Master of Arts - in History program

Students in the M.A. in History program may choose either the 3-term (1 year) cognate option or the 6- term (2-year) thesis option. This decision must be made by the middle of November following September admission. The M.A. cognate essay is a research paper of approximately 12,500 words (about 50 pages). The M.A. thesis is a longer work of original scholarship of approximately 25,000 words (or 100 pages), accompanied by a thesis defence.

Students in both streams take six one-term graduate courses during their first two terms of study. Whichever option is chosen, students need to be aware that the M.A. degree is a year-round program. Until all degree requirements are completed, they remain full-time students during the Summer and any subsequent terms. Both streams lead to the same degree.

One of the largest and most diverse Social Science Faculties in Canada, we have eight-core Departments – Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, the DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology—and the interdisciplinary Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (which is also part of Arts and Humanities). We also offer innovative academic programs such as American Studies, Applied Archaeology; Commercial Aviation; Indigenous Studies; International Relations, Migration and Ethnic Relations; Public Administration, Public History. As of April 2017, the Faculty has more than 235 full-time faculty members, 6,500 undergraduate students and 660 graduate students. We also have an alumni network of more than 70,000 graduates living around the globe.

As an indication of our students' quality, Western’s 2015-16 undergraduate entry cohort had the highest entrance average of any university in the country. In terms of research influence and reputation, the Faculty consistently ranks among the top 100 Social Science Faculties in the world by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council, the QS Corporation, and the Academic Rankings of World Universities. Our professors have also received numerous teaching honours, including several prestigious 3M Teaching Awards. The combination of our research excellence and high-quality instruction is an important reason why student surveys demonstrate that Western provides the ‘best student experience among Canada’s research-intensive universities.