MA in American History students, this page is for you. It attempts to answer all of your programmatic questions from the point of admission to participation in the commencement ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Review the FAQ below. If you are unable to find an answer to your question, contact maprogram@gilderlehrman.org for assistance.
Click the LMS button below to access the MA Program learning management system. This is where each of your courses will take place.
In your acceptance letter, you will be directed to complete a form acknowledging that you will enroll in the program. You will then receive your Gettysburg account credentials, which will be available in your application portal. It can take up to 10 days for your credentials to be created. If you are not starting in the upcoming term, you will not receive your credentials until closer to your start date. Access your application portal here.
Once you’ve received your login credentials, you can begin completing tasks on your student dashboard. You must complete the Dashboard at least one week before classes start. It will take approximately five minutes. Here is the link to access the Dashboard.
Yes. Contact the Office of Admissions at Gettysburg College (gradadmiss@gettysburg.edu) to request a change in your entry term.
If you accepted the offer of admission, were sent Gettysburg College Account Credentials, and have not contacted the Office of the Registrar to officially withdraw from the program, you are still active in the program. This applies even if you did not complete the initial onboarding dashboard or reset your account password.
To regain access to your account, please complete the following steps:
First, try resetting your password with this link: https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com
Detailed instructions for resetting your password using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) can be found here: https://it.sites.gettysburg.edu/knowledge-base/students-changing-resetting-your-password/#students-resetting-your-password-detailed-instructions
The MA in American History does not have advisors. Students are free to design their own courses of study based on available elective courses.
Go to the Courses page to view current and upcoming courses.
Click here to view a current course catalog.
Most courses are reoffered every few years.
Yes. You must contact registrar@gettysburg.edu to get permission to register for more than two courses.
Six-week courses have the same amount of work as twelve-week courses and are worth three graduate credits each.
Log into the Campus Experience platform and follow these instructions to register for courses.
There is a hold on registering for three or more courses. Email the registrar’s office at registrar@gettysburg.edu if you would like to lift the hold.
To register for the Capstone in American History, email the registrar’s office at registrar@gettysburg.edu as they will need to enroll you manually.
Section professors will appear in the registration portal with their lab sections once they have been assigned.
You can verify that you are registered for courses by going to Campus Experience, clicking on “Academics” and then viewing your course list.
Each 3-credit graduate course is $750.00.
Each 3-credit, six-week summer course is $750.00.
Tuition deadlines can be found above in the Advising/Courses/Academic Calendars section.
Once syllabi are available, they are posted to the Courses page.
Draft syllabi are available when registration opens.
In most courses, students will have to purchase books. Books typically cost around $100 per course. When available, program administrators link books, chapters, articles, and primary sources in the Learning Management System for students to access for free.
Section professors are assigned to courses approximately 4–6 weeks before classes begin.
Your section professor’s contact information is available in the course LMS in the Section Professor tab.
Click here to view Gettysburg College’s IT Knowledge Base. It contains answers to your tech questions.
Review the IT Knowledge Base linked above. If you are unable to find the solution to your issue, contact G-Tech, gtech@gettysburg.edu.
Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to avoid being locked out of your account again. Click here to view instructions for setting up MFA.
Yes. Gettysburg College provides equal opportunities to students with disabilities admitted through the regular admissions process.
Students seeking accommodation should contact the Center for Student Success, student_success@gettysburg.edu, for additional information specific to the graduate program. The Center for Student Success provides support for students with disabilities who request academic accommodations. Each request for accommodation will be considered individually based on the accommodation(s) requested and the documentation provided. Students eligible for accommodations will receive a Verification of Student Accommodation letter. Students should provide their section professor with their Verification of Student Accommodation letter. Reasonable accommodation for students with learning disabilities may result in some curricular modifications that do not substantially alter course content or involve waiving requirements essential to the graduate program.
When withdrawing from courses during the first week of the semester, students are eligible for a 100 percent refund. There will be no refund for courses dropped after week one.
During week one, students can request course or section changes through the registrar’s office until the add/drop period is concluded.
During weeks two and three of a twelve-week course, students can petition to change sections. Students should send an email to the Gettysburg College registrar, registrar@gettysburg.edu, with the reason for their request. The registrar will evaluate the request, decide if it is urgent, and then, if there is room available in another section, make the change.
Students enrolled in a six-week course may only change sections during the week one add/drop period.
Students can withdraw from a course through the end of week nine of courses.
Students may request from their section professor a temporary grade of “Incomplete” if extenuating circumstances (e.g., sickness, a recent death in the immediate family, serious personal problems, or other circumstances of equal gravity) prevent completion of course requirements by the end of the semester.
The missing work must be submitted to the adjunct section professor by the end of the add/drop deadline of the semester following the one in which the incomplete was incurred.
If the missing work is not completed by the end of the add/drop deadline, the section professor should assign a final grade that takes into account completed and missing work.
You will need to pass, with a grade of B- or higher, ten three-credit courses and maintain a GPA of 3.0.
The MA must be completed within five years. If you are unable to complete your degree in five years, you can apply for an extension.
