2008 Woodie Awards
New Degree in History Creates Opportunities for Students
Arrowood, Matthew ; Mass Communications Student
Issue date: 4/5/06 Section: News
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ISU's history department is mixing modern technology and traditional studies in its new Master of Arts in Historical Management.
The first class of six students will begin in the fall semester of 2007. The Idaho State Board of Education approved the program more than a year ago.
The curriculum combines Geographic Information Systems and related Information Technologies. GIS and Information Technologies use electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. The two will be added to the regular education requirements in history.
Combination of technology and education in history will make the graduates more marketable, said Program Director Kevin Marsh, assistant professor.
"Agencies and companies tend to hire two people, a GIS specialist and a historian. We hope to give them both in one," he said.
A lack of master degrees in the field persuaded ISU to create the new addition to help train students for the demand in the historical field, Marsh said. The Department of Labor has identified Geotechnology, which Historical Management encompasses, as one of the three most important fields of the 21st century. Geotechnology maps information that directly relates to any field. Mapping information can help solve problems ranging from forest fires to infectious diseases.
Applications for the program will be accepted in the fall semester of 2006 but students are already expressing interest, said the department. More than two dozen students, half from ISU, say they plan to apply.
"I'm really excited for the program to start because it allows history majors to go into a professional field other than education," ISU history senior Derrick Sharp said.
Blair works for Whisper Mountain Professional Service, which uses GIS to map earthquakes, floods and fires to prepare for natural emergencies.
Faculty say the degree will open new career options ranging from Land Management agencies, historic preservation, regional planning in transportation and zoning, and planning of spatial strategy with the Department of Defense.
The first class of six students will begin in the fall semester of 2007. The Idaho State Board of Education approved the program more than a year ago.
The curriculum combines Geographic Information Systems and related Information Technologies. GIS and Information Technologies use electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. The two will be added to the regular education requirements in history.
Combination of technology and education in history will make the graduates more marketable, said Program Director Kevin Marsh, assistant professor.
"Agencies and companies tend to hire two people, a GIS specialist and a historian. We hope to give them both in one," he said.
A lack of master degrees in the field persuaded ISU to create the new addition to help train students for the demand in the historical field, Marsh said. The Department of Labor has identified Geotechnology, which Historical Management encompasses, as one of the three most important fields of the 21st century. Geotechnology maps information that directly relates to any field. Mapping information can help solve problems ranging from forest fires to infectious diseases.
Applications for the program will be accepted in the fall semester of 2006 but students are already expressing interest, said the department. More than two dozen students, half from ISU, say they plan to apply.
"I'm really excited for the program to start because it allows history majors to go into a professional field other than education," ISU history senior Derrick Sharp said.
Blair works for Whisper Mountain Professional Service, which uses GIS to map earthquakes, floods and fires to prepare for natural emergencies.
Faculty say the degree will open new career options ranging from Land Management agencies, historic preservation, regional planning in transportation and zoning, and planning of spatial strategy with the Department of Defense.