2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

History >
the fields of business, administration and world
affairs.
The Tufts Graduate Program offers the M.A.
degree in History or in History and Museum
Studies. It also offers individual courses to students
earning a certificate in Museum Studies. The Ph.D.
is offered in Modern South Asia and Global
History.
Members of the History Department offer
preparation at the M.A. level in regional fields that
include South Asia, East Asia, Africa, Latin
America, Europe and the United States. In addition
to the regional fields, the department supports
thematic fields, which combine interdisciplinary
and comparative approaches. Students who choose
not to specialize in a regional field may select a
thematic field of study such as the following:
Civil Society, the Public Sphere, and the State
Film, Media, and History
Gender and Sexuality
International and Intercultural Relations
Colonialism and Postcolonialism
Labor and Social Movements
Nationalism and Collective Identity
Master of Arts in History
The Master’s Program is a small, selective program
of graduate study that emphasizes comparative
understanding of historical processes. It is organized
around colloquia in comparative and regional
topics, the preparation of specified fields, and
individual research in consultation with a faculty
member.
The program is designed both to prepare
students for doctoral programs in history and to
enhance the historical knowledge and interpretative
skills of professionals working in secondary schools,
libraries, foundations, and museums. GRE scores
(verbal, quantitative, analytical) and, if appropriate,
TOEFL are required for admission to the graduate
history program. Since the curriculum depends
greatly upon individualized interaction between
faculty and students, admission is contingent, in
part, on an appropriate match between faculty and
student interest.
Completion of the program requires proven
reading proficiency in at least one foreign language
or mastery of a research methodology in another
discipline. Anyone who plans to meet the requirement
in a foreign language or disciplinary research
methodology must indicate a plan to acquire this
knowledge within two years.
Normally, students are expected to complete the
program within two academic years. The successful
completion of ten courses is required. These courses
must include the following: the Historiography
Proseminar (History 200), one Graduate Colloquium,
at least one Research Seminar, either an
additional Research Seminar or one semester of
directed graduate research.
Up to two of the ten courses required for the
master’s degree may, by prior agreement with the
principal advisor, be taken in a department other
than History. Students may take selected undergraduate
courses, numbered 1 through 99, for
graduate credit by enrollment in the related
200-level readings course by arrangement with the
principal advisor and the relevant instructor.
Graduate students may not take undergraduate
colloquia. Appropriate courses offered by the
Fletcher School will be accepted by petition for
graduate credit in History.
A student may devote two out of ten courses to
the writing of a thesis. In that case, only one
additional course needs to be allocated for a
Research Seminar or directed graduate research. In
the second year of graduate study the student will
present a research project drawn from graduate
course work at Tufts to an ongoing Graduate
History Roundtable for critical discussion. Students
will choose two fields of study to be prepared for
examination. These fields may be regional or
comparative in focus. Each student will consult
with his or her principal advisor and a field
committee to design a sequence of courses that will
provide preparation for examinations in each field.
Examinations must be taken at least six weeks prior
to graduation. If the student chooses to write a
thesis, only one field, different from the field of the
thesis, need be prepared for examination.
Program in Museum Studies and History
The Tufts Museum Studies Program provides
qualified post-baccalaureate students with professional
training in the administration, preservation,
and interpretation skills required for a career in the
museum field. The Certificate in Museum Studies
requires four graduate-level courses and an on-site
internship. History M.A. candidates may take
individual Museum Studies courses that fit into
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