History MA Requirements | American University, Washington, DC

Master's in History

Degree Requirements

30–36 credit hours of approved graduate work; no more than 50 percent of course work may be done in 300/600 level courses.
Tool of research: a relevant foreign language, quantitative methods, oral history, digital history, or a methodology approved by the graduate committee of the Department of History
One comprehensive examination
Nonthesis option: HIST-751 with a grade of B or better
Thesis option: a satisfactory thesis, completed through 6 credit hours of HIST-797 Master’s Thesis Seminar with grades of B or better

Course Requirements

Core (12 credit hours)

HIST-500 Studies in History (3) with a grade of B or better
Two colloquia from the following with grades of B or better:

HIST-720 Colloquium in Modern European History I: 1789-1900 (3)
HIST-721 Colloquium in Modern European History II: since 1900 (3)
HIST-727 Colloquium in United States History I: to 1865 (3)
HIST-728 Colloquium in United States History II: since 1865 (3)
or approved substitute for one of the above colloquia

HIST-744 The Historian’s Craft (3) with a grade of B or better, usually taken in the student’s first fall semester in the program

Research Seminar or Thesis (3-6 credits)

HIST-751 Research Seminar (3) with a grade of B or better
Other approved courses may be substituted or HIST-797 Master’s Thesis Research (6) with grades of B or better

Electives (12-15 credits)

12–15 credit hours in approved graduate course work

Public History Concentration

The public history concentration requires 36 hours of credit. This includes the core and research requirements for the MA, 12 credit hours of approved electives, plus: