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M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Public History/Non-profit Management Concentration)

The M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentration in Public History/Non-profit Management is designed for professional now working or who wish to work in the field of public history. Institutions in which the presentation of history to the public or the provision of resources for historical research are a significant component of the institution's mission include historic sites or museums with historical collections.

Admission decisions are jointly made by the graduate advisors in the Health Care and Public Administration and History Departments.

CURRICULUM

This 36-credit concentration combines the Advanced Certificate in Non-profit Management with graduate courses in History.  Upon successful completion of this concentration, students will be awarded the M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies and the Advanced Certificate in Non-profit Management.

NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT COURSES

Specifically, in this concentration, 15 credits of graduate courses must be taken through the Health Care and Public Administration Department's Advanced Certificate program in Non-profit Management.  In addition to a required introductory course in non-profit management (NPM 650), students must complete three additional elective courses in non-profit organization management from the following.

Courses
NPM 651 Fundraising and Development for Non-profit Organizations
NPM 652 Human Resource Management for Non-profit Organizations
NPM 653 Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations
NPM 654 Legal, Ethical and Governance Issues in Non-profit Organizations

The remaining 3 credits are chosen from these public administration courses.

Courses
MPA 701 Managerial Communications
MPA 708 Work, People and Productivity
MPA 713 Grant Writing and Administration
MPA 721 Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation Strategies

HISTORY COURSES

In this concentration, 15 credits in graduate history courses are required. These courses place emphasis on learning to think with rigor, to assess evidence, interpret historical events and write with clarity and precision. Graduate courses are structured as seminars that meet once a week in which students discuss readings in depth and develop literacy in recent scholarship. All Public History concentration students are required to take HIS 601 (Historiography) which examines different theories of historical thought and models of historical methods. The remaining 12 credits in History can be taken from any elective courses.  Examples of such courses include:

Courses
HIS 537 Race, Class and Ethnicity in the United States
HIS 543 Imperialism and Colonialism
HIS 551 Early Modern Atlantic World
HIS 553 Birth of the American Republic
HIS 556 Civil War and Reconstruction
HIS 559 America since 1945
HIS 560 African-American History
HIS 562 Myth and Memory in American History
HIS 585 Disease and History
HIS 592 History of American Women

History electives will be chosen based on each student's interest in consultation with the Graduate Advisor in History.

THESIS

Finally, like other concentrations in Interdisciplinary Studies, the Public History/Non-profit Management concentration requires the completion of a thesis (IDS 707 and 708). A faculty member from the Health Care and Public Administration Department will supervise the thesis and a faculty member from the History Department will serve as second reader OR a faculty member from the History Department will supervise the thesis and a faculty member from the Health Care and Public Administration Department will serve as the second reader.