Master of Arts in Military History
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 | ||
| MH 510 | Introduction to Military History: Historiography and Method | 6 |
| Term 2 & 3: Military History Electives | ||
| MH 520 | Global Military History to 1800 | 6 |
| 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 513 | Introduction to Public History | 6 |
| 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 History | 6 | |
| Term 6: Capstone Academic Exercise | ||
| MH 569 | Comprehensive Exam 1 | 0 |
| MH 562 | Capstone Paper | 6 |
| MH 570 | M.A. Thesis 2 | 3 |
| MH 571 | MA Thesis II | 3 |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| MH 595 | Residency 3 | 0 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
| 1 | Students selecting to take the comprehensive exam as their completion course must also enroll in one additional elective. |
| 2 | by petition only |
| 3 | Students are required to attend a one-week, on campus Residency Conference the June following or concurrent with their final course. |
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 |