Whether you’re pursuing a career in teaching or public history or simply seeking to deepen your intellectual and professional development, the M.A. in History at UNA offers a high-quality program at an affordable cost. Courses are available both online and on our historic campus, located in the culturally rich Muscle Shoals region of northwest Alabama.

Part of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, the region is steeped in historical and cultural significance. Shaped by the Tennessee River, it was home to Indigenous communities including the Chickasaw and Cherokee, whose presence is still evident in the landscape today. The region played a critical role in westward expansion and the era of Indian Removal, and served as a strategic location during the Civil War, where conflicts centered on control of the river and the railroads. The formation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933, headquartered on the Wilson Dam Reservation—itself a product of a massive effort to produce explosives during WWI —resulted in a profound transformation of the region, both in terms of landscape and the lives of residents. In the twentieth century, Muscle Shoals earned international acclaim for its recording studios, where artists including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and the Rolling Stones helped define American popular music through what became known as the “Muscle Shoals Sound.” The region is also closely tied to important moments in the Civil Rights Movement, offering a powerful lens into stories of resistance, resilience, and transformation. This rich historical landscape makes the Shoals an exceptional place to study and connect with the past in meaningful ways.