History, M.A.

Program Scope

The graduate history program provides students with a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree organized around diverse regions, periods and themes. Students have opportunities to customize the curriculum to meet their particular academic and career goals. Our engaged and dedicated faculty provide individual attention and mentorship of our graduate students.

SFSU's Graduate Program in History Offers:

• Nationally recognized M.A. program
• Engaged faculty of teacher-scholars
• Broad range of course offerings
• Two-year M.A. allowing for in-depth and intensive study
• Part- and full-time schedules
• Support for various career goals
• Internship program at local historical archives, societies, and museums
• TA and grader opportunities
• Affordability

The program offers graduate-level instruction in U.S. history, European history, and World history. In addition to their geographic and chronological specialties, history department faculty are active scholars with expertise in a number of thematic areas, including social justice movements, slavery and emancipation, gender and sexuality, imperialism and religion.

The Setting

SF State and the Bay Area are rich in library and other academic resources. The campus library houses more than two million items. The Frank V. de Bellis Collection is a library-museum of classical and Italian authors and subjects representing the civilizations of ancient, Renaissance and modern Italy. The Labor Archives houses important collections for the study of labor in the American west. The Sutro Library, a branch of the California State Library located on the campus, contains a wide range of materials from the fifteenth century to the present.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master of Arts in History, the student will:

1. Demonstrate that they have acquired an advanced base of historical knowledge and understanding in multiple fields. They will be able to demonstrate that they have become "educated history generalists.”
2. Demonstrate an advanced ability to research and write a historical research paper based on primary sources. The project must demonstrate content mastery, a familiarity with primary research, and competent historical analysis. In this context, students must also demonstrate familiarity with the tools of bibliography and new information technologies.
3. Demonstrate that they have acquired the foundations for a professional identity as a historian, including familiarity with the historical development of the discipline, ethical standards and practices, and an awareness of the multiple contexts of professional practices.