About

Are you interested in pursuing in-depth historical study to strengthen your credentials as a teacher? Are you interested in earning a degree as a stepping-stone to a doctoral program or to improve your abilities as a researcher, writer, and critical thinker?

East Carolina University's MA program in history affords bright and talented students the opportunity to pursue historical research to examine many of life's most interesting questions. Master's students learn to look at the human past in all its complexity and find patterns and meaning in ambiguous and complicated sets of facts. They learn to recognize the enormous range of human experiences across the centuries and to express their findings orally and in writing. History graduates are able to think critically, write effectively, and assess the dynamics of the world around them. History graduates learn how to become life-long learners, capable of success in a wide variety of fields. No matter what the future holds, there will always be jobs for people with these abilities. Graduate assistantships and a number of competitive scholarships are available for qualified, full-time students. These positions provide both teaching and research experience. ECU's nationally recognized chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honorary society, provides students the opportunity to present their research at scholarly conferences.

ECU Advantage

The history department's graduate program is built upon a solid foundation: its outstanding research faculty and exceptional graduate students. Twenty-seven history professors are currently part of the university's graduate faculty. These scholars cover the major areas of American history as well as many important nations and time periods concerning the history of Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Several history professors also possess extensive professional training in nautical archaeology as well as maritime and naval history.

Members of the department maintain an active research agenda, publishing articles in the major historical journals, as well as books with leading university and commercial presses. Our master's graduates have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees at leading institutions throughout the U.S. and abroad. Others have secured employment teaching history at community colleges and secondary schools, while others have found positions with local, state and federal agencies, as well as the private sector.

As an ECU student, you can research your future career in Steppingblocks. Explore real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with data-powered career exploration tools designed for doers like you.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: Mona Russell (Brewster 322-A; 252-328-6326; russellm@ecu.edu)

The Department of History offers students five areas of concentration as follows: American history, Atlantic World history, European history, military history, and public history. The Department also offers students two options to obtain a master of arts in history degree: a thesis option, which is highly recommended for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree, teach at the college level, or seek employment in the historical profession; and a nonthesis option, intended primarily for professional educators, military officers, members of the general public and others interested in advanced historical study.

The thesis option requires a total of 30 s.h. of coursework. The student is required to take a minimum of 24 s.h. in one of the five areas of concentration, to which the historiography course, the seminar, and the thesis will contribute 12 s.h. of credit. (The concentration in public history requires successful completion of an internship in lieu of the seminar.) The student must also take a total of 6 s.h. either in a related field of history outside of the major concentration or (at the recommendation of the advisor and director of graduate studies, and with the approval of the chairperson of the Department of History) outside the Department of History.

An oral comprehensive examination will be a component of the thesis defense. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of their field of concentration as well as establish how their thesis contributes to that field of study.

The nonthesis option requires a total of 36 s.h. of coursework. The student is required to take a minimum of 24 s.h. in one of the five areas of concentration, to which the historiography course, the seminar, and the directed research project (HIST 6993) will contribute 9 s.h. of credit. (The concentration in public history requires successful completion of an internship in lieu of the seminar.) The student must also take a total of 12 s.h. either in a related field of history outside of the major concentration or (at the recommendation of the advisor and director of graduate studies, and with the approval of the chairperson of the Department of History) outside the Department of History. A minimum of 6 s.h. of the nonconcentration requirement must be satisfied at the 6000-level.

In lieu of a traditional thesis, the nonthesis student will complete a capstone project in which they pursue independent research on a significant question or problem of their choice, engage the scholarly debates in the historical discipline, and with the guidance of a faculty mentor produce a substantial project that reflects a deep understanding of the topic and has professional application. Capstone projects include, but are not limited to, article-length historiographic essays, annotated syllabi, lesson plans, and digital history initiatives. An oral comprehensive examination will be a component of the capstone project defense. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of their field of concentration as well as establish how their project contributes to that field of study.

In addition to the 30 or 36 s.h. of coursework described above, students pursuing either option must fulfill the department's research skills requirement by: a) successful demonstration of reading knowledge in a foreign language (FORL 6000 satisfies this requirement); or b) successful completion of HIST 5950; or c) successful completion of CSCI 2600. If HIST 5950 is used to satisfy the research skills requirement, it may not be counted toward the 30 or 36 s.h. requirement for the degree. Students who intend to pursue a PhD program are strongly advised to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Students admitted to one option may subsequently switch to the other option, with the approval of the advisor, the graduate studies director, and the dean of the Graduate School. Students may switch options only once.

