Gettysburg College was forever shaped by a consequential moment in American history. Today, we seek to amplify this history for a new generation of leaders and engaged citizens, so they may rise to the charge of Lincoln’s enduring Address and dedicate themselves to the unfinished work of our time.
Guided by these ambitions, Gettysburg College is proud to launch a new online master’s program in American history, in collaboration with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI). The program’s fall courses will begin in September 2022.
Widely endorsed by the Gettysburg faculty, our new academic offering is open to all K-12 educators, district supervisors, librarians, museum professionals, and National Park Service employees who are affiliated with the Gilder Lehrman Institute. The GLI has a network of 29,000 affiliated schools in all 50 states. It has delivered an MA in American history since 2014.
“We are honored to expand our deep and longstanding relationship with the Gilder Lehrman Institute,” said President Bob Iuliano. “Recognizing that more than 60,000 K-12 teachers in the U.S. are supported by this program—and these teachers engage with nearly 8 million students every year—our new master’s program presents us with a unique opportunity to advance Gettysburg’s mission and to strengthen American democracy for the better.”
The 30-credit degree program is fully online and fully accredited. Master’s candidates are required to complete 10 three-credit courses. Tuition for the program is among the lowest of any MA program today at $750 per three-credit course ($7,500 for the entirety of the master’s program), ensuring the College’s reach extends to educators across the nation.
“This master’s degree program is designed to give teachers access to the highest quality professors—Pulitzer Prize and other award winners—at a price they can afford while teaching. For teachers everywhere, it is potentially transformative both personally and professionally,” said Gilder Lehrman Institute President James Basker.
The online courses will be taught by distinguished faculty-scholars on a range of topics spanning from the Founding Era to World War II to the present day. Course titles for 2022-23 include:
- Presidential Leadership at Historic Crossroads: From the Founding to Current Challenges led by Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
- The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. led by Prof. Peniel Joseph, The University of Texas at Austin
- The Vietnam War led by Prof. Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University
- The Declaration of Independence led by Prof. Eric Slauter, University of Chicago
- Native People in Modern America led by Prof. Don Fixico, Arizona State University
The GLI was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder Jr.—a Visionary Gettysburgian and 1997 honorary degree recipient—and Lewis E. Lehrman, who established the Lincoln Prize in 1990 with Civil War Institute Director Emeritus and Prof. Gabor Boritt.
In addition, the GLI hosts an annual summer conference on the Gettysburg College campus, and both Gilder and Lehrman contributed to create the Gilder Lehrman National Endowment for the Humanities Chair of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College, now occupied by Prof. Jim Downs.
“No other MA program in the world offers students an opportunity to study U.S. history with so many leading historians,” said Downs, who will also teach a course on the history of medicine and public health. “The Gilder Lehrman Institute has brought together the leading experts on a range of crucial subjects to provide MA students with the most comprehensive training in U.S. history.”
Visit www.gilderlehrman.org/Gettysburg to learn more and sign up for updates. Registration for the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman MA in American history will open in May 2022.
By Mike Baker
Photos by Abbey Frisco, Miranda Harple, and Mary Beth Bielicki '18
Posted: 04/05/22
