- Master of Arts in Ancient History and Language Acquisition
The Masters in Ancient History and Language Acquisition is designed for those students who have a keen interest in the history of the ancient world but who have not yet mastered ancient languages. The program combines language study in Greek and Latin with History coursework that builds upon a student’s background in ancient history. Students who complete the program will emerge with a strong grounding in ancient languages and enhanced understanding of the history of the ancient world. This is a terminal degree and those wishing to pursue a PhD in Ancient History will need to apply to the PhD program upon completion.
Among the features that distinguish this program are the following:
1) Students take a full offering of history courses in addition to their language work.
2) The range of ancient and medieval languages that IU offers exceeds that of nearly every other institution in the US. Most students will take Greek and/or Latin, but students may also choose to take other ancient languages such as Hebrew.
3) Students will complete the program with an MA in History instead of a Certificate.
Faculty members in ancient history offer a broad collection of courses detailing the social, religious, political, and cultural histories of Greece, Rome, and the late antique world while also participating in Indiana’s growing Ancient Studies Program. Indiana’s ancient historians also cooperate actively with faculty in Classical Studies, Religious Studies, and Art History to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the ancient world.
Interested students should have demonstrable background in the history of antiquity and should articulate specific areas of interest in their applications. While it is desirable for them to have begun one ancient language before admission, this is not a requirement.
Outline of the Program:
In their first year students will combine ancient language instruction with H601 in the fall and a history colloquium in the spring. In their second year, students will normally take four intermediate-level language courses for History credit, either from those listed in Appendix C of the Graduate Guide, or as approved by their adviser. The language courses selected must be in an ancient language, but need not be Greek and Latin. In addition, they will take one history colloquium and one history seminar. At the end of the year, they would also take a language examination certifying proficiency in the ancient language of their choice. The MA will be awarded based upon successful completion of both language and history courses with an overall GPA above 3.0 and a satisfactory mark on the examination.
To pursue this degree, students must apply to Department of History and specify their interest in this track.
- Master of Arts in Russian or East European History
The Masters in Russian or East European History is designed for those students with a keen interest in Russia and Eastern Europe who have not yet mastered the relevant languages nor had an opportunity to develop the competitive breadth in understanding this area necessary to competitively pursue a Doctoral degree in the history of Russia or Eastern Europe or in other related disciplines (e.g., anthropology, political science). The program combines language study in any relevant language offered at IU through the summer program and the academic year. This enables students to take up to 4 levels of language in two academic years in combination with History coursework and a selection of courses in other related disciplines that focus upon Russia and Eastern Europe. Students who complete the program will emerge with both a strong grounding in the relevant research language(s) and an enhanced understanding of the history, politics, and culture of Russia and Eastern Europe. Among the features that distinguish this program are the following:
- Students take a full offering of history courses in addition to their language work. IUB has a number of faculty members who focus on the history of this area. Some are in the history department and others in several additional units on campus. Faculty members in Russian and East European history offer a broad collection of courses that explore the social, religious, political, and cultural histories of the area from the Middle Ages (e.g., Ron Sela) through the early modern period (e.g., Ed Lazzerini) to modern and contemporary history (e.g., David Ransel, Maria Bucur). Occasionally, IU also offers a unique opportunity to take history content courses in the languages of the area for those who have the necessary language preparation. Languages of instruction for such courses in the past have included Russian, Hungarian, and Romanian.
