For many students, the thought of online history master degree is intimidating and scary. All of those hours of study along with all the money involved can be enough to derail someone’s dreams, but then you add in the added hours of study, and the time it will take and you’re considering giving up entirely on that dream. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you want a masters degree, there are some great options out there that will allow you to have your dream degree in short order.
Regardless of whether you’re planning to become an archivist, historical writer, a history teacher or professor, or some other occupation, earning an online master’s degree is a great platform to launch your new career in history.
What Does An Online Degree Offer?
An online degree program can offer a deeper and more profound understanding of historical events and how they’ve affected modernization over the centuries. They can show the short and long-term implications that historical events had on how we live today. You can find out a great deal of information and apply it to life today if you just know where to go for such information.
Those who are seeking to have an advanced degree in history may wish to consider enrollment in an online master’s degree program. Here they can learn at their own pace without having to interrupt their job, daily routine or time with their families. The very flexibility of such a degree offers more choices, which translate to more opportunity. Upon completion of such a program, many of the programs offer placement assistance which can translate readily to a great job, extensive internship opportunities and more.
Students who choose the online route to further their education can anticipate the same rigorous standards and education that they would receive in a standard brick and mortar classroom. They’ll learn advanced techniques and methodology and they’ll have the same opportunities for hands-on experience.
Learning online allows the student to learn at their own pace, learn detailed information in regards to many specifics and gives them the opportunity to review what they’ve learned before moving on to other information.
What Is The Application Process?
Upon applying for an Online History Master Degree, students will be expected to display their knowledge and skills as well as their abilities through a variety of tests and quizzes. Students should have all of the preliminary classroom work completed and they should be able to demonstrate that they have the required Bachelor’s Degree in history prior to application of their Master’s Degree.
For those students who don’t have a history degree, a minor in History should be done prior to the application process. The grade point average or GPA will vary according to the various programs, however, typically students are required to have at least a 3.0 to a 4.0 depending on the specific program being applied to.
Students will be required to have letters of recommendation from prior professors, undergraduate professors, and other professionals. These letters should be on letterhead and specify why the student is being recommended for the program.
The programs will also want a “Statement Of Purpose”. This is the statement from the prospective student in regards to why they wish to study history and further their education. This gives students the opportunity to explain why they wish to earn their masters in history and how they plan to use this degree in their future career goals.
What Is The Graduate Record Examination Or GRE?
This is a standardized test, which is a requirement for admissions in most of the graduate schools located within the United States. It is a test that is both owned and administered via Educational Testing Service or ETS. It was set up and designed in the year 1936 by the Carnegie Foundation for The Advancement of Teaching.
Students must receive a satisfactory score on their Graduate Record Exam in order to gain admission into their Online History Master Degree. The exact scoring will vary slightly from one school to the next and the exact requirements will vary from one graduate program to the next.
Anyone who is seeking admission to an online master’s program will be required to take this test in order to gain admission into the program. It’s the most commonly given test for admissions for graduate school. In similar fashion to the SAT or the ACT, this is a board assessment test that will be required. It examines a student’s critical thinking, analytical as well as verbal reasoning, writing, and their quantitative reasoning skills. All of these skills will be developed in a person over the course of their education and the test is a final culmination of how the student is doing academically and whether or not they have acquired the required skills and assessments to pass such an exam and move forward to earn their graduate degree.
A lot of schools will also have a prerequisite of a graduate record exam in specific subjects. The purpose of such exams is that the student must have the right knowledge to move forward in their education and to continue the program. There are many tutorials and helps out there for these tests and there are also websites for students to take practice tests.
Overview Of The Graduate Record Examination
There are three basic or main sections of the Graduate Record Examination. The first section is the Analytical Writing Section and it is always the first one that is given to a potential graduate student.
The next two tests may or may not be given in the order of Verbal and Quantitative. The sections may be in any order and they may also have some questions that aren’t counted against the student’s score. The questions that aren’t counted against the student’s score ore potential questions for future tests and the students won’t have any idea which questions are potential future questions vs regular standard questions on the test. For this reason, it’s vital to answer each individual question as if it counted toward the final score.
