Picking a masters program as a History/Social Studies Educator - Part IV
Programs to check out; programs to avoid.
This essay is Part IV of a series on graduate education for history and social studies educators. You can read Part I here, Part II here, and Part III here. In this part, I’ll discuss some excellent programs for the history/social studies educator, as well as some programs that are probably best to stay away from.
Recommendations
As I have mentioned, one of the most frequent questions I field from history and social studies educators is: where should I get an M.A. in History? As I also stated in Part I, it is first important to determine what you want to do with a graduate degree before you pick where to study, or a method of studying (such as a fully online M.A. program). If you haven’t read those recommendations yet, I suggest you go back and do so, and then come back to this section.
Generally speaking, if you wish to pursue an M.A. in History as an educator, my suggestion is that you seek out a local program where you can take at least part of your coursework in-person, and where you can get to know your professors and fellow students in person. I firmly believe that most students will get more out of in-person graduate training than studying for an M.A. online.
However, many teachers live in areas where there is no graduate level training available, work hours that are not conducive to graduate work, or have family or other commitments that make in-person learning difficult. For folks falling in those categories, studying for an M.A. online may be the only option. Generally, I suggest investigating online graduate programs with state universities, as most offer in-state tuition for online students, and there is generally much less academic bias in state programs than can be at some private universities. That said, there are some prestigious private programs that are now offering degrees online, and for some, it may make sense to study in an online program in order attend a better program.
So, without further ado, these are some suggestions for reputable, solid M.A. programs for the History / Social Studies Educator (in no particular order):
History Focused Programs:
Arizona State University - ASU has greatly expanded its online graduate offerings in recent years, and has been consistently ranked among the best public universities offering online graduate degrees. The online M.A. in History is taught by the same faculty that teach in their on-ground program, and the department offers specialization in North American, European, public and global-comparative history. Teachers who want to strengthen their research skills can select the thesis option, while teachers who are more interested in strengthening their content knowledge.
ASU also recently started offering an online M.A. in World War II Studies through the history department. This program is offered online, and provides a deep dive into causation, the genocides, and the war in global perspective.
Indiana State University - Indiana’s program is available both in-person and online, and offers specializations in United States, European, and world history. For those with an interest in American Labor History, Indiana’s special collections includes the Eugene Debs Collection, and a number of other collections related to the American labor movement.
Missouri State University - Missouri’s program, like the others, is available both in-person and online. Their program offers specializations in U.S History, World History, or U.S. in the World, which focuses upon American trade, foreign relations, and war with other countries.
Harvard University Extension School - Did you know that you can earn an online masters degree from Harvard University? The Extension School is a part of Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education. Harvard’s admission program for the Extension School is a bit different than your average admissions process. To apply for admission, a student must first complete three open enrollment Harvard Extension courses, including the Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Government, History and International Relations. with a B or better. Once you have passed three courses, you may apply for formal admission into the program. And, imagine what you can access via a Harvard University Library Card!
In addition to the A.M. in History, Harvard Extension School also offers A.M. degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology, Government, and Religious Studies.
Other Disciplinary M.A. Programs for Teachers
In addition to Harvard’s other disciplinary options, there are a ton of other great online options for History and Social Studies teachers who want to earn a disciplinary M.A.
Johns Hopkins University, the first research university in the United States, offers an M.A. in Government. Johns Hopkins offers a specialization in Democracy Studies and Governance which is perfect for the educator who wants to focus on civics education. They also offer specializations in Security Studies and Political Communication for teachers who also want to expand their marketability into other fields.
For those interested in specializing in the teaching of Economics, Johns Hopkins also offers an M.S. in Applied Economics. JHU allows specializations in International Economics, Public Policy and Economics, and Financial Economics, among others.
For educators who are interested in bringing geography and GIS into the classroom, JHU offers an M.S. in Geographic Information Systems. This program, which is offered exclusively online, also allows students to focus on GIS program, which is conducive to learning how to create special cartographic applications for educational purposes.
If you are interested in a more traditional Geography program, Arizona State University also offers an M.A. in Geography program, fully online. Specializations include GIS, as well as physical geography, sustainability, and place, identities and culture.
For those who are interested in increasing your Geography content knowledge but also want to improve your geographical pedagogy, an even more interesting program is Texas State University’s fully online Geography Education program! One of the strengths of the program is that it focuses on helping teachers learn how to build inquiry based geography lessons for the K-12 classroom. There is no thesis required to graduate.
For those who are interested in specializing in the teaching of Anthropology, Idaho State University has an online M.S. in Anthropology. Specializations include archaeology, ecological anthropology, and oral history.
Finally, for those of you who love teaching AP Sociology, Texas A&M-Commerce offers an M.S. in Sociology, with specializations including race and ethnicity, gender studies, deviant behavior, and global studies. That is a lot for a social studies teacher to love!
Educational Programs
Before moving on to discussing a few programs to stay away from, I want to make two more recommendations for programs in education departments. The first program I want to highlight is the University of Virginia’s online M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction, with a specialization in Social Foundations. This program is centered on “the social studies of education,” or, in other words, the study of education through history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics. The degree offers teachers the ability to learn how to conduct advanced level research in these various fields. While the program is focused on using these disciplines to study education, the skills are transferable to the study of anything, and the research understandings of the various social studies disciplines you teach can be invaluable.
Finally, Ohio University’s Master of Social Science degree is designed specifically for teachers who want to teach dual enrollment social studies. The degree is interdisciplinary in nature, with students studying History, Geography, Political Science, Anthropology, and Women's & Gender Studies.
Programs to Avoid
While there are many excellent online programs, there are a few programs that I would highly advise you against. While I understand that my opinion may seem controversial to some, what I can tell you is that the programs below are ones to avoid for one of two reasons: either they are of dubious academic quality, or they are are well known for ideological bias. These schools are not respected by the rest of academia, nor are their degrees.
These include:
University of Phoenix (for profit, quality)
Liberty University (bias)
American Public University (for profit)
American Military University (for profit)
Need help, or still confused? - I Consult!
If you are a history / social studies teacher who wants to pursue graduate education, but you aren’t sure where to start, I offer consulting services. Whether it is choosing a program, writing your application (including your statement of purpose, personal statement, and diversity statement), creating a CV, or negotiating graduate school offers, I can advise and assist you on how to succeed. Reach out to me for appointment times and rates.