Maritime Studies, MA

Graduate Program Director /Coordinator for Maritime History: Nathan Richards (100 Eller House; 252-328-1968; richardsn@ecu.edu)

The master of arts in maritime studies requires a total of 36 s.h. of course work, 26 s.h. of which must be taken in history. The student may take the additional 10 s.h. in history or related fields outside the Department of History. Course work is divided into three broad areas of inquiry as follows: core courses in maritime history and nautical archaeology and the thesis, which account for 15 s.h. History electives account for 3-18 s.h., and professional phase courses account for 3-18 s.h.

An oral comprehensive examination will be a component of the thesis defense. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of their field of concentration as well as establish how their thesis contributes to that field of study.

Minimum degree requirement is 36 s.h. of credit as follows:

Core courses - 15 s.h.

a. Maritime history - 6 s.h.

(Choose two courses from the following.)

b. Nautical Archaeology - 3 s.h.

HIST 6805 - History and Theory of Nautical Archaeology

c. Thesis - 6 s.h.

HIST 7000 - Thesis

Professional phase electives - 3-18 s.h.

Professional phase electives are courses that provide the specialized education required to develop professional expertise in the area of maritime studies. These courses may pertain to theories, experiences, practices, approaches, concepts, or methodologies specific to maritime archaeological and maritime historical research. Students consult with the graduate director or thesis adviser to determine the professional phase electives that will complement the thesis and plan of study. A maximimum of 10 s.h. in courses other than HIST may be counted toward the degree.

History electives - 3-18 s.h.

History electives may be any graduate HIST-prefixed course that helps develop a student’s knowledge of a specific historical context and enhance their ability to synthesize historical documents. These electives need not have a maritime focus, but should benefit the student by contributing to their thesis research.

To view a list of HIST courses, click here .

Research Skills Requirement

Students must fulfill the department’s research skills requirement by one of the following: a) successful demonstration of reading knowledge in a foreign language (FORL 6000 satisfies this requirement); b) successful completion of HIST 5950 , HIST 5951 (Introduction to Quantitative History/Directed Readings and Research in Quantitative History). If HIST 5950, HIST 5951 are used to satisfy the research skills requirement, they may not be counted toward the 36 s.h. requirement for the degree. Students who intend to pursue a PhD program are strongly advised to fulfill the foreign language requirement.