- The range of East European languages that IU offers exceeds all other institutions in the US: Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (3 levels); Czech (3 levels); Modern Greek (3 levels); Hungarian (3 levels); Polish (3 levels); Romanian (3 levels); Ukrainian (2 levels); Yiddish (2 levels). For those interested in the history of Russia, our language offerings, starting with Russian itself and continuing with an array of Baltic and Central Asian languages of the former Soviet Union, is unparalleled: Russian (9 levels); Azerbaijani (1 level); Dari (2 levels); Estonian (3 levels); Finnish (3 levels); Georgian (1 level); Kazakh (2 levels); Kyrgyz (2 levels); Pashto (2 levels); Persian (3 levels); Tajik (1 level); Tatar (1 level); Uyghur (1 level); Uzbek (3 levels). Students may apply for funding for the summer and academic-year language programs through the FLAS program as detailed in the following web pages:
- Over 70 faculty from disciplines across the humanities, social sciences, and professional schools, enhance the multidisciplinary offerings in Russian and East European studies. By taking only three courses from among the REEI offerings outside of history, students enrolled in this MA program will be able to obtain a certificate in Russian and East European studies. Click here for a full list of REEI faculty.
Requirements for MA in History:
Courses:
- 30 credit hours, at least 20 of which should be in the History Department, with at least 12 credits in courses focusing on Russia or Eastern Europe
- Completion of H601, at least one advanced seminar, and two colloquia. The remaining credit hours in history can be completed through graduate colloquia, seminars, or readings courses. Graduate students will be allowed to receive credit for undergraduate courses only in special cases.
Foreign Language:
- Oral Proficiency Examination (Russian at intermediate level or higher), or study of other area language through the 2nd year level
Awarding of MA degree:
- Review by the field (Russian or East European) during the fourth semester. The student’s performance will be based on the GPA (3.0 or higher is a requirement for counting courses towards the degree), fulfillment of language requirements, and a qualitative oral assessment of the student’s work. The student will be required to pre-circulate to the committee two papers, one of which must be a seminar paper in which the student employs sources written in the student’s chosen language of the area.
Russian and East European Institute's Certificate Requirements:
The Russian and East European Institute's certificate program gives students a broad understanding of the geographical area and its peoples while providing the opportunity to examine in depth the aspect of Russian and East European studies that most interests them. Students may focus on the study of Russia, another country or region of the former Soviet Union, or East Central or Southeastern Europe. This certificate program can be completed simultaneously with the REE MA in History.
At least 18 credits from area studies offerings, one each from at least 3 of the following 4 groups, with at least 9 credit hours outside the history department (for most students 9 of the 18 credits will be fulfilled through courses on East European or Russian history in the history department):
- Social Science (units covered: Political Science, Economics, Business, Law, Public Administration, , Criminal Law, Education, Sociology, Anthropology, History, CEUS, HPER, Jewish Studies; Library and Information Science, NELC; Geography, Folklore, WEST)
- Historical/Geographical (units covered: History, Geography, Journalism, Music, Anthropology, Political Science, Art History, CEUS, Jewish Studies, NELC, WEST)
- Socio-cultural (units covered: Sociology, Anthropology, History, Slavics, Comparative Literature, Music, Linguistics, Art History, Education, CEUS, Jewish Studies, Journalism, NELC, Communication and Culture, Folklore, WEST)
- Literature/language (units covered: Slavics, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, CEUS, Jewish Studies, NELC, Communication and Culture, Folklore, Second Language Studies, WEST)
The choice of courses should be made in consultation with the REEI Student Services Coordinator. REEI is located on the 4th Floor of the Hamilton Lugar School for Global and International Studies building. Their website is: https://reei.indiana.edu/
One of the courses taken outside the history department needs to be colloquium/seminar (600-level or higher)
One bound copy of thesis written on a Russian or East European area topic; or a copy of a paper written for a colloquium/seminar
- Master of Arts in United States History
The Masters in United States History is designed for students with a keen interest in United States history but who do not yet possess the background or training to competitively pursue a doctoral degree. These include students with undergraduate degrees in majors other than History, students whose undergraduate training did not include working closely with faculty mentors or writing substantial research papers, and students whose undergraduate academic records do not fully reflect their abilities and potential. The MA in United States History is also a useful option for students who are considering graduate study, but are not yet certain they wish to pursue a Ph.D.
