Master of Arts in History

With tracks in American History, European History, Public History

The study of history is the study of events and civilizations of the past, but it is also the study of self and society. Historians study the past to seek a better understanding of who we are today and where we are going. Earning a Master of Arts in History at Armstrong Atlantic State University allows the student of history to specialize in one of three content areas: (1) American History, (2) European History, or (3) Public History, which opens the door to many career opportunities in the public information sector and at the secondary educational and two-year college level. Often, our graduates continue their education in pursuit of a degree beyond the Master of Arts in history.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of our program may choose to pursue a teaching career at either the secondary or post-secondary level; seek employment with local, state, federal, or nonprofit agencies; or find a position within the private business sector. Students may also choose to pursue a Ph.D. in history at other institutions. Our recent graduates have found careers in the following categories:
: :    Public and private teaching at the secondary and post-secondary level in the
        southeast United States
: :    Public and private archives, museums, and libraries in the southeast United States
: :    Public, private, and independent archaeological surveys
: :    Tourist-related occupations
: :    Personnel and public relations' positions in the private sector
: :    Academic, institutional positions in the eastern United States

Program Features

The city of Savannah provides an excellent laboratory for the student of history. In addition to a nationally recognized program that supports the preservation of historical records as well as historical buildings, Savannah contains the city and county legal and political records, the Georgia Historical Society and its archives, several noteworthy museums, and a cosmopolitan population interested in recording and learning about its various ethnic and religious cultures.

Our faculty will provide the student with broad areas of expertise supported by research and scholarship in the following areas:

: :    Eighteenth century France
: :    American historical archaeology
: :    American folklore
: :    Historic preservation
: :    American women
: :    American southern culture
: :    Seventeenth and eighteenth century English and British history
: :    American and European technology and culture
: :    Historical geography
: :    American popular and material culture
: :    Chinese history
: :    Eastern European history
: :    American architectural history
: :    Russian history
: :    American diplomatic history

While not an archival facility, Armstrong Atlantic State University's Lane Library contains several systems for the on-line retrieval of research data and information. There are also several research libraries and archives within a 200-mile radius of the AASU campus.

Course of Study

There must be a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate work in the program of study, with at least 18 hours in the specialized content area. At least 50 percent of the courses must be open only to graduate students. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative average of all graduate-level courses completed and must satisfactorily pass the following before beginning work on either the master's thesis in history or internship in public history: a foreign language examination, a written comprehensive test in each of three fields of history, and an oral comprehensive examination. In lieu of completing a traditional thesis, students majoring in American or European history may pursue the seminar option in which they enroll in extra courses and complete a seminar paper.