Students are required to complete Historiography and Historical Methods and the Capstone in American History courses. Historiography and Historical Methods is a prerequisite to enrollment in the Capstone course. It is recommended, but not required, that you take Historiography and Historical Methods early in the program, as it will help you succeed in other courses.
Students are expected to complete the MA in American History in five years or less.
Students do not have to take courses every semester.
Students who wish to sit out a semester (or more) do not need to take additional steps to do so. They should, however, sign up for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) before sitting out. Doing so will make it easier to get back into their GBC account if a password reset request is missed. Learn more about MFA here: https://it.sites.gettysburg.edu/knowledge-base/__mfa/
Go to Campus Experience: Click on “Academics” in the sidebar –> Then “View unofficial transcript” –> Then click on the “View pdf” button and it will generate an unofficial transcript.
Follow the instructions here: https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/registrar/transcripts
Grades are added to student transcripts by the date that grades are due to the registrar from section professors. See the academic calendar for grade due dates.
This course lets you apply the knowledge you have acquired throughout the master’s degree program by conducting original research. Its sole focus is the production of either a substantial original research paper or a capstone project of comparable significance as determined by the MA program faculty. Click here to view a past syllabus for the Capstone in American History.
Professor Tracey Trenam is the Capstone lead professor. She hosts three Q&A sessions each semester during which Capstone students can ask questions.
Students must complete 24 credits before they can sign up for the Capstone course. To register for the Capstone in American History, email the registrar’s office at registrar@gettysburg.edu as they will need to enroll you manually. In some situations, students are allowed to take the Capstone in American History with fewer than 24 credits. Contact burnett@gilderlehrman.org if you think may be eligible.
Click here to view a video by Dr. Laura Ping for information about the Capstone course and how to prepare for it. Contact maprogram@gilderlehrman.org to learn more about the Capstone course.
No. Capstone projects are approved during the opening weeks of the Capstone in American History. However, if you will enroll in the Capstone within the next three semesters and want to receive early feedback about potential research topics, you can contact capstone@gilderlehrman.org. Note: This email address is checked weekly on Fridays.
Email maprogram@gilderlehrman.org to determine who is leading sections of the Capstone. Email burnett@gilderlehrman.org and registrar@gettysburg.edu to request a specific section professor. Requesting a section professor does not guarantee that you will be in their section.
Continuing work on a previously started project or paper requires approval from your section professor.
If you are registered for your final course(s), you will automatically receive a Graduation Application link from the Office of the Registrar within 2 weeks of the term drop/add deadline.
This Graduation Application allows you to confirm
Note: Applying to graduate and attending Commencement are two different processes. The Office of the Registrar coordinates graduation applications, degree audits, conferral of degrees, mailing of diplomas, and how your name should appear in the Commencement program. In the spring, you will hear from the Gettysburg College Commencement Team and the team at GLI regarding in-person Commencement information.
Commencement ceremonies for the MA in American History are held in mid-July. Students who graduated during the prior spring, fall, or summer semesters are eligible to participate in the ceremony. Contact maprogram@gilderlehrman.org for updates.
Yes. Graduates are typically allotted two guest seats for the commencement ceremony. Exceptions are sometimes made. Contact maprogram@gilderlehrman.org if you wish to bring additional guests.
Commencement is held in Gettysburg, PA.
Students in this program may apply for scholarships from the Gilder Lehrman Institute when they are available. Students in the program are not eligible for Gettysburg College scholarships.
You may be eligible for Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans and private education loans to cover tuition and other education-related costs. Students who apply for federal loans receive their financial aid award letters via mail within two to four weeks of FAFSA submission. Notification times for private education loans vary by lender. Please contact the Gettysburg College Office of Financial Aid at finaid@gettysburg.edu for more information.
You can find student loan information on the US Department of Education Federal Student Aid website. To start the process, you will need to file the free application for federal student aid (known as FAFSA) listing Gettysburg College as the school of choice. This can be done online at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA school code for Gettysburg College is 003268. Please note that if you do not receive your FAFSA approval before the registration deadline and you are ultimately approved for financial aid, you can apply the aid toward courses for the following term.
Eligible students can receive tuition benefits offered by the GI Bill®. For general information about veterans’ benefits, please contact the Gettysburg College Office of Financial Aid at finaid@gettysburg.edu.
No. As a non-degree-seeking student, you are not eligible for financial aid.
Click here to learn more about this $24,000 fellowship for K-12 educators.
No. Go to the Courses page to view upcoming courses and the course catalog to view a full list of courses and their descriptions. Use these to create your plan of study. You may need to make adjustments to your plan of study depending on what courses are offered during your time in the MA program.
Email the registrar’s office at registrar@gettysburg.edu to request sign off on your plan of study and payment request form.
Madison fellows have received constitutional coursework credit for these courses: The American Enlightenment, The American Revolution, The Declaration of Independence, Democracy in the Early Republic, Women in the American Revolution. Check with the James Madison Fellowship Foundation to confirm that specific courses will count toward your constitutional coursework requirement.
Yes. Gettysburg College will accept the six graduate credits awarded after completion of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship summer seminar at Georgetown University as fulfillment of two elective courses.