The M.A. in History prepares students to become insightful and skilled research scholars, ready for PhD programs in History or a broad range of careers in cultural, academic, policy, or business settings.

The History (MA) also offers an Accelerated Master's Pathway for Undergraduate students to complete their Graduate studies in a fifth year.  Further details of the AMP, including the suggested sequence of courses, can be found under the Curriculum tab.

Academic Areas of Focus

The History MA program focuses on 19th- and 20th-Century American History, with specific strengths in Social, Cultural, and Urban History. Faculty strengths in American history also include the built environment, labor, the history of sexuality, the history of women and gender, the history of political economy, and the history of popular culture and entertainment. Students in the MA program are required to select a major field in United States history. In addition, they will choose a minor field in Public, Medieval, Modern Europe or Gender and Women's history. Thematic minor fields (such as race and ethnicity or colonialism and empire) may be created with the approval of the Graduate Program Director. Students may also select a minor field from another discipline with the approval of the Graduate Program Director. Students wishing to pursue a minor field in public history must meet with the Public History Program Director and formally declare their intention to do so.

Related Programs

Curriculum

The Master of Arts program requires 30 credit hours, a comprehensive exam, and a research tool. This degree may be completed en route to the PhD with agreement of the Graduate Program Director.

Besides the traditional Master's program, the History (MA) is also offered as an Accelerated Master's Pathway where exceptional students can complete the program in a fifth year.  A suggested sequence for the AMP can be found below.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
HIST 400	Contemporary Approaches to History	3
Three Major Field Courses		9
HIST 450	Nineteenth Century America
HIST 461	Twentieth Century America
One 400-level course 1
Two 500-level Research Seminars (one in major field) or one Research Seminar and HIST 599 Directed Research. One of the research seminars can be in the minor field.		6
History Minor Field Courses (3)		9
All minor field courses are HIST 400-level courses.
One HIST 400-Level Elective 1		3
Total Hours		30

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All History 400-level courses can be found here.

Major and Minor Field

Students in the MA program have a major field in 19th and 20th Century United States History. They will choose a minor field in Public, Medieval, Modern Europe, or Gender and Women's History.  The courses listed below are possible options as any actual minor field coursework will be developed with the Graduate Program Director.  Thematic minor fields (such as race and ethnicity or colonialism and empire) may be created with the approval of the Graduate Program Director.  Students may also select a minor field from another discipline with the approval of the Graduate Program Director. Students wishing to pursue a minor field in public history must meet with the Public History Program Director and formally declare their intention to use public history to do so.

Public History Minor Field Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 479	Public History Media	3
HIST 480	Public History: Method & Theory	3
HIST 483	Oral History: Method and Practice	3

Medieval History Minor Field Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 441	Women's & Gender History: Europe	3
HIST 499	Directed Study	3
HIST 499	Directed Study	3

Modern Europe Minor Field Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 441	Women's & Gender History: Europe	3
HIST 464	Transnational Urban History	3
HIST 499	Directed Study	3

Gender and Women's History Minor Field Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 441	Women's & Gender History: Europe	3
HIST 442	Women's & Gender History: U.S.A.	3
WSGS 401	History of Feminist Thought	3

 Research Tool

All master's level students must demonstrate competence in a research skill (oral history, public history media, or a reading knowledge of a foreign language, for example) appropriate to their major field. They are expected to master this skill before advancing beyond 18 credit hours. Coursework taken to master a language or for oral history and public history media if used for a research tool does not apply toward graduation.

Comprehensive Field Examinations

Toward the end of their graduate program, students must pass a take-home written examination in the major field. The student will produce two 10–15 page historiographical essays based on a reading list developed in conjunction with a two-member committee of history faculty of their choosing. The committee should be established no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to take the examination. Students will have one week to complete the exam, which will be evaluated by the student’s examination committee. In addition, students satisfy the examination requirements in the minor field through earning nine credit hours with at least a B (3.0) average.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for the major.  Students should consult the undergraduate program director for assistance with course selection.

