Pitt’s Graduate School of Education recently teamed up with the history department to form a… Pitt’s Graduate School of Education recently teamed up with the history department to form a program that combines both fields of study into one master’s degree. The result of the collaboration will be a Master of Arts in History Education (MAHE) for graduates of the program.

“The new degree grew out of what the history department and School of Education saw as a need to better prepare teachers in their discipline,” history professor William Chase said in an email.

“With a master’s degree, you have more experience in dealing with historical questions; you have to wrestle with the various interpretations of historical events, and to conduct research at a level that is more demanding, and hence more revealing, than one does in a bachelor’s program,” he said.

According to David Berman, coordinator of the program and professor in the School of Education, the degree concentrates on the teaching of history in secondary schools, as opposed to other disciplines.

Currently in Pennsylvania, teachers with a degree in history are qualified to teach other social studies courses such as anthropology, economics, geography and psychology.

“It’s a history-driven curriculum that offers a more intensive experience,” Berman said.

Graduates of the program will receive both a master’s degree in history and the required certification necessary to teach history and social studies courses in secondary schools throughout Pennsylvania.

In addition to the coursework through the two departments, students are required to take the PRAXIS I and II knowledge tests in order to ensure that their education is well-rounded in all fields of teaching.

According to Berman, the two-year program is designed to teach students graduate level history courses through the history department during the first year, followed by courses in the School of Education’s Master’s in the Art of Teaching program during the second.

Students in the second year of the program will also be required to obtain the Internship Certification necessary for the student teaching experience.

“One of the things we built into the program is an internship for students so that they will be better prepared,” Berman said.

Students will also receive stipends during their student teaching internship, which will take place at local school districts throughout the Pittsburgh region.

Even though this new degree program offers greater opportunities and more in-depth study, the cost of the program will not vary from similar graduate programs. According to Chase, “the costs are the same as they are for people in Arts and Science or the School of Education – the difference is that one pays slightly different costs in each school.”

The Master of Arts in History Education is expected to pay dividends for graduates of the program. “The idea is that students are investing in their future and will have a higher starting salary with a master’s degree than with a bachelor’s degree,” said Chase.

According to Berman, although each individual school district sets its own salary rates for teachers, those with master’s degrees will fare significantly better than those without.

“The choice until now was either history or education – now one can do both,” Chase said.

Interested students should contact the history department or the School of Education. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15, 2008.