History

Our understanding of history is in a perpetual state of flux. We are constantly raising new questions about the past and exploring innovative approaches to addressing complex problems. In our Master of Arts in History program you will learn to interpret sources and analyze different perspectives.

Students sitting in class

Prepare for the future by examining the past

Through an individualized course of study, you will gain a broad understanding of diverse eras and places and deepen your knowledge of specialized historical topics. We combine coursework with strong faculty mentoring in areas like American history, modern Europe, East Asia and the Middle East, global and comparative history, women and gender, maritime history, the Atlantic world, memory studies and public history. You will also have access to a vibrant array of historic sites and manuscript collections that surround our Boston campus.

Pursuing either a Master's in history or a dual degree in history/teaching or history/archives management, our students are well prepared for careers in education, research, archives management, librarianship, curation and various other forms of public history.

This program requires 36 semester hours. All students should take one course in historical methodology, (HIST 597); a series of electives for a total of 24 or 28 credits; and a culminating 4-credit or 8-credit research project or internship (fieldwork, thesis, teaching practicum, or public history internship).

Graduate Seminar Electives

Students select 16 semester hours from the following:

HIST450 Independent Study 4
HIST527 Archives, History, and Collective Memory 4
HIST 552 Transnational Labor History 4
HIST 553 Commodities in World History 0
HIST529 Film & Historical Representation 4
HIST560 Seminar in the History of Women and Gender 4
HIST561 Seminar in World History 4
HIST562 Reform and Revolutions in Asia 4
HIST565 Seminar: 9/11 Narratives 4
HIST566 Digital History 4
HIST567 Memory and the Holocaust 4
HIST568 Seminar in Public History: Sites of History 4
HIST571 Seminar in Early American History 4
HIST573 Seminar in Nineteenth-Century American History 4
HIST574 Modern US History: Digital Humanities 4
HIST575 Cold War Culture 4
HIST576 American Revolution 4
HIST577 Topics in Modern Europe 4
HIST578 Pilgrims, Prophets, & Profaners Biography & Autobiography 4
HIST 582 Insurgency and Revolution in Latin America and the Caribbean 4
HIST597 Historical Methods 4
 
Front of the Main College Building

Funding Options

We offer a variety of options for funding your education.

Funding Options

Headshot of Susann Vaeth

Alumnae/i Feature

As a history graduate student, I became part of a close-knit group comprised of both fellow students and professors.

Spotlight on History Students and Alums

Karina Sumano and Delaney Sieber

Ifill Graduate Students’ Thesis Presentations: Abolition, Women’s Social Movements, and Southern Baking

On December 15, 2021, Ifill College students from the Graduate programs in History and Gender & Cultural Studies presented their research at the virtual fall 2021 Colloquia. Thirteen students shared their work in front of peers, faculty, family, and friends...


Headshot of Susann Vaeth

Susann Vaeth '18MA Studies Conflicting Narratives Within History

A former high school teacher, Susann now studies the construction of texts used in schools. You recently graduated from the MA in history program at Simmons. What's next for you? I'll be pursuing a Ph.D. at Brandeis University, focusing on...


Adam McNeil delivering speech

Simmons Grad Student Wins Memphis State Eight

We spoke with Adam McNeil '18MA about his awarding-winning paper and his MA in history. Did a particular experience or person inspire you to pursue a graduate degree in history? In March 2012, I visited my brother in Boston for...


Hope Shannon '13MA: Choose Simmons

We chatted with Hope about her MA in history and how Simmons prepared her for PhD work. Where are you doing your doctoral work? I'm a PhD student in the dual United States History and Public History program at Loyola...