The goal of the MA in US History track is to prepare qualified applicants to doctoral programs (at IU and elsewhere) by providing thorough grounding in relevant historical scholarship, training in research methods, and close attention to the craft of historical research and writing. In addition, faculty will assist students in identifying and applying to appropriate Ph.D. programs. The MA in US History degree also enhances applications to professional programs in Law, Business, Foreign Relations, Public, Archival, and Museum Administration as well as to Ph.D. programs in related disciplines.
Students accepted to the MA in US History will have the opportunity to study with outstanding faculty, several of whom are the authors of prize-winning books. They will gain substantial breadth as well as concentrate on particular areas of interest. The Indiana University History department currently includes more than twenty faculty members who specialize in various aspects of United States history, including social, cultural, political, and gender history as well as the histories of race and ethnicity and the history of memory.
Students enrolled in the MA in US History complete a total of 30 credits. These must include History H601, at least two colloquia, and at least one research seminar. In addition students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language either through completion of relevant coursework or by passing an examination offered by the relevant language department.
- Dual Masters: History and Jewish Studies
A dual M.A. in History and Jewish Studies is available to students who are interested in a solid disciplinary training in History as well as a broad, interdisciplinary training in Jewish Studies and the corresponding languages. This program will appeal in particular to students who plan to pursue a professional career in the field of Jewish Studies or who plan to go on to a Ph.D. program in History.
The combined program will have a total of 52 credit hours, instead of the 62 hours required to attain the two degrees separately. Students will take 5 courses counting towards History and 5 courses counting towards Jewish Studies, as well as 12 credits of electives. In the dual History and Jewish Studies M.A. option, graduate-level language courses in a language relevant for the student’s research interest, normally Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, or Biblical Hebrew, can be counted to fulfill the elective credit requirement.
For the History M.A., students will take HIST-H 601 and an additional 16 credits of course work in History which should include a minimum of one seminar and two colloquia. These courses can include courses on Jewish history, but cannot be identical with the courses counted towards fulfillment of the Jewish Studies requirements. To fulfill the requirements for Jewish Studies, students will take JSTU-H 520 (4 cr.) and four courses taught by Jewish Studies faculty (16 cr.). Proficiency in one language relevant to the student’s research interest, normally Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, or Biblical Hebrew, is required for completion of the degree; the 12 credits of electives can be used for language courses.
Students will undergo a field review in the History department for which they will submit two papers written for History courses, at least one of which in a seminar. Students will choose either the comprehensive exam or final thesis option to complete their requirements for the Jewish Studies M.A.
Students interested in the dual M.A. should apply separately to both the Jewish Studies Program and the Department of History indicating their interest in the dual degree program on the “Departmental Questions” section of the online application.
- Dual Masters: History and Library Science
A dual program for the M.A. in History and the Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) is available to students interested in careers in libraries, archives, historical societies, museum collections, and other related fields. Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 56 credit hours rather than the 66 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately. Students take 26 credit hours in history and 30 credit hours of library science. For the history credit hours, at least 20 must be in the Department of History; the remaining 6 are electives that may be fulfilled with further history courses or with library science courses, including those counting for requirements in that program. Students are required to complete H601 and at least one seminar and two colloquia. Graduate students will be allowed to receive credit for undergraduate courses only in special cases (such as in the study of fields not commonly available at the undergraduate level, or in small fields). For specific library science requirements, see the entry for the Department of Information and Library Science in the Indiana University Graduate Bulletin.
To pursue this degree, students must apply and be admitted to both the History Department for the M.A. and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering for the M.L.S. Sometimes students who have already begun in either the History program or the Library Science program wish to move into the dual degree program. To do this, application to the second unit must be made and admission must be granted before the completion of the first program.
Please see the Graduate Guide to History and the Graduate School Bulletin for more detailed information on these degree requirements.
You may also be interested in the following History-related degree.
Please note: the Department of History does not administer this program. Please click the box below for contact and other information about the Interdisciplinary Curatorship M.A.