MA History

The Portland State University Department of History offers a Master of Arts degree program designed to develop historians with special competence by systematic training in the content, methods, and interpretation of history.

Each degree program at Portland State University will vary, based on the individual student’s particular fields of interest and purpose for pursuing graduate work. Regardless, the same level of scholarly competence and intellectual attainment is expected of all our MA students.

What kinds of students are in the History MA program?

With fluctuating proportions, most of our students are pursuing an MA either as a pathway to a PhD program or as a professional credential in its own right.

Many of our students are interested in further advanced study in history, and choose our program as a way to explore and redefine their interests, and/or to improve their CV for an eventual application to a doctoral program. We have a good track record of placement into competitive PhD programs for those of our MA students who have worked diligently to prepare themselves.

Many of our students seek a master’s degree as a required or supplementary professional credential in teaching at the community college or high school level, public history, etc.

Some students are in our program primarily for reasons of personal curiosity and enrichment, without any particular professional goal in mind.