Survey Distributed to Graduate Students in Spring 2003

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Note: ALL of these questions are optional, but we are especially interested in collecting the starred (*) information.

1. Sex: __female, __male

2. Race: __African American, __Asian/Pacific American, __Caucasian, __Latino/Latina, __Native American, __Other

3. Age (check one): __21-25, __26-30, __31-35, __36-40, __41-50, __51-60, __over 60

4. Graduate institution:

5. How many years have you been in the master's program?

*6. Are you enrolled __part-time or __full-time?

*7a. What is the specific title of the master's degree you are pursuing (e.g., Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Science, etc.)?

*7b. Are you concentrating on a specific geographic area, subject, and/or historicaltheme for this degree? If so, what?

*8a. Where did you earn your bachelor's degree?

*8b. In what subject did you earn your bachelor's degree?

*9. What are your career goals after completing this master's degree? (check ALL that apply):

__advancement in my current career
__switching to a new career
__ pursuing this master's degree for personal enrichment, as an avocation, or for some other reason that does not include professional development
__pursuing a Ph.D. in history
__pursuing an advanced degree in a field OTHER than history
__faculty member at a four-year college or university
__faculty member at a community or junior college
__public historian
__working at a museum/historic site
__archivist or librarian
__historic preservation officer
__historical consultant
__school teacher at the grades K–6 level
__school teacher at the grades 7–12 level
__school administrator
__writing, publishing, and other media production
__work in the public sector (but not primarily as a historian)
__work in the non-profit sector (but not primarily as a historian)
__work in the private/business sector (but not primarily as a historian)
__undecided
__other (please list)

II. QUESTIONS:

1). Why did you choose to attend this particular institution for a master's degree in history?
( Please check all that apply but also indicate the MOST important factor):

__reputation of the school
__reputation of the history department or a specific faculty member
__geographic location
__low tuition
__availability of financial aid or other support
__convenient course scheduling
__a specific program or course offered by the history department

(if so, please list)

__it was my undergraduate institution
__the recommendation of my undergraduate advisor(s)
__the recommendation of my family and/or friends
__the recommendation of my employer and/or someone working in the field.
__the recommendation of a printed or electronic guide to graduate programs (if so, please identify the guide)
__information on the institution's or the history department's website
__other (please list)

2). Have you pursued graduate work in any other discipline? Or did you consider pursuing graduate work in any other discipline before starting this degree program? If so, what made you choose to pursue the master's degree in history?

3). Did you have a clear idea of the subject content, requirements, and expectations of a master's degree in history BEFORE you began this graduate program? If so, have your original views been confirmed?
If not, do you NOW have a clear idea?

4). Do you feel that the subject content, requirements, and expectations for a master's degree in history were faithfully represented to you as you decided whether or not to attend this institution?

5). Does your history department also offer a doctorate in history? Does it offer more than one "track" for the master's degree (e.g., a specialized degree in public history or teaching)? If so, are students in the different programs treated differently in any way?

6). Are you satisfied with the range and content of the courses offered to graduate students in your department? What changes, if any, would you like to see in the coursework?

7). Does your master's program require a thesis? If not, what other final project is required (e.g., a comprehensive exam)? Do you feel that the rationale for the final project has been adequately explained to you?

8). Would you say that your department provides a broad or a narrow training in history? Are you encouraged to think about history as a large discipline, encompassing many different fields and approaches? Are you encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary courses or research projects?

9). How would you describe the graduate student community in your history department? Is it friendly or unwelcoming? What does the department do (or fail to do) to encourage community among master's degree students?

10). Do master's students play a substantive role in the governance of your department? Are they involved in the graduate program decisions that directly affect them?

11). Does your department provide any financial aid to master's degree students? What other kind(s) of resources does your department make available to its master's students (e.g., research funds, support for language training, office space, computer access, etc.)? Are there additional resources you would like to see the department offer?

12). What kind(s) of paid work, if any, have you done for your department (e.g., as a research assistant or teaching assistant)?  Were you satisfied with the workload, the pay, and/or the conditions of employment? Was your experience typical of other master's degree students in the department?

13). In section I, we asked you to indicate your career goal(s) after completing this master's degree in history. Do you feel that your department is preparing you adequately for your chosen career goal(s)? Does the department provide master's students with any special training or information in these areas of professional development? Do some of the potential career paths for historians receive more attention and/or respect from your department than others?

14). In your view, what skills, knowledge, etc., make someone into a "professional historian"? Is your master's program providing you with these things?

15). What is the most important thing you have learned about the discipline of history so far in this master's program?

16). What is really good about your master's degree program—in particular, what would you like to see other history departments emulate in their own master's programs?

17). What is/are the most significant challenge(s) facing the master's degree program in your history department?

18). Are there any other issues related to graduate education, at your institution or across the discipline of history, that you would like to see the AHA's Committee on the Master's Degree to explore?

19). What do you think the American Historical Association, as a professional organization, can do to improve graduate education for students at the master's degree level?

III. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OBSERVATIONS