MA Program

The Department of History offers two MA degrees – history or public history – with additional options within each of these programs. We also offer a joint degree program with the School of Information Studies leading to both an MA in history and a master’s in library and information science.

Within the general history MA, students have three options: thesis option, non-thesis option or a specialization in urban historical studies with thesis. The urban historical studies option is particularly well suited for students looking to enter a doctoral program in urban studies. Within the public history MA, students choose a museum studies track, a nonprofit administration track, a historic preservation track, an archives track, or cross-disciplinary studies with thesis. Courses in our program cover a wide array of geographically, chronologically, and thematically defined topics.

The history program has a long history itself! First established in 1956 at the time of the founding of the University itself, we were authorized to grant MA degrees in 1960 and PhDs in 2003. Our master’s programs have adapted over time to meet the needs and interests of today’s students and employers.

Graduates of our master’s programs can be found in academia, archives, libraries, museums, historical societies, preservation agencies, law, nonprofits, galleries, journalism, business, and government service. Some go on to seek a doctoral degree in history or related discipline such as urban studies. The master’s degree in history offers much flexibility for career growth.

Browse this web site and the UWM Graduate School’s web site for more information. We especially encourage you to explore the details of each of these programs’ requirements in the Academics section of our web site or within our handbook.

• UWM Graduate School Homepage
• UWM Graduate School Admissions page
• UWM Graduate School Funding information
• Panthera (application)

For more information about admissions please contact the Graduate Advisor: