Students gain essential preparation for doctoral work in history, teaching careers at the community college and secondary levels, archival and museum work, law school, government service, and many other professions. Recent graduates have gone on to leading Ph.D. programs or into successful careers in an array of fields requiring research skills, clear writing, creativity and critical thought.

Students in the MA Program in History may choose U.S. history as a major field (18 s.h.) or minor field (9 s.h.) of concentration. Students undertake three required 3 s.h. courses: Historiography (the study of scholarly writing about the past), the US proseminar (a broad introduction to the major scholarly themes and debates within the field), and either the premodern or modern proseminar, depending on the student's minor field of concentration. The student takes at least 15 more s.h. in US history and at least 6 more s.h. in the minor area of concentration. Seminars range from broadly thematic to tightly focused explorations of a single topic. Students study closely with a faculty whose scholarship is internationally recognized.

The department annually awards graduate assistantships and fellowships to highly promising students. Students must be able to perform their GA duties on campus.