Department of History
M.A. in History
Option: Teaching, Traditional Track (no option)Dr. Willam Skuban, Department Chair
Dr. Maritere Lopez, Graduate Program Coordinator for traditional track (no option)
Dr. Michelle DenBeste, Graduate Coordinator for Teaching option
Our Graduate Program
CSUF's History M.A. program offers a traditional track and a teaching option. The traditional track is best suited to students planning to continue their graduate studies, teach at the baccalaureate level, or pursue careers outside of teaching. The teaching option is geared to current K-12 teachers, and provides not only the opportunity to achieve mastery of historical content knowledge, but also of its application in the classroom setting.
The 30-unit History M.A. program provides both breadth and depth of knowledge. To this end, the first 15 units in both tracks are geared to the investigation of broad methodological and content questions, while the last 15 units concentrate on a narrower area of research and interpretation. The program offers seminars on a wide range of historical periods and approaches, while helping s tudents to sharpen their skills in written and oral communication, analysis, research, and interpretation. Our students regularly present their findings at local, national, and international conferences, and publish their research in nationally recognized journals.
The diversity of our program is well illustrated by the wide range of thesis topics selected by recent graduate students in the History Department, with subjects as varied as the history of labor disputes in the Central Valley, American film noir in the 1970s, and the study of responses to the war in Chechnya (winner of the 2004 University-Wide Outstanding Thesis Award).
Many graduates have used their history expertise to teach, pursue careers in law, in the clergy, or as business executives, legislators, or journalists. Others have used their history preparation for highly specialized positions such as curators, archivists, or historical editors and administrators, all of which require a strong commitment to research and, in many instances, a record of publication.
Our Graduate Community
We are a growing community in which both academic and professional excellence are key. The History Department strongly encourages graduate students to be part of an active academic community, making available a variety of opportunities for professionalization. Those include the History Graduate Student Association and Phi Alpha Theta National History Honors Society, as well as community projects such as The History Project @ Fresno State and the Teaching American History Grant.
The History Graduate Student Association contributes to the scholarly discussion of history in the department and at the university; Phi Alpha Theta encourages research, good teaching, publication, and the exchange of ideas at both the local and national level. Both associations sponsor monthly talks by faculty members and other historians, culminating in our annual Graduate Student Symposium in the spring.
The History Department is also affiliated with two major programs offering professional development to K-12 teachers. The History Project @ Fresno State provides professional development for area teachers, encouraging teachers to learn, question, and experiment with curriculum and teaching approaches. The Teaching American History Grant Project (TAH) is a professional development program for social studies and American history teacher. Components include a master's cohort, four 2-day colloquia, seven monthly seminars, and annual six-day travel study tours.
Our Graduate Program | Our Graduate Community | Faculty | Quick Facts