Master’s in History Online | MA Degree Program

Pursue a Career You’re Passionate About with a Master’s in History Online Degree

Interpret the past and illuminate the future in the online Master of Arts in History degree program from Southern New Hampshire University.

Master in History Benefits:

Median annual salary of $59,120 for historians*
Designed to be completed as fast as 15 months
Multiple term start dates throughout the year - complete your degree at your own pace
24/7 online accessibility - attend class when and where it's convenient
One of the lowest tuition rates in the nation
Dedicated advisors, unlimited learning resources, and a host of career services

Courses include: Historiography, Early American Encounters, The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the World Wars, American Frontier, Archival Management, and Chinese Military.

Regardless of which historical period you're passionate about, this program can build upon your understanding of our past and its implications to our future. You'll have the opportunity to pursue a general course of study or choose from one of three focused concentrations:

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Concentrations

History (MA) - American History

History (MA) - Military History

History (MA) - Public History

See Yourself Succeed in History

The master’s in history online degree program will deepen your knowledge of the process of "making" history through analyzing historical scholarship, crafting written communications and defending the relevance of the past as it pertains to making informed decisions about the future. You'll emerge not only with up-to-date knowledge, but also with the research, writing and critical-thinking skills to work in a variety of fields where today’s real world meets meaningful interpretations of the past.

As a private, nonprofit university, SNHU has one mission – to help you see yourself succeed. The benefits of earning your MA in History online at SNHU include:

Affordability. Take advantage of some of the most affordable tuition rates in the nation
Convenience. Attend class when it’s convenient for you – online education means 24/7 access
Efficiency and flexibility. Complete your graduate degree in as few as 15 months, with two courses per 10-week term
Expert instruction. Learn from instructors with relevant, real-world experience
Minimal requirements. No GMAT or GRE required for admission
Networking. Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for tips and career opportunities
Student support. Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study

Admission Requirements

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 5 graduate terms. You can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials. To apply, simply contact an admission counselor, who can help you explore financial options. Your counselor can also walk you through the application process, which involves completing a graduate application ($40 fee) and providing undergraduate transcripts.

Candidates must also submit a personal statement. Students with an undergraduate GPA below 2.75 are eligible for provisional acceptance. Based on your educational background, some Master of Arts provisional students may be required to take SNHU 501 – Introduction to Graduate Studies – which will provide students with the scholarly tools to be successful in their Master of Arts program of study.

Career Outlook

Advanced degrees in history are among the fastest growing graduate programs - and not just because they're critical to obtaining a PhD. A master's is more relevant than ever to today's careers in:

Teaching
Research
Government
Publishing
Preservation

Without historians, there would be no history. Writing it, preserving it and applying it are integral to a surprising number of professions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most historians work in:

Government Agencies
Museums
Archives
Historical Societies
Publishing Houses
Research Organizations
Consulting Firms
Corporate

Careers for master's degree-holders include:

Historian
Archivists
Editors
Educators
Curator
Journalists
Records managers

Curriculum

The curriculum for the online MA in History advances the applications and relevancy of history while strengthening research and writing skills. SNHU’s courses require more than just the memorization of facts. You'll develop critical thinking skills that can be applied to research, writing, publishing and government work, using what you’ve learned from the past to help determine the right path for the future.

After completing the master's in history core courses, you'll choose from among three concentrations - American history, military history or public history - or take five history electives, and fulfill a capstone experience that results in a project or research paper.

View Full Curriculum in the Catalog

MA in History

Courses May Include

HIS 501 Historiography

This course provides a deep-level exploration into the study of history and historical writing, focusing on the craft and profession of history and its relationship to society. The course contends with the changing nature of historical interpretations and arguments, and the role of historical meta-narratives in shaping one's understanding and experience of history. Students are asked to position and evaluate their own thinking in relation to various historical analyses, defending a preferred approach to a relevant area of interest.

HIS 502 Historical Methods

Historians use a wide variety of methods and approaches to the study, analysis, and evaluation of historical accounts and sources. This course offers students an opportunity to investigate various methodological approaches and the relationships between method, theory, and interpretation in historical research. Students will design an initial research proposal and articulate how a chosen methodology positions them appropriately to address the central issues and problems of their research.

HIS 510 Comparative History and Research

Comparative research is a valuable tool for historians to be able to discover possible historical and social connections across separate historical settings. This course introduces students to best practices, issues, and challenges of comparative history approaches. Central to the course is the development of effective research practices in comparative history: identifying appropriate sources, articulating the context and focus of a research project, and making an informed and supported argument. This course will use the topic of democratic revolutions to model comparative research.

HIS 520 Historical Lenses and Scholarship

What does it mean to focus on the economic issues of an historical event? What considerations of race, gender, class, or other lenses of difference can be made to illuminate the social and cultural experiences of people throughout history? The central focus of this course is to provide students with an exploration into various lenses of historical research and analysis and how these lenses can structure the types of questions an historian asks. The course uses the topic of transatlantic slavery to introduce several lenses that can be applied to future topics of interest to students. Students will integrate best practices for the production and writing of historical scholarship using a chosen lens (or lenses) of analysis.

HIS 790 Research Seminar for Historians (Capstone)

The capstone experience integrates knowledge and skills developed in previous coursework with a focus on developing scholarship in a student's chosen area of specialization. This course focuses on helping students propose a topic for research, conduct preliminary research on primary and secondary sources, and develop a capstone research proposal. This course prepares students for the formal capstone submission in the subsequent capstone course.

HIS 791 Capstone for Research Historians

The capstone experience integrates knowledge and skills developed in previous coursework with a focus on developing scholarship in a student's chosen area of specialization. This course extends students' research proposals into a formal capstone project. Students will workshop and submit their final capstone projects in this course.

Total Credits: 33

Program Outcomes

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Online Graduate Programs	Per Course*	Per Credit Hour*
Degree/Certificates	$1,881	$627
Degree/Certificates (U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty)	$1,410	$470

*Tuition Rates are subject to change and are reviewed Annually.

Additional Costs:
$40 Application Fee, $150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education as well as several other accrediting bodies. More...

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Historians, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/historians.htm (visited June 10, 2018).