The Graduate record exam may be given via paper or on a computer. The time for the test will vary according to which portion of the test is being given but it’s highly recommended to allow for at least three hours for the testing process. Those who take the test on paper should allow for even more time to take the test as it may also involve some questions that aren’t scored but must be answered since the student has no idea which of the questions are legitimate vs potential for future tests.
Today, most of the testing is given online via the computer version of the test. The test automatically adapts the challenge level of the questions each and every time a student enters an answer. Each student will start out with average level questions and the computer will compare subsequent answers to previous answers and automatically adjust the questions difficulting making each question slightly more difficult than the previous question. For every correct answer, the next question is going to become more challenging. Should a student answer a question incorrectly, the next question will be somewhat less difficult.
What To Anticipate In The Analytical Section Of The GRE Test
In this portion of the test, you’ll be required to read a paragraph on a general topic and then you must address the particular topic as you see fit over the course of the next 45 minutes. You must demonstrate the ability to support your personal views with sound reasons and you must use key examples that show you can complete this as you explain why you believe what you believe. If this is being done on a computer, it will use a software that allows for essays. If not, be sure to bring extra pencils that have already been sharpened.
In the second question, you’ll have to read and critique an argument. This will be a 30-minute portion and you must have your essay completed within the allotted time frame of 30 minutes. You’ll be expected to explain whether or not you believe the argument is a good argument or not. It’s important to analyze the question and convey the reasoning via your written response. However, you don’t necessarily have to agree with the statement.
In the writing portion of the test, there will be no adaptations of the questions as there are in the other two sections of the test. This is due to the fact that each person’s writing is done slightly differently and it’s more of a personal analysis of the person’s aptitude and abilities. This first section will be analyzed by human’s, not by computers.
In the second and third portions of the test, students must complete sentences, analogies, reading comprehension questions, antonyms, and more. Students will be required to form conclusions after reading written materials and they must learn to recognize the relationship between words and concepts and they must determine the relationship between varying parts of sentences.
Typically, the second and third portions of the test will take 30 minutes. The second set of questions typically has 30 questions and the third set has approximately 38 questions, however, keep in mind that depending on the institution, these may be reversed.
There is also a math portion of the test and students must demonstrate a high-school-level of the subject. For those who are a bit rusty, a refresher course in algebra, data analysis, and geometry are a must do prior to the exam. The computer version has 28 questions and allows for 45 minutes to complete the test. The paper version has 2 sections that are both 30 minutes and have 30 questions each.
There are many similarities between other college entrance tests and the GRE. It’s important to prepare for this test just as you’ve prepared for other college entrance exams. Don’t feel intimidated just because you’re taking a test. It’s really not that different than other college entrance exams.
For students that had a language other than English as their first language, they must also take a proficiency exam in English to show that they are proficient in the English language prior to their admission to the course.
Other Testings That May Be Required
Students may also be required to write an academic paper that will give a convincing analysis of a historical topic. This is to show that the student can find the proper sources for the subjects and that the student is capable of using footnotes, proper formatting and using a bibliography.
Student’s must also demonstrate that they know how to convince others of a specific analysis and that they understand and know how to create effective arguments in regards to historical topics and collect supporting evidence. A historian must also be able to create written documentation and materials that are based upon the research they do in regards to specific events. To do this they must demonstrate that they know how to write free of bias and misinformation.
It’s important for potential students to gain a perspective of how different cultures have shaped the Western perspective. This can allow for a more in-depth understanding of history and give graduates a leading edge in completing their degree.
What To Expect In The Course
In the first year of the course, student’s can expect to build on the knowledge that they’ve already learned, go through some refresher courses, and focus on their goals. This will go far in preparing students for their knowledge that will be required to pursue their specific chosen careers.
Student’s will learn how to analyze both political as well as social trends in an effort to understand the context of a historical event. This can help the student to fully understand and appreciate how different events have shaped the world as we know it today.
