Since its introduction last November, Eastern\u2019s online master\u2019s 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. \u201cIt\u2019s been a tremendous success,\u201d says Larry Cebula, professor of history and a member of the graduate committee.<\/p>\n
The EWU 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\u2019t due to a lack of interest in the degree, Cebula says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn MA in history has always been a really valuable degree. There\u2019s 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,\u201d says Cebula. \u201cThere are degree recipients leading offices at the state department, archivists around the Northwest \u2014 \u00a0including at the MAC \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s first class of students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout my professional life, what was missing was formal training as a historian,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cI want to approach future work with proper credentials, instead of \u2018merely\u2019 writing about the past, as would a journalist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell says she searched for a year before discovering EWU\u2019s online master\u2019s degree program. She describes it as a \u201cgreat fit,\u201d and praises the diversity of points-of-view she encounters. \u201cThe caliber of my fellow students inspires me to do my best,\u201d she says. There are \u201cmany teachers, some military, some retired, younger folks\u2014all of whom compose insightful posts on discussion boards where I continue to learn from them about facets of the past interpreted in new ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
The master of arts in history has always been a strong program. But it has also been a small one. Now it doesn\u2019t have to be. According to Cebula, there is a strong demand for online master\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
One unique feature of the EWU online offering is its compressed classes. Typically graduate classes in history run over a 10-week period, but those for Eastern\u2019s degree are only six weeks long. Shorter terms, however, doesn\u2019t mean less demanding requirements, Cebula says. \u201cThis is not less, this is more,\u201d he says. \u201cThese students work really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
For students like Mitchell, the hard work is part of the attraction. \u201cThe curriculum perfectly suits my learning objectives. The coursework is challenging and I\u2019m grateful for intelligent, kind, and compassionate professors invested in their students\u2019 success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final project for the program is not the typical thesis. Instead, students will assemble a portfolio from their coursework, one that \u201cthey will be able to leverage\u201d in their careers, says Cebula. \u201cThey leave the program ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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