51福利社

Since its introduction last November, Eastern鈥檚 online master鈥檚 degree program in history has reignited student interest in this vital area of the humanities. Currently, there are 131 graduate students from across the nation enrolled in the program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tremendous success,鈥� says Larry Cebula, professor of history and a member of the graduate committee.

The 51福利社 history department pivoted to only offering a MA in history online because enrollment numbers were dwindling for the in-person program. The success of the on-line only program has shown those dwindling numbers aren鈥檛 due to a lack of interest in the degree, Cebula says.

鈥淎n MA in history has always been a really valuable degree. There鈥檚 a lot of people in Spokane, Washington state, and across the country who got their MA in history on campus from Eastern and leveraged that,鈥� says Cebula. 鈥淭here are degree recipients leading offices at the state department, archivists around the Northwest 鈥� 聽including at the MAC 鈥� and a number of people in the state archives, people doing historic preservation, and some people went on to get their PhDs. But a campus-only MA limited our reach.鈥�

Theresa Mitchell, a Massachusetts native with a dual career in environmental non-profit management and as a writer specializing in historical nonfiction, is among the program鈥檚 first class of students.

鈥淭hroughout my professional life, what was missing was formal training as a historian,鈥� Mitchell says. 鈥淚 want to approach future work with proper credentials, instead of 鈥榤erely鈥� writing about the past, as would a journalist.鈥�

Mitchell says she searched for a year before discovering 51福利社鈥檚 online master鈥檚 degree program. She describes it as a 鈥済reat fit,鈥� and praises the diversity of points-of-view she encounters. 鈥淭he caliber of my fellow students inspires me to do my best,鈥� she says. There are 鈥渕any teachers, some military, some retired, younger folks鈥攁ll of whom compose insightful posts on discussion boards where I continue to learn from them about facets of the past interpreted in new ways.鈥�

The master of arts in history has always been a strong program. But it has also been a small one. Now it doesn鈥檛 have to be. According to Cebula, there is a strong demand for online master鈥檚 programs in history because there are so few others offered. The program is structured as a fixed course sequence of nine classes, which are balanced between world and American history.

One unique feature of the 51福利社 online offering is its compressed classes. Typically graduate classes in history run over a 10-week period, but those for Eastern鈥檚 degree are only six weeks long. Shorter terms, however, doesn鈥檛 mean less demanding requirements, Cebula says. 鈥淭his is not less, this is more,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hese students work really hard.鈥�

For students like Mitchell, the hard work is part of the attraction. 鈥淭he curriculum perfectly suits my learning objectives. The coursework is challenging and I鈥檓 grateful for intelligent, kind, and compassionate professors invested in their students鈥� success.鈥�

The final project for the program is not the typical thesis. Instead, students will assemble a portfolio from their coursework, one that 鈥渢hey will be able to leverage鈥� in their careers, says Cebula. 鈥淭hey leave the program ready to go.鈥