Student’s will also have to understand how to run research studies from the conception to the hypothesis and to present their findings. Additionally, student’s must also show that they can identify the source materials and effectively demonstrate that they can write and edit articles for academic publications.
Depending on the program, student’s will be given the opportunity to intern at such locations as museums, non-profits, government agencies, large businesses and more. Here student’s will demonstrate their knowledge and use both verbal and written analytical and archival skills that they’ve acquired during their course of studies.
In the second year of the program, students will continue their advanced studies and concepts showing that they can conduct extensive research and write about it. Student’s will have the opportunity to choose a cluster of courses and select a specific area of study.
Final Thesis
Here student’s will demonstrate that they can craft an academic paper that is based upon their own research. Such papers will be judged on the weight of the argument, the student’s research abilities, as well as their writing and editing skills on academics.
There will also be a comprehensive examination that must be completed to demonstrate their ability to validate the materials and show what they’ve learned. Student’s must pass exams that are based on the core classwork as well as their specific areas of study and concentration or a combination therein.
Many schools will require that student’s master a foreign language in order to procure their degree. Some students prefer to take specific foreign languages and others will take several just to pass the course. It is important that students have a fairly good understanding of the foreign language that they take as there will be a test.
Some schools want students to complete a foreign language requirement in order to get their degrees. To satisfy this requirement, students may have to take a certain number of foreign languages courses and pass an examination in their particular language. Not all schools will require this but for those that do, it’s an important step in the educational process.
Just as in a brick and mortar institution, there are specific graduation requirements before a student can receive his or her master’s degree. Student’s who have a master’s degree in history can anticipate utilizing their skills in a variety of rewarding careers that will give them a fairly healthy salary.
Regardless of whether the students are working in a museum, a multinational company, an archive, or some other area, they will have the daily opportunity to tell the story of the past and ensure that the information is accurate and complete. They will bear the responsibility to keep the momentum going and show how the past affects the present. This gives students the opportunity to continue learning and share their information with the world.
A professor of History can anticipate educating others in regards to the historical past. From Ancient Rome to the Modern day, a History professor can make it all come alive and help to prepare course materials as well as text that will help students learn about yesterday and today. Demonstrating how the world was compared to how the world is, can show how the past affects today’s world.
The military also utilizes such degrees and someone with a Master’s degree in History can be an excellent asset to the military. With a complete understanding of history, the degree can help the military to make good decisions on such things as war and weaponry. There are many differences in Eastern and Western cultures and this person can have a huge impact on the military’s decisions.
Professional History Associations
There are many professional History associations to consider joining. These associations are always looking for well-educated historians who have a wealth of knowledge and are interested in sharing their knowledge.
Some of these are the Oral History Association, where they can journal and keep other journals up to date as well as help with newsletters and additional information in regards to how history has shaped the world. They also offer workshops and meetings where more research is presented.
The Society Of American Historians offers independent scholars as well as historians the opportunity to make films and biographies. They are often awarded prizes for their endeavors. They frequently write novels as well.
World History Association offers supporters the ability to do some historical research and education as well as hosting professional events and offering a wealth of resources for historians and others who may require accurate historical information.
The Organization Of American Historians has been around since the year 1907. They’ve promoted historical scholarship funds via their publications and their professional development as well as their advocacy services. They include archivists, historians, museum curators, educators as well as students.
At the World History Association, they support both research and education as well as sponsoring events and offering more information for those who require accurate historical information for publications, movies, plays and more.
Online History Master Degrees offer student’s the opportunity to further their education without having to give up their regular job, life or other activities. Since everything is done online they are given the opportunity to earn a Master’s degree in their spare time. Not everyone is going to take advantage of such an opportunity, however, for those who are wishing to further their education and change careers or update their skills, this can be a great way to get some more education in at an affordable cost.
With the online program, no one has to quit their day job, take time away from friends and family or spend long hours in classroom settings. Often work activity can count toward the credits as long as the student is working in a field that will help to support this. Getting a degree online is a great way to advance your career without having to stop it to start it. Done at your own pace, it’s a great way to get ahead and further your career without having to hit the pause button. It’s affordable and a fun way to learn.
<
