The Master’s Thesis

What is a Master’s Thesis?

The M.A. Thesis is a unique opportunity to work on a significant research project under the direction of a faculty advisor. The project is an excellent opportunity for graduate students to work as independent historians, providing a setting in which students are able to explore and delve more deeply into a long-standing interest or topic. Although challenging, a thesis is an intellectually rewarding and satisfying experience not only for students who intend to pursue further graduate study, but also for those with careers in education, business, government, or other professions.

Students electing to write a thesis will designate (in consultation with the Program Director) a 3-person thesis committee consisting of one Advisor and two Readers. The student and Committee will have a proposal meeting (prior to registering for thesis credits) and a defense of the completed project, scheduled when the Advisor and Committee deem the student ready.

Registration, Credits, and Timeline:

Recent M.A. Theses

Matthew Lussier (2023) – Not Just O Jogo Bonito: How International Soccer Impacts the World and Vice Versa
Katherine Lynch (2022-2023) – “A Duty to Shout ‘Stop'”: Irish Solidarity with Palestinian Refugees, 1960-2000
Kara Berlin-Gallo (2022-2023) – “No Unified Laboring Class”: The Cholera Epidemic of 1854 and Antebellum New York’s Working Class
Elsie McLaughlin (2021-2022) – “The One Who Cares For Egypt”: Queen Ahhotep and Feminine Power in the Late 17th Dynasty
Emily Dupuis (2021-2022) – “Real Irish in Their Thinking”: A Transatlantic History of Irish Catholic Women (1840-1915)
James Kelly (2021-2022) – Who’s This “We” You’re Talking About?: Department Store Workers, Ownership, and the Devolution of Retail Labor, 1900-2022
Rebecca Farias (2021-2022) – Doe as Thou Wouldest Be Done By: Relief Responses to Mental Illness in Puritan New England