Programs at a Glance

General Information

Program Description

Boasting an energetic faculty that has achieved national and international recognition for its research, the Department of History at Northeastern University offers three programs of graduate study. The Ph.D. and MA programs focuses on global approaches to historical analysis in research and teaching, and the Master of Arts with a certificate in Public History is geared toward students who wish to work in historical organizations. The Doctoral Program is one of few Ph.D. programs in the country that specifically emphasizes world history as a primary field of study, and for its particular strengths in gender, social, and cultural history. Recently, the AHA Committee on Graduate Education cited Northeastern's World History Program as being in the vanguard of these studies. Each of the two Master's programs provides training to students who translate their Northeastern degrees into rewarding careers in teaching or into admission to leading doctoral programs in history throughout the country. The MA in Public History has achieved special recognition as one of the best of its kind nationally, preparing students for careers in museum and archives administration, historical preservation, editing, and in public history filmmaking and media. In all areas, the Department emphasizes close mentoring of students, training in a range of research methods and methodologies, and practical experience in teaching. Graduate students participate actively in the History Department Seminar, where they, along with faculty, are invited to present their research. Benefiting from Northeastern's location in Boston, students can take advantage of multiple research opportunities offered by a wealth of archives and libraries in the Boston area. In recent years the Department has been able to provide significant financial aid to more than eighty percent of incoming students.