About the History Master of Arts
Are you intrigued by the past and its capacity for guiding us today and tomorrow? Do you want to help students and members of the public understand and appreciate the nuanced shadings of history or to improve your professional standing in a competitive field by broadening your career options? Are you looking to switch to a career in history from one in another discipline? If the answer is yes, you may be the perfect candidate for Buffalo State’s master of arts in history program.
The history M.A. provides an uncommonly rich understanding and appreciation of the evolution of humankind; the critical thinking skills required for interpreting, analyzing, and synthesizing historical events and ideas in ways that matter today; and the ability to articulate it all to others.
Degree Information
Career Paths
Historians with a master’s degree in history may be able to teach at the community college level. They also have the opportunity to work at museums, research centers, and libraries. There is also a periodic need for historians who can provide the research needed to advance restoration projects.
Graduates with a master’s degree in history may not always choose to work strictly as historians. Other career options include:
- Author
- Charity and volunteer organizer
- Government employee
- Journalist
- Lawyer*
- Politician
- Preservationist for historical societies and government institutions
- Publisher
- Teacher
- Tourist guide
*Entering the field of law: Studying for a master’s in history can prepare students for the rigors of law school. Lawyers must be able to argue persuasively using historical data. Some historians even choose to serve as litigation support specialists or to become paralegals
Buffalo State strives to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom:
Community projects: History students and faculty have been active preservers of local history, documenting records from African-American churches and forming cooperative projects with the historic Black Rock community.
Phi Alpha Theta: The Buffalo State chapter of the international history honor society, provides honor students with the opportunity to meet other students in social and academic settings
Monroe Fordham Regional History Center: A founding member of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, Inc. Fordham focused on African-American history and spearheaded the association’s microfilm project.
The Fronczak Collection: This important collection of papers and personal memorabilia belonging to Polish immigrant, Dr. Francis Fronczak, a lawyer, medical doctor, and health commissioner active during World War I and II is available to view in the E.H. Butler Library.
The Harold F. Peterson Collection: This collection Includes textile, ceramic, metal, and stone pieces that were produced by early Indian civilizations of South and Central America. It’s part of a permanent exhibit that is housed in the department's Peterson seminar/conference room.
Great Location
Our department is located in the heart of historic Buffalo. History students benefit highly from our close proximity to historically significant buildings, museums, and organizations.
Stellar Faculty
Our award-winning faculty provide a broad range of historic views and are well-regarded in the field.
Museum Connections
The Buffalo History Museum, across the street from campus, offers an extended classroom to our students.
