Founded in 1903 in Pittsburg, Kansas as the Auxiliary Manual Training Normal School, Pittsburg State University did not receive its current name until April 1977. After its founding, it became a four-year, full-fledged institution in 1913 and was known as the Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg. Currently, the public university sees more than 7,400 students each year, and the school is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents.
The school offers more than 25 online master's degrees and seven online bachelor's degrees for students seeking an opportunity for distance learning. Subjects include engineering, workforce development, health services, special education, educational leadership, and teaching.
Pittsburg State University Accreditation Details
Pittsburg State University is accredited and recognized by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, the school holds accreditation for its engineering programs by the Technology Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Other regionally accredited programs offered by the school include music, education, nursing, business, psychology, human resource development, social work, mental health counseling, and parks, recreation, and tourism.
Pittsburg State University Application Requirements
In addition to the standard admission requirements of the school, students seeking an online Master of Arts degree with a major in history must complete 24 hours of undergraduate level history courses. New students must complete an online application and submit the non-refundable application fee before the school can process the application. Once the student receives his or her PSU student ID number, he or she must submit all official transcripts to the PSU Graduate School that is in charge of the undergraduate degree. Upon acceptance, students are responsible for contacting their advisors before enrolling in classes.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The school offers three separate tuition rates under the following categories: Kansas residents and non-Kansas residents. In addition, a student might be eligible for the university's Gorilla Edge Program if he or she is a permanent residence of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, or Arkansas and is classified as a nonresident for tuition purposes. Similarly, the school offers a Gorilla Advantage program for residents of certain Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. In either program, students must be a U.S. citizen and either graduate from a high school in one of the specified counties or live in one of the specified counties for at least 12 months. All graduate admission requirements must also be met for the students' selected academic majors.
Graduate in-state and Gorilla Advantage tuition and fees start at a flat rate of $3,644 per semester. When books, supplies, and living expenses are factored in, a student can expect to pay approximately $15,000 per academic year. Similarly, the Gorilla Edge graduate tuition costs $5,466 per semester, or $18,600 per year after all other associated expenses. Out-of-state students seeking a graduate degree can expect to pay $24,700 per year, or $8,524 per semester for their online degrees. The school does offer a per-credit-hour tuition rate for students taking less than nine hours. Nearly 80% of all students at Pittsburg State University receive some type of financial aid, including loans, employment discounts, scholarships, and grants.
Should I Take Out Student Loans to Get a Masters Degree?
Online Master's Degree in History
Students have the option to pursue an online master's degree in history from Pittsburg State University. Most students on this educational track reflect an appreciation for and an interest in the historical past, and the degree program has four main goals:
- To encourage the continuing and thoughtful study of history throughout the student's lifetime;
- To provide students with investigative and research skills applicable to professional and academic situations;
- To demonstrate alternative modes of historical expressions such as living history and simulations; and
- To prepare well-qualified history educators.
Students can choose one of two program options in this online degree, including a thesis or coursework. The former is designed to prepare students for advanced professional careers, for a doctoral program, or for in-depth research experiences. Students taking the course work option will need to demonstrate evidence that they have completed course work in their respective areas of concentration. This evidence of competency will be shown through activities such as comprehensive exams, internships, practice, portfolios, research papers, or other individual work.
Both options require at least 15 semester hours of history courses of at least an 800 level, and a maximum of six semester hours of approved courses below the 700 level might also be included in the program. Both options require students to successfully complete a course titled Historical Research and Historiography in addition to at least one graduate seminar in either world history or American history.
While there are a few requirements for each degree path, students generally have freedom in terms of pace of study and topics. Although many courses are available online, students who wish to earn their degree entirely through distance learning might find the course offerings limited. Students should also keep in mind that there are no prerequisites for beginning a graduate history study aside from successfully completing an undergraduate degree. An applicant who has earned at least a 3.0 grade point average during 24 hours of undergraduate history and who otherwise meets the Graduate School's requirements for admission will be accepted.
Students can expect to take a variety of history classes, including theory and practice, world history, American history, archives and manuscripts, techniques for teaching, special topics, modern Middle East, modern Africa, and studies surrounding the legal, cultural, and social backgrounds of worldwide civilizations.
This degree is best suited for students pursuing careers as writers, artist representatives, estate and art appraisers, art advisors, curatorial consultants, museum workers, researchers, or archivists. Other popular professional options include positions in galleries and museums as well as public, industrial, or commercial sector managers. In fact, careers in art galleries and auction houses as managers or curators in auctioning, valuing, or conserving antiques, works of art, and other collectibles are fairly common.
Students who already hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution as well as 24 hours of history coursework should have little to no difficulty getting accepted into this program. Whether students pursue an on-campus degree or earn an online master's degree in history from Pittsburg State University, they can rest assured that the foundation courses, faculty, and high-level classes are designed to prepare them for entry into this lucrative profession.