History, to many, is a dull subject, but many others find it enthralling. If you belong to the second group and are looking to pursue a Master’s degree in History online, the good news is that there are tons of quality options for you. Below you’ll find a list of the ten best online Master’s programs in History.
Top Universities for Online History Master’s Degree
1. University of Louisiana at Monroe
Beginning its journey in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College, the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) went through several name changes before it adopted its current name in 1991. It consists of four academic colleges and a graduate school. The public university with a student population of nearly 9,000 has its main campus situated in Monroe, Louisiana, encompassing 238 acres of land.
Master of Arts in History is one of the 35 academic programs that ULM offers in a fully online delivery model. It is a non-thesis program that requires students to complete 30 credit hours of coursework, and successfully pass written and oral exams to graduate.
2. Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University (Pitt State) is a public university with over 7,000 students, representing 36 US states and 43 countries. Although it was founded in 1903 as a branch of the then State Normal School of Emporia, it has been a full-fledged university since 1977. Its campus sits on a 223-acre site in Pittsburg, Kansas. The university offers its academic programs through five colleges and a graduate school.
Pitt State’s online Master’s degree in History consists of 30 to 32 credit hours. For degree fulfillment, students are provided with three alternatives: thesis, applied research, and coursework. The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences administers the program.
3. University of Nebraska at Kearney
What was established in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney is now the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). The Kearney-based campus of the University of Nebraska system has 49 buildings positioned on a 514-acre site. Its total enrolment currently stands at over 6,300.
At UNK, the Master of Arts in History program is run by the Department of History. The program consisting of 36 credit hours is offered in both on-campus and online delivery modes. The History MA degree can be earned through three different routes: thesis, non-thesis, and public history.
4. Indiana State University
The Indiana State University (ISU) began its journey in 1865 as the Indiana State Normal School. It is a public university with over 13,000 students from all 50 US states as well as 65-plus nations. It has five colleges based at its main campus in Terre Haute, Indiana.
ISU offers more than 70 online programs, one of which is Master of Science in History. It is an ideal option for students pursuing professional careers. There’s a separate online program, Master of Arts in History, which is more suitable for those who wish to pursue a PhD degree in History. Each of the programs are made up of 33 credit hours. Either of them takes three to five years of part-time study to complete.
5. Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has been around for a while now, precisely since 1932. It is a non-profit private university with a 300-acre campus in the city of Manchester in New Hampshire. Over 3,000 on-campus students and 90,000 online students are currently enrolled at the university.
The online Master’s degree in History at SNHU can be earned in just 15 months. Three concentrations are available in the 33-credit-hour program: American history, military history, and public history. Instead of going for any of the three concentrations, students can also choose to pursue a general course.
6. University of Massachusetts Boston
Founded originally as Boston State College in 1852, the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) is one of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system. It has a student population north of 16,000, which includes international students from 113 different countries. The Boston-based public university offers more than 200 academic programs through its 10 colleges and schools.
UMass Boston offers its online History MA through its History Department under the College of Liberal Arts. The program doesn’t enroll more than 15-20 students each year to make sure every student is receiving individualized attention from the faculty. The degree can be earned by completing 30 credits following any of the three different tracks: archives, public history, and history.
7. Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University (SHSU) began its journey in 1879 as Sam Houston Normal Institute. Located in Huntsville, Texas, the public university currently has a total enrolment of around 21,000 students. More than 160 academic programs, including 31 online programs, are offered through its eight colleges.
SHSU’s Department of History, which consists of 21 full-time faculty members, runs the Master’s degree in History. The program can be completed entirely on campus, entirely online, or through a bit of both. Students can earn the degree at the completion of 30-36 credit hours by either defending a portfolio of written work or by coming up with a master’s thesis.
8. University of North Carolina Wilmington
University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) is a member of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system situated in the port city of Wilmington. It has nearly 18,000 students enrolled in 95 different undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The academic programs are offered through its six colleges, schools, and teaching centers.
Although UNCW’s MA in History can be completed in several different ways, the online version of the program has only one pathway, non-thesis. This 30-credit-hour program is designed especially for history educators. It is overseen by the university’s Department of History, which currently employs 21 full-time faculty members.
9. Western Kentucky University
Established as the Western Kentucky State Normal School in 1906, the Western Kentucky University (WKU) went on to become a full-fledged university and adopt its current name in 1966. It consists of six colleges spread across its four campuses in Kentucky’s Bowling Green, Glasgow, Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, and Owensboro. The public university offers more than 200 academic programs to its 20,000-plus students.
The Master of Arts in History program at WKU is run by the Potter College of Arts and Letters’ History Department. The program can be completed in three years following any one of two plans. The first plan includes 24 credit hours of coursework, in addition to a six-credit-hour thesis. The second plan doesn’t have a thesis but includes 36 credit hours of coursework.
10. Liberty University
Liberty University is one of the most populous non-profit private universities in the US. It has over 15,000 students enrolled at its campus in Lynchburg, Virginia, in addition to more than 94,000 online students. The private evangelical Christian university was founded in 1971, and currently offers 700-plus academic programs through its 17 colleges and schools.
One of Liberty’s more than 250 online programs is the Master of Arts in History program. The program that falls under the College of Arts and Sciences includes a total of 36 credit hours. The average length of the program is one and half years.
We hope that this article on best universities for online Master’s in history was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Master’s Programs for International Students!
