Academic Program

The Master’s in History and Archival Studies consists of 48 units providing formal training in history and archival education. Graduate archival education includes scholarly and experiential elements to imbue students with an intellectual framework for engaging in theoretical and wide-ranging questions and principles related to archives and records. It is important for archivists to be trained historians, who focus on archival methods. New avenues of employment for graduates will emerge as corporations increasingly realize the need for classification, organization, and documentation of their corporate records and histories.

Course Requirements. A candidate for the M.A. must complete a minimum of 36 units with grades of B or better as noted under the “Master of Arts Degree ” section. The remaining 8 units will be in archival education and 4 units of practicum subject to the approval of the student’s advisor.

Language Requirement. A candidate must demonstrate reading proficiency in historical materials in one foreign language.

Research Papers. A candidate must write two substantive research papers demonstrating competence in historical research.

Internship. An important component of the M.A. in History/Archival Studies is an internship opportunity that places candidates in archives or special collections to gain practical experience.

Summer Practicum. This is offered on a rotating basis and will provide specialized training in various archival areas including practical instruction in digitizing finding aides; introduction to EAD (Encoded Archival Description) language; introduction to DACS (Descriptive Archival Content Standards) and manuscript paleography.