Graduate Programs

PhD in History

The PhD in History prepares students for careers as professional historians in academia, museums, digital humanities centers, and other venues. Students gain expertise in traditional historical methods, as well as in digital history and web-based technologies. Major fields include U.S. history, European history, and world history. Minor fields are chosen by the student and may be defined geographically/temporally (such as Early America or Modern East Asia), topically (women’s history or cultural history), or methodologically (digital history or museum studies).

Students may attend either full-time or part-time. Admissions are competitive. Funding is available for full-time students.  Digital History Fellowships to support students who plan to specialize in digital history.

Click here for more information about our Digital History Fellowships.

MA in Art History

The MA in art history draws on departmental strengths in traditional research, the application of new media, and the vast cultural resources of the Washington, DC area. Students study a broad range of art-historical periods, theory, and research methods. The master’s program emphasizes new media skills, museology, and pre-professional internship training.

MA in History

Students in the MA in history program select an area of specialization in American history, European history, or world history. They choose from one of four concentrations.

Accelerated MA in Art History

Highly qualified undergraduates in any major who have taken at least two 300-level art history courses with a minimum grade of B+ in each may apply to the accelerated master's degree in art history.

Accelerated MA in History

Highly-qualified Mason undergraduates may apply to the accelerated master's degree program and obtain both bachelor's and master's degrees in history after satisfactory completion of 144 credits. The BA and MA earned separately require 120 and 30 credits respectively. Well-prepared undergraduates are encouraged to apply when they have completed between 75 and 90 credits.

Graduate Certificate in Digital Public Humanities

Both recent graduates and experienced professionals will benefit from this online graduate certificate program. Coursework is designed to help students achieve mastery of the digital tools and skills that are increasingly necessary for career advancement as a humanities professional, and a virtual internship with a unit of the Smithsonian Institution enables students to apply those tools and skills in hands-on digital projects with the nation’s premier public humanities institution.