Jonathan House, PhD University of Michigan
Lance Janda, PhD University of Oklahoma
John Jennings, PhD University of Hawaii
Geoffrey Jensen, PhD Yale University
Sean Kalic, PhD Kansas State University
Susan Karr, PhD University of Chicago
Robert Kirkland, PhD University of Pittsburgh
John Kuehn, PhD Kansas State University
Xiao Bing Li, PhD Carnegie Mellon University
Kristi Lowenthal, PhD Kansas State University
Sanders Marble, PhD King's College London
Jeremy Maxwell, PhD Queens University, Belfast
Kathryn Merriam, PhD University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Matthew Muehlbauer, PhD Temple University
Lisa Mundey, PhD Kansas State University
Jason Ridler, PhD Royal Military College of Canada
John Roche, PhD University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Joyce Sampson, PhD Florida State University
Charles Sanders, PhD Kansas State University
Clayton Trutor, PhD Boston College
Johnny Trutor, PhD University of Minnesota
Ken Swope, PhD University of Michigan
Bobby Wintermute, PhD Temple University
Mitchell Yockelson, PhD Cranfield University