Minimum degree requirement is 30 (thesis option) or 36 (nonthesis option) semester hours as follows:

I. Thesis Option (30 s.h.)
    A. Core courses - 9 s.h.
    • HIST 6900 - Historiography: Introduction to Research
    • HIST 7000 - Thesis
    B. Seminar or internship - 3 s.h.
      American history, Atlantic World history, European history, and military history concentrations:

      Select 3 s.h. from the following: 

      • HIST 6910 - Seminar in American History
      • HIST 6920 - Seminar in European History
      • HIST 6930 - Seminar in Atlantic World History
      Public history concentration:

      Select 3 s.h. from the following:

      • HIST 6940 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
      • HIST 6941 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
      • HIST 6942 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
      • HIST 6943 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
      • HIST 6944 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
      • HIST 6945 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
      • HIST 6946 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
      • HIST 6947 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
      • HIST 6948 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
    C. Area of concentration - 12 s.h.

    (American history, Atlantic World history, European history, military history, or public history)

    Note: The student consults with the faculty advisor and director of graduate studies to determine concentration courses. A list of HIST courses can be generated by using the course filter  within this catalog. 

      D. Related history coursework outside area of concentration - 6 s.h.

      Note: At the recommendation of the advisor and director of graduate studies, and with the approval of the chair of the Department of History, students may be able to take the 6 s.h. outside the Department of History. Please see the director of graduate studies for more information about this option.

        E. Research skills requirement

        Students fulfill the research skills requirement by successfully completing one of the following:

        Note: If HIST 5950 is used to satisfy the research skills requirement, it may not be counted toward the 30 s.h. requirement for the thesis option. Students who intend to pursue a PhD program are strongly advised to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

        • Satisfactory demonstration of reading knowledge in a foreign language or successful completion       
        • Successful completion of  
        II. Nonthesis Option (36 s.h.)
          A. Core courses - 6 s.h.
          • HIST 6900 - Historiography: Introduction to Research
          • HIST 6993 - Directed Research Project
          B. Seminar or internship - 3 s.h.
            American, Atlantic World, European, and military history concentrations:

            Select 3 s.h. from the following: 

            • HIST 6910 - Seminar in American History
            • HIST 6920 - Seminar in European History
            • HIST 6930 - Seminar in Atlantic World History
            Public history concentration:

            Select 3 s.h. from the following: 

            • HIST 6940 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
            • HIST 6941 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
            • HIST 6942 - Graduate Internship in Archives and Historical Records Administration
            • HIST 6943 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
            • HIST 6944 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
            • HIST 6945 - Graduate Internship in Museum Administration
            • HIST 6946 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
            • HIST 6947 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
            • HIST 6948 - Graduate Internship in Historic Site Administration
          C. Area of concentration - 15 s.h.

          (American history, Atlantic World history, European history, and military history, and public history concentrations)

          Note: The student consults with the faculty advisor and director of graduate studies to determine concentration courses. A list of HIST courses can be generated by using the course filter within this catalog. 

            D. Related history coursework outside area of concentration - 12 s.h.

            Note: At the recommendation of the advisor and director of graduate studies, and with the approval of the chair of the Department of History, students may be able to take the 12 s. h. outside the Department of History. Please see the director of graduate studies for more information about this option.

              E. Research skills requirement

              Students fulfill the research skills requirement by successfully completing one of the following:

              Note: If HIST 5950 is used to satisfy the research skills requirement, it may not be counted toward the 36 s.h. requirement for the nonthesis option. Students who intend to pursue a PhD program are strongly advised to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

              • Satisfactory demonstration of reading knowledge in a foreign language or successful completion of   
              • Successful completion of   
              Comprehensive Examination Requirement

              All graduate programs at ECU require students to successfully complete a comprehensive assessment. The History, MA requires the following: 

              • Thesis option: Successful completion of the thesis () and oral defense satisfy this requirement.
              • Nonthesis option: Successful completion of the capstone project () and a comprehensive examination (written and/or oral) satisfy this requirement.
                For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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