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To complete the Master of Arts degree in Oral History at Columbia University, students must successfully complete a minimum of five required courses, totaling 15 credit points; 12 points of electives; and an M.A. thesis worth three points for a total of 30 points. The required courses are: Oral History Workshop (ORHS 4010 and 4011: two semesters worth 2 points each); Oral History Method and Theory (ORHS 4015: 4 points); Oral History: Fieldwork and Documentation (ORHS 4020: 4 points); and Social Science Contributions to the Analysis of Narrative and Life History (ORHS 4025: 3 points).

Electives may be chosen from the following courses offered through the Oral History program: Transforming Oral History into Video and Audio Documentaries (ORHS 4035); The Uses of Oral Sources in the Socio-Historical Sciences and the Arts (ORHS 4030); From Oral History to Literary Narrative (ORHS 4040). With permission of their advisor, or a program co-director, students may also choose electives relating to the theory and practice of oral history and its applications and/or to their area of interest.