The history graduate program provides students with cutting-edge training in historical and historiographical knowledge and professional debates. Our curriculum emphasizes the inevitable connections between the local and the global through small seminars and close faculty guidance of student scholarship. Our strengths in the U.S. West and Borderlands are complemented by expertise in theoretical and thematic fields such as gender, environment, and race.
The Master of Arts in History prepares students for careers in academia as well as the public and private sectors. Many of our students have continued for the PhD and now serve on university faculties across the country. Others have pursued careers as foundation or government historians. Still others have used their degree to excel as public historians, including museum curators and cultural interpretation specialists at historic sites and parks.
To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.
You must additionally complete:
Read the full policy here.
In addition to University Requirements:
| Minimum Units for Completion | 36 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required. |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| Thesis | Thesis may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option. |
| Comprehensive Exam | Comprehensive Exam may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option. |
| Oral Defense | Oral Defense may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option. |
| Foreign Language | A foreign language may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option. |
| Research | Individualized research may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option. |
| Progression Plan Link | View Program of Study |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan | Optional |
Purpose Statement
The Master of Arts in History offers a close professor-student relationship and is designed to prepare students to pursue careers in academia as well as the public and private sectors. These may include preparation for doctoral or other postgraduate degrees, teaching, public history, and public service. Our program strengths in the U.S. West and Borderlands are complemented by expertise in theoretical and thematic fields such as gender, environment, and race.
Each student will select a primary and a secondary field for in-depth examination and analysis from the following fields:
Many students select Public History and Interpretation as either a primary or a secondary field. Public History emphasizes the application of historical knowledge to real-world issues, typically making a historical topic accessible to a non-academic public. This track prepares students for professional positions in archives, museums, historic sites, and government agencies, etc.
Student Learning Outcomes
All students graduating with the MA will:
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
Admission requirements include the following:
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
This Master’s degree requires 33 - 39 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 33 - 39 units:
Core Courses (18 - 21 units)
*You may take up to 12 units of primary field coursework if completing either the Extended Coursework or the Extended Coursework with Public History tracks.
Students must have an approved thesis prospectus or public history project prospectus by the end of their third semester or will be diverted to the Extended Coursework Track or the Extended Coursework with Public History Track.
Track Requirement - Select one (15 - 18 units)
Research Track (18 units)
*You must complete HIS 602, with a grade of "B" or better, before enrolling in HIS 699. Be aware that you may end up taking more than the 9 units you can count toward your degree because you must enroll each semester while you work on your thesis.
Depending on your research interest, your committee may require you to demonstrate competence in a foreign language before you register for thesis units.
Research Project with Public History Track (18 units)
*You must complete HIS 602 with a grade of "B" or better, before enrolling in HIS 699. Be aware that you may end up taking more than the 3 units you can count toward your degree because you must enroll each semester while you work on your thesis.
Extended Coursework Track (15 - 18 units)
You must pass a comprehensive final examination covering the courses taken. The comprehensive exam will have written and oral components, and will be structured by the program committee.
Extended Coursework with Public History Track (15 - 18 units)
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.