Master of Arts in Historical Studies- Public History

Public historians help build historical understanding by engaging in shared authority, shared inquiry, and the co-creation of knowledge with audiences and stakeholders. Public historians are trained, first and foremost, as historians to conduct research, to craft interpretations and to write well. However, public historians also must be prepared to work in a complex, interdisciplinary environment and to collaborate with partners for whom an understanding of history can have immediate practical implications. Public historians create original interpretations that build bridges between scholarship and everyday life by respecting diverse forms of knowledge, by understanding the ways in which their partners and audiences use history, and by working on behalf of the communities they serve. The Master of Arts program in Historical Studies is designed to accommodate a variety of interests and career paths, including students who are considering going on for a Ph.D., those already engaged in K-12 teaching, and those who wish to enter the growing field of public history. The program is characterized by a core emphasis on academic training in historiographical methods and theory, current conceptual tools and techniques for organizing historical evidence, and primary research in a large number of subject/area specialties.

The Graduate School recommends applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA or \u201cB\u201d average when applying. For transcripts from schools abroad, the UMBC Graduate School will accept official WES (World Education Services) ICAP Course-by-Course evaluations but note that these evaluations are not required. Students who are unable to meet the minimum GPA standards may still be admitted to graduate study by demonstrating outstanding performance on one or more of the graduate aptitude tests or by providing letters of recommendation from evaluators who can speak to the applicant\u2019s performance as a student or in a professional capacity. Standards for admission to a doctoral program are generally higher than those for admission to a master\u2019s program. The terms of this admission are based on specific recommendations made by the applicant\u2019s department in conjunction with the Graduate School. minimum TOEFL score of 80 TOEFL Essentials test is 8.5. Our ETS institution code is 5835. The IELTS minimum is a total score of 6.5 for students wishing to study at UMBC.