Master's Program
Villanova University is one of relatively few academic institutions in the country that offer only a Master's Degree in history, rather than both the Master of Arts and doctorate. Our program is designed to serve the diverse academic interests, needs and goals of our students. The Villanova faculty endeavors both to encourage our students’ love of history and to help them strengthen their analytical and interpretive skills to meet a broad range of career or personal goals. Ten courses are required to complete the Master's program; there is no thesis requirement, but opportunities to undertake original research projects are offered as part of regular courses.
The Post-M.A. Certificate Program
Villanova University offers an advanced Post-Master’s Certificate for those who wish to continue taking graduate courses in history after earning a Master's degree in history or a related discipline. The program is open to all, but is especially well suited to the needs of secondary and middle school teachers. Five courses of the student's choice are required to earn a certificate.
Combined M.A. and Certificate in Nonprofit Management Program
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.
