Villanova University's history department offers an MA program in History, a new combined degree and certificate program and Graduate Certificates in History for students who already have a Bachelor’s degree. Villanova’s flexible graduate programs may be adapted to individual needs and goals. Students may begin taking courses in the fall, spring or summer sessions, and may take courses on a part-time or full-time basis. All courses are offered in the evening.

In addition to our Master of Arts program, we also offer a Graduate Certificate program in History for students who wish to take courses after they have earned a Bachelors Degree.”

NEW! MA in History with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management

This unique and exciting program offers students the opportunity to combine the scholarly rigor of a traditional M.A. in History with the valuable pragmatic skills needed for management positions in non-profit institutions.  It is particularly well suited for students interested in careers in the field of Public History, including work in museums, historic preservation, cultural tourism, libraries and archives, and new media. While advancing their mastery of historical research, historiography, and methodology in rigorous graduate seminars and internships in history, students in the combined program also learn how to manage the economic, administrative and political challenges faced by nonprofit institutions in their courses in Villanova’s nationally accredited Master of Public Administration program.

The combined Masters/Certificate Program requires 36 credits (instead of the 30 credits required for the History MA degree, and the 15 credits required for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management): twenty-four credits or 8 courses in History, and 12 credits or 4 courses in Public Administration.

More information about admission and the curriculum is available here.

Liberal Studies Certificates Also Available

The Graduate Studies Office is pleased to announce the addition of two new Liberal Studies Certificates -- the first in American Studies and the other in Ancient Worlds. All programs will begin admitting graduate level students in spring 2011.

The Certificate in American Studies will give students an integrated view of the American experience through history, politics, culture, literature, theology, art, and philosophy. The introductory course, offered through Liberal Studies, will address three central questions: what is an American, what is America as a concept, and is there an American culture? Through these questions, students will be able to explore the great diversity that shapes the American identity. After the introductory course, students will be free to take advantage of the many American-themed courses in the Villanova graduate curriculum. The affiliated faculty for the program, representing some of the most vibrant scholars of American culture in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, include Michael Berthold (English), Lara Brown (Political Science), Kaley Carpenter (VCLE), Kathleen Holscher (Theology and Religious Studies), Crystal Lucky (English), Eugene McCarraher (Humanities), Paul Rosier (History), and Fayette Veverka (Theology and Religious Studies).

The Certificate in Ancient Worlds allows students to gain a deeper understanding either of the intersections of ancient civilizations, such as Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia, or of one particular ancient civilization. They will have the opportunity to explore these civilizations through history, politics, culture, literature, theology, art, and philosophy. As with the Certificate in American Studies, the Certificate in Ancient Worlds draws on a distinguished faculty from across the disciplines, including Walter Brogan (Philosophy), Daniel Doyle, O.S.A. (Theology and Religious Studies), Judith Hadley (Theology and Religious Studies), Christopher Haas (History), Helen Lang (Philosophy), Brian Satterfield (VCLE), John Paul Spiro (VCLE), and Peter Spitaler (Theology and Religious Studies).