Traditional Master's Program

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Fall		Hours
HIST 400	Contemporary Approaches to History	3
HIST 450	Nineteenth Century America	3
HIST 400-level course		3
	Hours	9
Spring
HIST 461	Twentieth Century America	3
HIST 400-level course		3
HIST 500-level course		3
	Hours	9
Year 2
Fall
HIST 400-level course		3
HIST 400-level course		3
	Hours	6
Spring
HIST 400-level course		3
HIST 500-level course		3
	Hours	6
	Total Hours	30

Accelerated Master's Pathway

 Students can take up to 12 credit hours in the senior year with admission to the AMP.  These credits are shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs.

Plan of Study Grid

Senior
Fall		Hours
HIST 400	Contemporary Approaches to History	3
HIST 400-Level Elective 1		3
	Hours	6
Spring
HIST 400-Level Elective 1		3
HIST 400-Level Elective 1		3
	Hours	6
Master's
Fall
HIST 450	Nineteenth Century America	3
HIST 400-Level Elective		3
HIST 400-Level Elective		3
	Hours	9
Spring
HIST 461	Twentieth Century America	3
HIST 500-Level Elective		3
HIST 500-Level Elective		3
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	30

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Students can choose from the following History 400-Level courses:  HIST 410 Topics, HIST 441 Women's & Gender History: Europe, HIST 442 Women's & Gender History: U.S.A., HIST 450 Nineteenth Century America, HIST 459 Environmental History, HIST 460 Urban America, HIST 461 Twentieth Century America, HIST 464 Transnational Urban History, HIST 484 Material Culture, or HIST 496 Race, Violence & Memory.  Students should work with the Graduate Program Director when selecting electives.

Guidelines for Accelerated Master's Pathways

In Accelerated Master’s Pathways, students share limited, authorized credits between their Undergraduate and Graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees in a shorter amount of time. Shared credits are Graduate level credit hours (400-level or higher) taken during the Undergraduate career and then applied both to the Undergraduate degree and towards Graduate program requirements.

Admission and Matriculation

Accelerated Master's Pathways are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s Undergraduates. Admission to these programs is competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the Graduate program. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the Master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a Bachelor’s degree.

Students enrolled in an Accelerated Master's Pathway who choose not to continue to the Master’s degree program upon completion of the Bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.

Ideally, a student will apply for admission to an AMP program as they approach 90 credit hours in their Undergraduate career.

Students will not officially matriculate into the Master’s degree program and be labeled as a Graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the Undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the Graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their Graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.

Advising and Registration

Students in their final Undergraduate year will work with Advising in the home School of their Bachelor's program(s), as well as the Graduate Program Director of the Master’s program. Any 400-level or higher courses that the student plans to enroll in should be reviewed by both advisors to ensure that these courses will complete requirements for both degrees.

Registration in Graduate level courses during the Undergraduate year may require assistance from the Graduate Program Director and/or the student’s current academic advisor to enroll.

Shared Credits

Only courses taken at the 400-level or higher will count toward the Graduate program. At the Undergraduate level, students are restricted to enrolling in and sharing up to the number of Graduate level credits explicitly indicated in the catalog for their selected AMP program.

In general, Graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Master's Pathway. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Master's Pathway is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Program Director, students may take one of their Graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Master’s Pathway if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.

Degree Requirements and Conferral

Undergraduate degree requirements are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Master’s Pathway. Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a Graduate program.

The program’s Graduate Program Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and Master’s degree conferral review process. Graduate credit hours taken during the Undergraduate career will not be included in the Graduate GPA calculation.

If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate Program Director will review the relevant syllabus or syllabi to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400-level course or higher.

Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer Graduate curriculum to Undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.

Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of Undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once matriculated in the Graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the Graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from Undergraduate to Graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Master’s Pathway, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s Graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their Graduate studies after earning the Undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional Master’s degree program. Any application of Graduate credit earned while in the Undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the Graduate degree granting school.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master of Arts in History, graduates will be able to:

• Apply the necessary skills to produce original scholarship on a chosen historical topic using primary sources while evaluating the validity of context and biases of primary and secondary sources.
• Identify and criticize interpretive paradigms and methodologies relevant to historical scholarship and the historical profession.