Master of Arts in Public Affairs and Policy / Master of Arts in History - Dual Degree (M.A./M.A.)
The Department of Public Affairs and Policy and the Department of History offer a dual degree program combining the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy and the M.A. in History. Students must meet the requirements for the M.A. in History as well as the requirements for the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy. Of the 30 credits required for the M.A. in History, 21 must be History credits. Six of the other 9 credits must come from courses approved for credit for the Master’s in Public Affairs and Policy. Of the 44 credits required for the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy, 8 credits must come from History and must include His 630. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required for completion of the Master’s degrees in both History and Public Affairs and Policy. The dual degrees require a minimum of 60 credits.
Program Advisement. Students should receive advisement in both the History Department and in the Department of Public Administration and Policy to ensure satisfactory completion of both degrees. Students may consult with the Graduate Director in History regarding their history program or choose another faculty mentor. Likewise, students should consult with the Director of the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy program or their advisor in the public policy program.
For the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy component, students must take all of the required courses for the M.A. in Public Affairs and Policy program, as indicated in the following listing.
Public Policy (44 credits)
Pub 503 Public Economics and Finance I
Pub 504 Data, Models and Decisions I
Pub 505 Data, Models and Decisions II
Pub 506 Implementation and Impact
Pub 507 Professional Applications I
Pub 508 Current Research Topics in Public Policy
Pub 514 Economic Analysis for Public Affairs II
Pub 522 Policy and Politics
Pub 529 Law and Policy or Pub 502 Philosophical & Ethical Issues in Public Policy
Pub 698 Master's Essay in Public Affairs and Policy (4 credits)
8 History credits that would serve in partial fulfillment of a Public Policy concentration
For the History component, students must take all of the required courses for the history program, as indicated in the following listing.
History (30 credits)
A History Research Seminar (or Master’s Thesis 2-6)
History 630 Readings in Public Policy History (4)
6 credits Public Policy program
13—18 other History credits
0—3 supporting course credits in the social sciences as advised
Program Concentrations in History. Students may choose to concentrate in thematic fields of study or in geographic areas of study. Most joint degree students will concentrate in Public Policy history, but may choose one of the other thematic areas: Social and/or Economic History; Local and Regional History; Global, Comparative and International History; Culture and Society; Gender and Society; and Work and Society. Students may also select, with the permission of both departments, thematic fields from among those offered in the public policy program, and may combine courses from History, Public Policy, and other programs. Students choosing geographic concentrations may work in the United States, European, Latin American, or Non-Western Areas. Students in the joint program need not declare a policy concentration in the M.A. Public Affairs and Policy program, as the history program will constitute a concentration.
Research Seminars, Reading Seminars, Required Courses, and Thesis or Comprehensive Field Exam. Students must complete at least one research seminar in the major field in history and one reading seminar in history. With departmental approval a thesis in history for 2-6 credits may be presented in place of the research seminar. If the student does not write a thesis, they must take a comprehensive field exam in history. For information on the thesis in history and the comprehensive field examination, see Section IV.A.6 and IV.A.7 of Graduate Programs and Policies, History Department, University at Albany.
Research seminars must be completed at this University.
Foreign Language Requirements. Students who choose to write theses in history in areas which require a foreign language competency will have to pass a foreign language requirement. Language requirements will be satisfied by a two-hour departmental examination or by an examination administered by a language department with the approval of the History Department or by satisfactory completion of a graduate level language course approved by the History Department. Course work taken to satisfy a foreign language requirement may not be used for credit toward the degree. If the student fails a language exam, he or she may take it a second time, but no more than two times for a particular language. When a student takes a qualifying foreign language examination the results should be recorded on the Registrar’s Form (7/94). The original is sent to the Registrar’s office and a copy is placed in the student’s departmental file.
