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Program Requirements: A.M.

AM students should also consult the History of Science Department Master's Degree Requirements Worksheet.

Current students will find further information and all relevant forms at the HoS Graduate Program Canvas site.

Coursework


AM students must take eight four-unit courses or the equivalent, including:

  • Two seminars: Historiography of the History of Science (HISTSCI 3003A) and Research Methods in the History of Science (HISTSCI 3003B)
  • Four additional graduate seminars (2000-level) of which:
    • Three must be offered by the Department of the History of Science (DHS)
    • One must be outside the department
    • Graduate reading courses and independent study courses do not fulfill the graduate seminar requirement
  • Two additional history of science courses, designated either “for undergraduates and graduate students” (1000-level) or “primarily for graduate students” (2000-level).

Courses in the Department of the History of Science may also include:

  1. Courses taught in other departments by members of DHS
  2. Courses cross-listed under History of Science in the online course catalog
  3. Graduate-level courses offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Science, Technology, and Society Program (a maximum of three courses may be taken at MIT).

All other courses count as being outside the department.

AM Essay

AM students must prepare a Master’s Essay that presents an original argument about a topic in the history of science, medicine, and technology. It should be based on original research in primary sources, and it should engage carefully with relevant secondary sources. It should be 7,500 to 10,500 words in length, exclusive of bibliography. It must be accompanied by a complete bibliography of cited works and references in an appropriate scholarly format.

Candidates for the AM must submit the AM Essay Topic Proposal Form (also available on the HoS Graduate Program Canvas Site), by 1 March of the AM year.

The Master’s Essay may consist of a paper written for a course in the history of science—HISTSCI 3003b or another graduate seminar—taken during the AM year. Essays written for spring seminars must be submitted to the course instructor, DGS, and Graduate Coordinator by the last day of the reading period.

The Master’s Essay may also be an independent work not connected to a course, but it is expected that the essay will have been substantially written and researched during the course of the student’s enrollment in the AM Program. In this case, the DGS will designate a faculty member to grade the essay.

The essay must receive a grade of B+ or higher.

Residence and Progress

Students must be in residence for one year of full-time study. 

Eight courses must be completed with grades of B or higher.

All AM students will meet with the DGS and, where applicable, their advisor at the start of each semester to review progress and approve plans of study. AM students should submit an up-to-date History of Science AM Degree Requirements Worksheet at the beginning of each semester that they are enrolled.

Masters in Passing

Doctoral students who complete the doctoral course requirements (including submitting two research papers) are eligible to receive an AM degree in History of Science with the approval of Department faculty.